Center for Fundamentals

Content of the preliminary course

With the hybrid preliminary course, Aalen University of Applied Sciences not only offers the opportunity each semester immediately before the start of lectures to refresh basic mathematical knowledge and acquire the necessary knowledge for the start of studies, but also to get to know future fellow students before the start of studies and to receive useful tools and learning techniques for studies.

Procedure and structure

The preliminary course includes content from mathematics as well as learning and working techniques.

In the morning, the schedule includes a unit on learning and working techniques and a double unit on mathematics. In the afternoon, you can practice the math content in accompanying tutorials.

What is required?

A computer/laptop and/or tablet is recommended for participation, regardless of the form. It is possible to dial into the university network / W-Lan on site using the university access data.

It is not always easy to find the right learning and working techniques and good methods for self-regulation in Studies. What works well and where is there room for improvement? This is exactly what the LearnTalks will be about and a lot of information about "proper learning" will be presented.

Planned dates in the summer semester 2026:

Wednesday, 25.03.2026: LearnTalk: Time and self-management in Studies (14:00-16:00 in presence)

Studying requires a high degree of self-motivation and self-management. A decisive factor is also to structure the time available well in order to better manage the tasks at hand. In LearnTalk, we work on identifying obstacles and time wasters in learning and on pursuing goals more strategically with good planning.

Lecturer: Eveline Rettenmeier

Wednesday, 22.04.2026: LearnTalk: Finally follow through - strategies against procrastination (17:00-18:30, online)

Finally getting through learning more consistently? Who hasn't experienced this? Putting things off and procrastinating is a widespread challenge, and not just in Studies. However, this procrastination behavior can become problematic if it becomes too pronounced: Stress and negative emotions are a common consequence and make studying more difficult. In this LearnTalk, you will find out what is behind the term procrastination and which self-management methods can help you to keep going instead of putting things off.

Lecturer: Eveline Rettenmeier

Online - dial-in link will be sent after registration

Wednesday, 20.05.2026: LearnTalk: Strategies for narrowing down the topic and developing the research question in times of AI (14:30-16:00 in presence)

A scientific project or thesis stands and falls with a good research question. In this seminar, we will therefore look at how you can narrow down the topic of your thesis in a meaningful way and develop a precise research question from it. In particular, we will look at how you can integrate AI tools into this process in a targeted manner. The seminar combines short input units with practical exercises in which you work directly on your topics.

Lecturer: Nadine Müller

Wednesday, 03.06.2026: LearnTalk: Your project work & AI (14:00-16:00 in presence)

In this seminar, we will explore how AI can be used in scientific work without jeopardizing independence.

Lecturer: Silke Egelhof

Wednesday, 17.06.2026: LearnTalk: Successful stress management during the exam period (14:00-16:00 in presence)

Stress during exam time is normal - but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. In this LearnTalk, we will learn to recognize individual stress factors and develop suitable coping strategies.

Lecturer: Eveline Rettenmeier

Participation is also possible via the Studies Generale. In this case, 3 hours of workload are allocated per LearnTalk. Registration takes place via the Career Center.

Short-term registration is also possible via studienberatung[at]hs.aalen.de.

In the Canvas course "Learning to Learn", we provide the relevant information, tips and materials for reading in a toolbox.

LEARNING ADVICE

We are also happy to provide you with individual learning advice on how you can improve your learning outcomes. To do this, we will first take a look at your learning behavior and consider together what opportunities there are for you to improve your learning strategies. In this context, we will introduce you to different learning and working methods. We can also help and support you if you suffer from exam nerves and blockages.

To make an appointment, please send us an email (keyword: learning advice) via grundlagenzentrum[at]hs-aalen.de or call us on 07361/576 1937.

In our Canvas course, we have also provided you with materials and information on the subject of "Learning to learn". Feel free to take a look there too.

The studien.cloud's mission is to responsibly support the digital transformation in Studies and teaching. Funded by the Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching over three years, the third-party funded project aims to establish a digital platform for basic mathematics and digital skills.

The studien.cloud project

• teaches students digital literacy and mathematics basics in the preliminary course and during their studies
• attempts to equalize heterogeneous initial knowledge

The intro video by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education offers a brief insight.

The support in mathematics is available

• in the preliminary course at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, always at the beginning of the semester
• through interactive materials:
  The project created digital exercise sheets with interactive graphics and digital tasks on the topics of arithmetic rules, fractions, powers, roots, logarithms, equations, trigonometry, functions and differential calculus. Further topics such as integral calculus, vector calculus, stochastics and inequalities will follow. These are explicitly Jupyter Notebooks, whereby (prospective) students are taught basic mathematical definitions and illustrated with examples, regardless of time and place, and can also practice using randomized, adaptive tasks adapted to their learning level.

mathe.studien.cloud

On our mathe.studien.cloud platform, you can learn about the following topics

• Calculation rules,
• Term transformations,
• fractions,
• powers,
• roots,
• logarithms,
• equations,
• functions,
• geometry,
• differential calculus,
• integral calculus,
• vectors

independently, from anywhere and at any time with a personal dashboard to repeat and deepen the basics of mathematics. You will find the presentation of content, a wide range of digital tasks, demos and learning videos.

Learning materials

You can access this via the Canvas course mathe.studien.cloud. Register here now!

Learning videos

mathe.studien.cloud on YouTube

The learning videos on the math topics mentioned above can all be found summarized on our YouTube channel under the link: videos.studien.cloud

PhysikGO!

With PhysikGO!, the Center for Fundamentals and Digital Teaching has developed its own online course for physics basics. It offers students at Aalen University of Applied Sciences the opportunity to solve exercises independent of time and place.

The online course PhysikGO! can be found on Canvas, the University of Applied Sciences' learning management system.

The tasks of the online course are based on the minimum requirements catalog for physics of the cosh group.

E-learning physics

In addition to mathematics, physics is also a major hurdle for many first-year students. In the eLearning and eAssessment working group of the Hochschulföderation SüdWest (HfSW ), seven universities have joined forces with the aim of improving students' knowledge of physics through a digital practice and test environment. The Grundlagenzentrum has represented Aalen University of Applied Sciences in this working group since 2013.

Physics exercises were developed systematically and didactically for an electronic physics learning environment. There are now over 1000 pages of 200 tasks with questions, answers with alternatives and sample solutions from the fields of mechanics, electricity, thermodynamics and optics. The first parts have been implemented in electronic learning environments at the universities of Applied Sciences and tested on a pilot basis at the partner universities. The learning environments are being further developed in the network.

To improve regional transition management, Aalen University of Applied Sciences is cooperating with schools in the Ostalbkreis district.

In cooperation with the Gewerbliche Schule Schwäbisch Gmünd, the former Grundlagenzentrum has developed an extracurricular mathematics course for vocational colleges (BKFH), called WiMINT-AG. The AG is integrated into the school timetable as block teaching in the school year before the final examinations. The course is based on the cosh Group's minimum requirements catalog for mathematics. Pupils who are aiming to study engineering, information technology or economics are given the opportunity to prepare for the requirements of their intended course of study. The working group is run by student tutors from Aalen University of Applied Sciences.

The operational part of the working group is flanked by a counseling and orientation workshop of the Central Student Advisory Service.

The overall concept pursues the following goals

• Communication of the requirements for university studies
• Consolidation and consolidation of mathematical basics
• Improving the chances of getting started
• Improving the "perceived" transition from school to the University of Applied Sciences

The WiMINT-AG has been running since the 2015/16 school year and is currently funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

Cooperation partners are the Gewerbliche Schule Schwäbisch Gmünd, the Technische Schule Heidenheim and the Technische Schule Aalen.