Most courses offered by the Division of Foreign Languages are taught on campus. However, some courses are conducted online for organizational or pedagogical reasons.

The course format (on-campus or online) is indicated on our course platform. If a course is offered online, you can disregard the room information provided, as it is included for administrative purposes only.

A Moodle course is available for every class. You will receive the access information from your instructor before or during the first class session.

First Class Session

Students with a confirmed place: Please attend the first class session. If you are absent without prior notice, you will be removed from the course roster and your place may be offered to a student on the waiting list.

Students on the waiting list: If you do not yet have a confirmed place and are currently on the waiting list, please do not attend the first class session. We kindly ask you not to contact the office or the course instructor regarding your waiting list status.

If places become available after the first or second class session, you will be automatically notified by our course platform system.

Course Capacity

On-campus courses: Our courses are generally limited to a maximum of 25 students. The exact number depends on the size of the classroom and the nature of the course. We appreciate your understanding that, for safety reasons, we cannot exceed the stated capacity. Therefore, the number of available places is strictly limited to the published course capacity.

Online courses: For pedagogical reasons, online courses are also generally limited to around 25 participants. In exceptional cases, the maximum number of participants may be increased to 28–30 students.

Course Allocation

On-campus and online courses: If you have been allocated a place during the registration process, you will receive an email from your course instructor a few days before the course begins with important information about the start of the course. Please check your TU Dortmund email account regularly.

If you are unable to attend the course, please deregister via the course platform as soon as possible or notify the office by email. This allows students on the waiting list to be offered your place.

If you are on the waiting list, you will not receive a notification before the course begins. If a place becomes available, you will be contacted automatically by the course plaform system. Please check your TU Dortmund email account regularly.

If you are on the waiting list for an on-campus course, please do not attend the class unless you have been offered a place.

The course allocation process is completed no later than after the third class session. After that point, no further places will be allocated from the waiting list.

Minimum Number of Participants

A course requires at least seven participants to take place. Courses with fewer than seven registrations or active participants will generally be cancelled.

Courses may be cancelled within the first three weeks of the semester if the number of participants falls below the minimum of seven.

On-campus courses:

Please bring a device with Wi-Fi access (e.g. a laptop, tablet, or smartphone) to your on-campus classes whenever possible. This will allow you to access the course materials provided on Moodle during class if needed.

For budgetary reasons, printed copies of course materials will not be provided.

Please also familiarize yourself with the basic functions of Zoom, as this video conferencing platform may occasionally be used in on-campus courses, for example as part of blended learning formats.

Online courses:

To participate in our online courses, you will need a PC, laptop, or tablet with a camera, a stable internet connection, and either the Firefox or Chrome web browser. We also strongly recommend using a headset (headphones with a microphone) to ensure good audio quality.

Please familiarize yourself with the basic functions of Zoom, as this platform will be used for online teaching.

Participation in our courses requires successful registration via our course platform.

For online courses, please note that sharing Zoom access details with anyone who is not enrolled in the course, or allowing non-participants to join a Zoom session, is strictly prohibited. This also applies to individuals who attend without being visible on camera. Any exceptions are at the discretion of the course instructor. In the event of a violation, the instructor reserves the right to end the class session for data protection and privacy reasons.

Attendance is mandatory in both on-campus and online courses. The maximum number of permitted absences is specified in the respective course description.

In addition, active participation is a requirement in all of our courses. In the context of online teaching, this generally means that your camera should be switched on during live Zoom sessions and that you are expected to participate actively in class activities and discussions.

Working on other tasks during class or attending another university course at the same time is considered incompatible with active participation.

Please refer to the respective course descriptions for information on the assessment requirements.

Your course instructor will inform you in good time about the specific assessment and examination procedures.

Please ensure that you comply with all applicable data protection and privacy regulations.

Course materials provided by the instructor (whether by email, via Moodle, or through any other digital platform) may not be copied, reproduced, or shared with anyone outside the course without the prior permission of the course instructor.

Likewise, you are not permitted to record, distribute, or share any video or audio sessions of the course without explicit authorization.