Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,
examinations cannot take place in person
at Universität Hamburg for the time being.
This means that there are no written examinations on site.
Instead, students sit their exams digitally.
Take-home exams are a digital alternative to written examinations.
What is a take-home exam?
A take-home exam has the following characteristics:
It is a written examination format that is completed digitally.
Take-home exams are taken independently in a place of your choice.
Unlike written examinations, they are unsupervised.
You may use certain tools and resources,
such as textbooks or lecture notes, during a take-home exam.
Your teacher will announce the permitted tools
and/or resources ahead of the exam.
Only tools and resources that are explicitly permitted may be used.
Any attempts to cheat will be punished
under the terms specified in your examination regulations.
There are two separate time models for take-home exams.
In the first version, you are given
a specific completion time with a fixed starting point.
This means that you need to go online
at a given time and that you must not exceed the permitted duration.
In the second version, you are given a longer completion period.
You decide when to start the examination
—as long as your starting point is within the completion period.
For example: if you are given a two-hour completion time
and a 24-hour completion period,
you can start your two-hour exam at any point during the day specified.
What should I keep in mind?
Make sure that you are registered for the exam ahead of time
and that your name is on the examination list for your course in STiNE.
Familiarize yourself with the exam conditions in STiNE.
You must submit a digital declaration of authorship
confirming that you have completed the work on your own
and without using any tools or resources beyond those explicitly permitted.
Submit the declaration at the end of the exam.
You will be given a form at the beginning.
Before uploading and submitting your documents,
check that everything is formatted and named correctly.
If you have problems or questions during an exam,
you will be able to reach an examiner digitally.
Make use of this to let the examiners know if something goes wrong.
How do I prepare?
Make sure that you can work alone and without disruptions
for the duration of the examination.
Prepare your workspace ahead of the exam
and have all necessary tools and permitted resources at hand.
You will need a desktop computer or laptop
with a stable internet connection,
conventional word processing software and a PDF reader.
Always have your student ID number and your uni username at hand.
Make sure you have a backup internet connection available
in case of interruptions to your main connection.
This could be an alternative Wi-Fi connection or the mobile data network
on your smartphone (using the tethering function).
Ask your teacher whether you can take a mock exam
to familiarize yourself with the conditions of this exam format.