The writing pad is full of notes, the books are ready and yet the topic cannot be properly grasped: The learning workshop of the Central Student Advisory Service provides support in writing academic papers. Stephanie Lamping and Stefan Grazius took part in the courses.
"After the course, I just finally started writing," says Lamping. Although she is otherwise well organised, the courses at the Lernwerkstatt gave her an extra boost. "I simply had more energy to tackle my Bachelor's thesis," says Lamping, who studied French and Philosophy at Bachelor level.
The Lernwerkstatt offers numerous workshops to support students with their academic projects; here they can find suggestions on finding topics, structuring their work, time planning and effective reading. "Sometimes it's just a matter of giving the students' ideas direction, for example when choosing the right method," says Anke Görres, whose workshops Lamping and Grazius attended. In small presentations, group discussions and lectures, the participants learn how to critically analyse texts and how to deal with empirical data.
Discuss in small groups
The atmosphere in the learning workshop is very personal, explains Lamping. "This is perhaps sometimes neglected in large degree programmes." She found it very helpful to discuss questions and problems together in a small group. "With the help of mind maps and discussions with others, I was ultimately able to narrow down my topic more," she says.
Stefan Grazius also attended the courses at the learning workshop - three of them. "I realised that it helps me to look for solutions together with others." This is because students of other subjects often see completely different possibilities for a topic, says Grazius, who is studying for a Master of Education in Business Education and Politics in Oldenburg.
Benefiting from suggestions in the learning workshop
Especially when you are planning a larger empirical part in your work for the first time, you can only benefit from the suggestions in the learning workshop. "In the courses, I was also able to refine my skills in dealing with texts and get suggestions for realising ideas." Realising ideas seems to be Graziu's strength: Last year, he won the "Special Prize for Media Competence" in the "Teaching for Life" ideas competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Together with a fellow student, he developed an internet-based learning platform in the form of a fictitious flirt community, which pupils can use to familiarise themselves with the risks and dangers of the internet.
Grazius is currently writing his Master's thesis. Afterwards, the qualified insurance specialist will train to become a teacher at vocational schools in Lower Saxony.Lamping has already successfully completed her Bachelor's thesis and is now studying for a Master's degree in "Complex Decision-Making" in Bremen. She is not worried about her Master's thesis - after all, this time she knows what to expect.
