Transferable Skills (IV)

First Semester

Transferable skills shall facilitate your first semesters of studying and aid you in overcoming the challenges of your studies.

The following prerequisites are part of the university's basic competences (2 ECTS):

• Welcome session and Introduction
• Introduction of the service department
• 2 elective subjects from Transferable skills
• Exciting Science

Exciting Science (1 ECTS)

You will spend an afternoon at a department of your choice, learning the basics about the research areas and possible applications of the department's work. Additionally, you will independetly engage intensively with your planned course of study, drafting a study plan for your chosen program and a fictional resume outlining your expected qualifications and competencies. In this context, you will also learn about potential career fields.

Organizational:
Register for a program of a department via the Exciting Science Moodle course. The course is conducted in small groups and attendance iwill be compulsory.

General:
In Exciting Science we will try to facilitate your approach to studying and support you to make first contact with the departments. Also reflection upon E-portfolio will enable you to self-critically review your expectations of your studies and career paths that will arise as oppurtunities when completing your study program.

Completion:
After Exciting Science students shall be ablte to,

• Briefly describe a specific field of research or to give an overview over research topics of a department, possible areas of application of research and a relation to personal experiences shall be drawn,
• Plan their stuides, name possible challenges of studying and especially describe personal interests,
• Describetheir expected professional knowledge and competences after completing their studies,
• Expectations when it comes to studying and the curriculum, it's requirements and future career expectations with the corresponding competences and align them with different job profiles.

Exam performance:
E-Portfolios consisting of the following parts:

1. Report and reflection on Exciting Science
2. My studies
3. Fictitious CV

Further information you may find in Moodle.

You will be able to provide prrof of your newly acquired competencies during the MINT-project presentation.

Elective subjects related to transfearble skills (2 x 0.5 ECTS)

Choose 2 out of the following 5 elective modules:

1. Rhetoric / Public Speaking (641.001)

2. Presenting & Visualizing (641.002)

3. Self-Management (641.003)

4. Ethics (641.004)

5. Excel (641.005)

6. Alternatively, you can participate in the Climate Simulation Game (641.006), which counts as two elective modules.

Organizational:
Dates and groups will be available in MU Online. Elective subjects are designed in such a way to be part of the learning goals announced via the learning platform Moodle. They shall be completed in self-learning phases. Lecture dates markes and “Präsenztermin”/"held in presence" will be with compulsory attendance. Out of administrative reasons, please register for the lecture “Transferable skills” 641.000.

General:
Non-compulsory subjects shall give students a general (transversal) competence which will be of central importance during their studies and at a later point in their career life.

Completion

Learning goals and exam performance 

1. Rhetoric / Public Speaking

Students will be able to:

• Present in a group concepts in a convincing manner and with confidence,
• Do a small presentation confidently
• Deal with objections and questions accordingly,
• Analyze language, voice, gesture and body language during presentations and give feedback
• Use AI critically

2. Presentation and Visualization

Students will be able to:

• Design slides for presentations in a clear and appealing way
• Make visualizations in slides (and scientific texts, to support learning process),
• Effectively design and structure presentations,
• Present slides to an audience confidently and with an impact
• Use AI critically

3. Self-Management

Students will be able to:

• Reflect on the new life segment,
• Analyze their strengths and weaknesses related to their studies
• Set SMART goals for their studies
• Tackle stressful situations during exam preparation and during an exam,
• Organize themselves help and study groups
• Use AI critically

4. Ethics

Students will be able to:

• Reflect on ethical questions in relation to consequences of human action and discuss the application of technologies,
• reflect on the use of AI from an ethical perspective and us AI critically
• critically scrutinise their own (future) actions during their studies and in their later professional life from the point ov view of ethical issues,
• paraphrase original texts and cite sources correctly to avoid plagiarism.

5. Excel

Students will be able to:

• Conduct simple statistical values (e.g., standard deviation, variance etc.) with Excel,
• Create functions in Excel (if/then),
• Process big amounts of data, e.g. from laboratory-analyzed findings in Excel.

6. Climate Simulation Game

Students will be able to:

• Reflect on sustainable development, climate justice, quality of life, supply security, and social equity
• Reconsider their personal response to the climate crisis and understand social and individual responsibilities
• Convince others of the importance of collaboration in solving conflicts and problems
• Explain entrepreneurial and political responsibilities

Exam performance: Exam immanent
Active participation, working on the online exercises and depending on the elective subject: Presentation, constructive feedback to the colleagues, creation of examples, participation in discussion forums etc. The exact criteria will be announced at the beginning of the courses.

The course Transferable skills will be completed by the student once they have received a grade.