BSc.

The lecture introduces students to scientific work. The basic forms of written and oral knowledge representation will be described. We will discuss how to write texts in the context of computer science, and how these texts will be read and reviewed. In addition, legal, ethical and philosophical problems of science in general and of computer science in particular will be introduced. Further, problems of gender and diversity in computer science and in lectures will be presented, and solution strategies discussed.

Exam

• The examination of the module will take place in the proseminar part (presentation).
• Active participation will also be determined in the proseminar part (written paper, participation in discussion on each presentation).
• However, unlike the other lectures in the study program, this lecture requires attendance.

FAQ 

When should I attend the lecture? 
According to the study regulations, the module "Doing Research in Computer Science" (Wissenchaftliches Arbeiten in der Informatik) is one semester long (like all our modules). However, this is practically only true if you attend a block proseminar, i.e., if it takes place after the teaching period in the lecture-free period. Then (and only then) you should choose a proseminar and the lecture in the same semester.

If, however, you want to attend a proseminar during the lecture period, you should attend the lecture in the previous semester (or even earlier, that is no problem). In this case, you should already register for the module in Whiteboard at the start of the lecture, but only for one of its two courses: For the lecture, but not yet for the proseminar. Such a separation into two distinct courses to be attended separately does not exist in our other modules.
And in which semester should all this happen? See the next question about this:

How much prior knowledge is required? 
The course requires very little computer science knowledge. There are a few computer science related topics that might be too difficult, but first of all, this is still true in a higher semester, and, second, it is not a bad thing, because these topics only serve as examples. The course is actually about something else that you should be able to understand easily even in the second or third semester.
However, it would be valuable to have settled into your studies well enough to have your head somewhat free for these new thoughts.

Can/should I attend this even as a master's student? 
Yes. If you have never enjoyed such an event, or if you have forgotten enough of it again, you can get a very good preparation particularly for the master thesis here. Especially the infamous term "scientific research" will become much clearer, and thus the requirements to be met (units 1+2). And whoever asks themselves whether they should pursue a doctorate or not, is now probably so much more interested in the answer than during the Bachelor's program that it will also be worthwhile to revisit the course (units 1,2,3,7).

Can/should I attend this even as a graduate student? 
Yes. For those who are not quite sure what "research" and "science" actually mean in an engineering subject such as computer science, answers will be given in units 1,2,3. And for those who do not yet consider themselves an accomplished author of scientific articles (and dissertations), hints are given in unit 4.

Here you can find our Code of Conduct.

Schedule