New for students: Collect credit points with alumni
When the summer semester begins in April, students from Faculty 7 – Economics can also get credit points for lectures and seminars if they take part in events organised by the alumni association. From now on, these points will be collected in a module called Career Development and Employability (CDE for short) offered by Maren Hartstock, research assistant and head of the Office for Practice and Transfer at Faculty 7. As an alumna herself, she knows what a difference it makes for students if they can establish professional contacts early on. This new cooperation between the alumni association and the faculty could develop into a classic win-win situation for everyone involved.
The novel concept works like this: The CDE module consists of a lecture series and other single events that Maren Hartstock organises for the faculty. Students receive one point for participating in a one-hour event, which is awarded by the Practice Office. Those who have collected 27 points and submit a reflection report on the events attended are issued a "Schein" for their study course, i.e. 3 credit points. Going forward, students will also be able to receive points for alumni association events, the first opportunity being our online discussion with economist Professor Robert Kappel on the European Union's Africa policy on 11 May. Future economists can also take part (and collect points) in the popular Alumni Talks, where University of Bremen alumni talk about their career paths.
"This is an exciting concept that the students can really benefit from, and at the same time the alumni association can make contact with students at an early stage," says Ms Hartstock. "If it all works out the way we envision, then it can certainly be a model for other departments."
A highlight in the summer semester will be a one-day workshop by our alumna Laura Henke on career planning. "In my professional life, I often meet young graduates who have exactly the same questions that I had after graduating ten years ago. I would like to pass on knowledge gained through my past experience," says Laura Henke, who has a master’s degree in cultural sciences and works in the field of digital education. Doubly attractive for students: there are 7 points for the workshop.