Practical Experiences in International Studies in Informatics

Claudia Krull, Georg PaulOtto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OvG)

Daniel V. GouletUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP)

2

Agenda

• The Partners

• Goals

• Challenges

• The Dual-Degree Program

• Results

• Future Challenges

3

The Partners

• Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg:– 9 Departments with 10,000 Students– Faculty of Computer Science 1500 students– 4 Diploma courses (ending), 3 Master

courses, 4 Bachelor courses

• University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point:– 8700 students in 100 programs– Department of Mathematics and Computing– Majors and Minor in CIS

4

Goals

Students can obtain degrees from both Universities as part of their normal study activities.

1. International Understanding2. Cultural / Historical Understanding3. Academic Understanding4. Language Proficiency5. Academic Certification

5

Challenges

• Prerequisites

• Curriculum

• Language difficulties

• Financial issues

• Will also come up in Europe

6

Prerequisites

• German students need Abitur to study• Any American High-School graduate may study

• Convince German officials, that Americans are qualified to study

Good grades are necessary for admittance into the program

7

Curriculum

• Diploma (Germany)– 5 years, almost only major– 4 different courses of study (Inf,WIF,CV,CSE)– Practicum required in 7th or 8th semester

• Bachelor (USA)– 4 years CIS Major– GDR requirements

8

Language

• Germans study English at school– At least 6 years of experience– Applicants usually pass the TOEFL– All courses at UWSP are in English

• No foreign language required in the US– None or very little knowledge in German– Students would need to pass the DSH– Most diploma courses at OvG are in German

9

Finances

• OvG students– Pay no tuition (yet) at home– $7000 per semester at UWSP– Up to 2002 funding from DAAD– Since then support from UWSP

• Practicum payment, jobs, reimbursement fund

• UWSP– Charges $1500 tuition from their students– Why should Germans study for free?

10

The Dual-Degree Program

• OvG Students– Reach a specified score on the TOEFL Test– Take some few GDR Courses and CIS

Courses at UWSP to complete the Bachelor– Can complete their practicum at UWSP

11

The Dual-Degree Program

• UWSP Students– Reach a specified level on the DSH Test – Take a set of Informatics courses to count for

their UWSP Bachelor– Can remain for the 9th and 10th semester to

complete the diploma

12

Results to Date

• 1992 Practicum in Informatics– 16 German students

• 1997 Dual Degree Program– 20 Germans completed bachelors degree

• Summer Course– 16 students per year for 3 weeks

• No student from UWSP participated in the program, due to the language requirement

13

Future Challenges

• New recommendations for model curricula in the USA– 5 different curricula

• Bologna-Declaration made OvG switch from Diploma to Bachelor/Master– 4 Bachelor courses– 5 Masters courses

• Starting 2009 a new agreement is necessary

14

Conclusion

• Worldwide comparability in Informatics is necessary

• Establishing a cooperation is a long and hard process

• Dual-Degree-Program – an example for the Bologna process in

Europe today

15

Thank You!