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Course registration
Course assignment and distribution is carried out with the integrated campus management system Marvin. The same applies to the exam registration using the TAN method.
For registration, please also see the general course rotation (Veranstaltungsturnus) and the current information offered on our separate page on offered courses.
Important Dates and Deadlines for WS 2024/2025
General information for choosing courses
You can only choose courses that are tied to either your study regulations (Studienordnung) or your course of study (Studiengang). You can only choose courses you have not already taken. Should you have to interrupt a course during a semester or not attend one you have registered for, ask your course instructor (Kursleiter/in) to cancel your registration so that you can attend the course the following semester. The same applies for when you have to repeat a course due to a failed attempt (Fehlversuch).
When a course you are registering for is available under other modules as well, you have to specify at registration which module applies to you.
Tip: WHEN exactly you register during the registration period is immaterial. The time of registration is not important. We take into account your course of study and which semester you are in following a half-automated course distribution.
We use the following course allocation procedures (Vergabeverfahren) in the department:
- Registration = direct allocation -> for all lectures, colloquia
- Random allocation = for all Pro- and Hauptseminare as well as training without parallel groups
- Priority allocation = for all practical language training as well as other courses with parallel group (at least two).
- You can have as many priority allocations as there are parallel groups or select only one group. The random allocation decides the allocation.
- Tip: You have a better chance of getting a seat when you have selected multiple alternatives under parallel groups.
Attention! The system does not check for overlaps automatically. You should make sure that seminars and selected groups in your schedules do not overlap – with all priorities.
Step by step instructions
1. Where do I start? First, see which courses are relevant to you this semester and for your course of study (in the module handbook, the recommended course schedule as well as in your course and exam regulations).
2. What prerequisites should I look out for? You will find an overview in the module concordance (Modulkonkordanz) (i.e. the list with course and exam possibilities) that FB 10 has put together for your course of study. All conditions that apply to course entry can also be found in your course and exam regulations and in the respective module handbook.
Attention! At the moment, Marvin does not verify automatically whether you meet the prerequisites. This remains your responsibility as you will not be able to register for courses and exams later on. There are exceptions – as before – though only upon special request and for very good reasons (evidence required). You will find this information on the page for exam registration.
Note: Course entry conditions will be checked automatically when the exam registration that currently works on the old HISQIS system also switches to Marvin:
- You will be able to register then only when grades have been uploaded for courses. Do plan accordingly.
- At the end of the second week of the semester, your schedule should contain only the courses you wish to complete. When, for example, you have gained access to two seminars whereas your study regulations say you can take only one seminar, you should sign out of one (till the end of the second week of the semester). Why? When you register for many courses and are accepted to them, your grade overview will say either “incomplete” or “failed attempt” and keep you from completing these courses the following semester.
3. Where do I find all the courses offered in my course of study? The entire course catalogue is available on Marvin. The catalogue is structured thus, in a tree-like fashion, so that you start with the faculty (FB 10) -> then the degree (BA or Teacher Education, etc.) -> then your specific course of study -> the course regulations.
4. Which courses can I sign up for? You can only sign up for courses available to your course of study and in your study regulations. With multiple parallel groups for example, UE Literary Text Analysis, read the course description with care. Not all groups are available for all courses of study.
5. How do I prioritise?
a) You can combine as many priorities as parallel groups when it comes to courses with parallel groups – or select just one. Attention! The system does not check for overlaps automatically (unfortunately!) – neither at registration / course selection, nor at allocation.
b) Select as many priorities as your schedule will allow without overlaps. This increases the chance of being assigned to one of the groups.
c) Often there are multiple courses in a module although you need to sign up for and complete only one of these.
Example: English Teacher Education (WS13-14 on) module M5, PS Genre / Periods. You can choose only one proseminar out of the modules in this category here. The same goes for PS Cultural Studies.6. How many courses can I sign up for? As mentioned before, follow your exemplary schedule. There are of course other possibilities, e.g. when planning for a semester abroad or a minor (Drittfach). On average, as a Teacher Education student, you have to take approx. 3 to 4 courses in English pro semester and in BA Anglophone Studies approx. 6 to 7. Remember to plan your courses with an eye to what you wish to do afterwards. The skills and knowledge you learn should stand you in good stead with your future job. You collect here not just grades at exams.
Attention! If we notice with manual checks that students have signed up for way more courses than they should be completing, we reserve the right to cancel ALL your registrations. Our wish is that all our students complete their studies within the standard period of study.
If yours is a special case (e.g. having switched from another university) and this calls for exceptions, you can, for instance, select courses beyond the specified – as long as places are free.
Students who, for instance, wish to fast track a subject, have neither the guarantee nor the right to preferential treatment. Having said so, certain lecturers do endeavour to grant your wishes to the best of their abilities. The prerequisites apply to you too.7. How does course distribution work? Random allocation and priority allocation are set in motion during the registration period. The status of a course will then say “in process”. In any case, various processors review this allocation and, if needed, manually make necessary adjustments, as the automatic allocator does not take into account which semester you are in automatically.
a) A student is not entitled to a certain group with a certain lecturer. The allocation to another available group or another elective is to be tolerated.
b) If you select only one priority, you do not increase your chances of being selected to exactly this group.8. How do I know to what I have been selected? Quite simply: after the processing period, log back and check the admissions in your schedule.
9. How do I unsubscribe from a course? You have till the end of the registration period (till the end of the second week of the semester) to unsubscribe from all courses you actually will not be able to complete this semester, e.g. when there are overlaps with other subjects or changes to your schedule somehow.
Please understand that we must process our admissions earlier than other departments to give you the chance to buy and read the necessary books.10. How can I still get a place in a seminar after the registration deadline?
You can still unsubscribe from a course till the deadline (see above) after the processing period. To register later for additional courses and groups, you must hand in the registration form in paper form at the business office with the signature of the instructor in charge. These are then entered manually. Forms without the signature of the instructor will not processed. Erasmus students and those taking part in other exchange programmes too should use this form.
Check later if the courses when you register for exams are the same as the actual courses taken. Also see the instructions for exam registration.
11. What do I do in case of errors in the system?
- Technical problems:
Please contact Dr. Franziska Bock (E-mail: marvinfb10@staff), MARVIN - integriertes Campus-Management (iCM), at the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures. - The course is in the study regulations, but not available in the course catalogue
If, for example, you cannot register for a course because it is not assigned to your course of study – please go to ILIAS courses “Marvin: Problems – Selecting courses - exceptions”. You find this tabled under -> FB 10 -> Department for English and American Studies -> summer semester 2019.
You will find in the group the form with which to report problems. Please follow the described path and upload the form with your error message to the group relevant to your course of study (exactly how you upload a “task”). Your request is then processed where possible and you will be registered manually. This way, we can easily keep you informed about this ILIAS group via email or you yourself can log in and see the comments should there be any.
When you are registered manually or subsequently also admitted, this should be visible in your schedule. We will try our best to troubleshoot as quickly as possible and ask you for a little patience.
Tip: It is not a technical error when you have not been re-matriculated. Note that it takes about 10 days for the transfer of the semester fee to appear in the account and it is only then that the course selection is activated for you.
Important! Check regularly with the email address linked to your ILIAS account (this should be your @students email).
Questions?
If you have questions about planning your schedule, courses and course structure, please speak timely to the respective student advisor – ideally before the start of the semester. Usually, the best option for good advice is a personal conversation during the office hours.