⇒ German Version of the FAQ

On this page, general information about studying Media Informatics at the HBK is collected in a FAQ, especially those areas that are not directly covered by the examination/study regulations.

General information

• An overview of the most important HBK buildings
• Bus connections: From Saarland University, lines 101, 102 and 109 usually go directly to the Hansahaus/Ludwigskirche stop in about 20 minutes, from there it is 5 minutes to the HBK
• A virtual tour of the buildings
• The HBK 2022 digital tour
• The ASTA provides some general info about the HBK for international students here!

Enrolment in the courses

• Each course/project has its own registration process or list of participants; the entry in the course catalog contains the relevant information.
• In addition to the above-mentioned course registration, all courses must be registered for using this form. It is sufficient if this is done during the semester, ideally only the courses that are actually taken and are to be transferred to Saarland University.
• The only exception to this is the compulsory Bachelor's course "Media Art & Design Basics", where, in addition to registering with the lecturer, you must also register in the university's LSF/HISPOS. However, the course is often only available after the start of the semester, just wait a little.
• Some courses require a HBK Google Account, as they are managed with Google Classroom. You can request the creation here.

Which courses/projects can I attend at the HBK as a media computer scientist?

Bachelor

• Basics of Media, Art & Design (4 CP ungraded): Annually in the winter semester; this allows Media Informatics students to attend the course together with students from Media Art & Design.
• Project Media Art & Design (8 CP graded): All projects that are declared as "Atelierprojekt kurz" in the VLVZ of the HBK and are open to media computer scientists can be taken here. as a rule, regular "Atelierprojekte" (which earn 16 CPs for HBK students) can also be taken as "Atelierprojekt kurz" with correspondingly reduced weekly working hours; this is usually already described in the description in the course catalog. At the beginning of the course, you should point out to the lecturer that 8 CPs and a grade must be awarded at the end of the project so that the workload and assessment of work performance can be based on this. Studio projects specifically designed for cooperation with students of media informatics are shown in the respective description text and compiled for media projects/theses on www.xmlab.org under →Teaching.
• Compulsory elective area "Freie Punkte" (up to 10 CP ungraded): Generally all HBK courses are eligible for this, including studio projects. However, the courses "Computer Basics", "Fundamentals of Media, Art & Design" or "MAD Basis" and the courses that you have already attended and contributed in some form are excluded. It is usually clear from the description in the course catalog whether a course is suitable for media computer scientists. If in doubt, please ask the lecturer directly, as in some cases technical basics are also taught that are not suitable because the requirements are too low for students with a background in computer science (e.g. introductions to programming languages).
• Media project (9 CP ungraded): The topics for media projects are collected and assigned annually in the winter semester by the UMTL / Chair of Media Informatics.

Master

• Project Media Art & Design (8 CP graded): All projects that are declared as "Atelierprojekt kurz" in the VLVZ of the HBK and are open to media computer scientists can be taken here. as a rule, regular "Atelierprojekte" (which earn 16 CPs for HBK students) can also be taken as "Atelierprojekt kurz" with correspondingly reduced weekly working hours; this is usually already described in the description in the course catalog. At the beginning of the course, you should point out to the lecturer that 8 CPs and a grade must be awarded at the end of the project so that the workload and assessment of work performance can be based on this. Studio projects specifically designed for cooperation with students of media informatics are shown in the respective description text and compiled for media projects/theses on www.xmlab.org under →Teaching.
• Compulsory elective area "Wahlpflicht MAD" (8 CP ungraded): Generally all HBK courses are eligible for this, including studio projects. However, the courses "Computer Basics", "Fundamentals of Media, Art & Design" or "MAD Basis" and the courses that you have already attended and contributed in some form are excluded. It is usually clear from the description in the course catalog whether a course is suitable for media computer scientists. If in doubt, please ask the lecturer directly, as in some cases technical basics are also taught that are not suitable because the requirements are too low for students with a background in computer science (e.g. introductions to programming languages).

Miscellanous

• If you require graded CPs, please discuss this with the lecturer at the beginning of the course
• How and when do I get my certificate? As soon as the lecturers have confirmed the successful participation of the media informatics students at the end of the semester, this information is sent directly to the university's examination office. This means that no further certificates need to be issued in printed form! After the lecture period, however, this may take a while, as we collect all grades/confirmations centrally and only then pass them on to the UdS Examinations Office. There, too, some time is needed to make all entries in the LSF. It usually takes until September (summer semester) or March (winter semester) for the courses and grades to appear in the LSF.
• How are media computer scientists graded in projects at the HBK?
  Below you will find a typical grading scheme, but grading is the responsibility of the respective lecturer.
• Where can I find general information on topics such as admission, examination regulations, recognition of academic achievements? Study and examination regulations can be found under Examination Office of the MINT Fak. On this page you will also find contact information for the person responsible for you in the Examination Office of the STEM faculties at the UdS.

All information on this page is without guarantee, the examination/study regulations that apply to you are decisive!

 I have a question that is not answered here, please send an e-mail to: Michael Schmitz or contact the Examinations Office of the STEM faculties.

Grading scheme for media computer scientists in projects at the HBK

The following scheme is not binding, but a guideline for projects with technical implementation. Ultimately, the lecturer decides on the grading criteria, so it is advisable to discuss this at the beginning of the course. All areas are assessed jointly by all lecturers involved. If interim or final presentations take place at the Chair of Media Informatics, assessments by the respective Media Informatics staff are also included in the grade.

Idea and concept (25%)

The development of a concept based on initial ideas is an elementary component of a project at the HBK and takes place primarily in the first few weeks of the semester. Through the development of prototypes and the insights gained from them, a concept can be in a state of flux throughout the course of the project. Extensive research is necessary for the development of initial approaches. What similar projects are there? Are there exciting approaches from other areas (algorithms, image processing, computer graphics....) that can be transferred or integrated here?

What is the concept for the interaction, for the design of the space/world? What is the essence of the idea, is it clearly defined? Is it clear why it should be attractive / aesthetic / touching etc. for a user / visitor? How well has the context of the project / the task been integrated? How well was feedback from the discussions (both general and specific to the group) taken into account?

By presenting a new idea, which may require complex implementation, you are not making a promise that you will implement it (in this form), but rather pointing out directions and possibilities, which in turn can provide inspiration for the entire group. The reduction of technical complexity in the planning of the implementation will take place in a later step.

Implementation phase (35%)

Ideally, the implementation phase should be an iterative process: developing, testing, learning, reflecting and adapting. How well did you get into the learning process? Were you able to define and test a minimum viable product and improve your concept based on this? Were you able to improve it through prototypes and discussions/feedback rounds with your supervisors? The proactive approach to get into the learning phase and iteration as quickly as possible is the focus in this phase and is usually discussed on a weekly basis.

Result / prototype (25%)

At the end of the project period, a functioning system should generally be implemented, which must be able to run under demonstration conditions and is considered from 3 points of view:
1. UX / user experience: is the interaction with the system interesting / entertaining / challenging / exciting / inspiring and/or emotional etc. from the user's point of view?
2. technology: Does the system function robustly? Are there any outstanding problems?
3. design: Has a visual concept for the world/space been implemented coherently? At what level were graphic elements, animations, the UI, sound implemented?

Documentation & Presentation (15%)

The written documentation should provide a brief overview of both the technical part and the process. This means that interesting results of the research and e.g. discarded but exciting ideas should also be recorded. The documentation should also be a guide to the use and installation of the software and, if necessary, a starting point for the further development of the software by other students/employees. As an alternative to this type of project report, a scientific paper (usually in English) can also be written and submitted to a specialist conference. A publication from a project context at the HBK would be an excellent result, and (serious) participation in festivals and other competitions would also increase the value of the project.

Apart from the more technical description, the visual presentation of the results is important for the university. Therefore, all project submissions must be accompanied by meaningful images with a descriptive short text for the website and a 1-2 minute video. Ideally, images and videos should be produced with fellow HBK students, who will use this material to build up their portfolio, for example. Examples of videos:

Media facade (spider, Friedrich v.S.), https://vimeo.com/37176398
Storytelling 3.0 - Concept in detail (Diploma Dorothee), https://vimeo.com/99150750

There are different forms of presentation depending on the project context. At the end of January/beginning of February, the annual tour takes place at the HBK, at which all projects of the year are presented. As a rule, exhibition spaces are organized for the projects of the winter semester, in which the results are shown for a weekend. If such a tour presentation becomes part of the project, the focus of the grading is on the commitment to the preparation and supervision of the installation/performance.