Nervousness is spreading, soon it will be time, there is no turning back. Suddenly the feeling of having forgotten everything ... Do you know this situation before an exam? Many of the 150 students who have taken their Bachelor or Master degree exams at the FernFH in the past few weeks have experienced something similar to the situation just described. The examination situation this year was a premiere for all those involved: Due to Corona, no examinations took place on site, but the students and examiners took their seats in virtual space via Microsoft Teams. So did Martina Knapp and Ivo Gsellmann, who both passed their examination in the degree programme "MA in Business Informatics” with flying colours.
"The positive thing is that you are at home - in your own comfort zone," is how Martina Knapp describes the feeling during the exam. Ivo Gsellmann agrees with this, emphasizing that the virtual exam eliminates the need to travel, which could be an additional stress factor for him. "On the other hand, there is the challenging situation of conveying the contents in a clearly understandable and comprehensible way, as facial expressions and gestures are often difficult to recognise or interpret in this virtual room," says the graduate. However, the online exam was the ideal solution at this moment for both of them so that they could complete their studies on time.
Small technical problems quickly solved
Peter Völkl, programme director of "MA in Business Informatics", admits that he was somewhat sceptical in advance, but the reservations would not have been borne out. "On the whole, everything worked perfectly technically, minor technical problems were solved immediately." The programme director can imagine now that in the future he will be able to conduct exams in his degree programme both on-site and online. "For example, it might be possible for only one commissioner to participate virtually, as this would eliminate the need for a long journey." Therefore, the successful premiere of the online final exams at the FernFH shows different variants of the execution.
The degree programmes "BA in Business Informatics", "BA in Aging Services Management", "BA in Business Administration and Psychology" and "MA in Business Administration and Psychology" also conducted the final examinations online. The graduates will be celebrated in a virtual graduation on Thursday, July 2. The event will be broadcast via livestream.