German Assessment
A sound knowledge and application of basic orthographic rules are indispensable not only for successful studies, but also for the competent handling of later everyday professional life. This is particularly true for the teaching profession, which requires both the correct linguistic assessment of homework and classwork, for example, as well as the error-free writing of various texts, ranging from blackboard notes and the formulation of examination tasks to the writing of reports, letters to parents, and letters to the authorities. Therefore, starting in the winter semester 2020/21, the CLS will offer the German assessment.
RWTH Aachen University will be the first university in Germany to introduce a curricularly binding German assessment for all teaching degree programs in the winter semester 2020/21 so that prospective teachers can gain a sound assessment of their formal language knowledge at an early stage and can specifically correct potential written language deficits during their studies.
The German assessment is coordinated by the SelfAssessment team of the CLS and the German Linguistics department of the ISK and enables an assessment of basic written language skills in the categories sound-letter assignment, capitalization, hyphenation, spelling, and comma placement.
All student teachers thus receive an individual performance profile of their orthographic skills, which can be improved if necessary by means of a modular training program systematically tailored to the reviewed categories and specific to the target group in the form of workshops and online courses. For students who wish to discuss and increase their performance profile in a protected setting, individual coaching is also available upon request.
FAQ
Do I have to take the German assessment even if German is not my field of study?
Yes, the German assessment is a curricularly anchored examination requirement as of the winter semester 2020/21, which must be completed and passed regardless of the subject area and subject combination in order to be admitted to the Master's thesis.
What is tested in the German assessment?
The German assessment tests the basic knowledge of spelling and comma placement in accordance with the official regulations. The test tasks in the area of spelling relate to the essential principles of sound-letter assignment, capitalization, hyphenation, and foreign word spelling. You will receive your test result in the form of an individual performance profile, in which your specific skills in the individual categories are recorded.
When can I take the German assessment?
The German assessment is offered on a rotational basis every three months: in January, April, July, and October. The exact dates can be found in RWTHonline.
In which semester should I take the German assessment?
The German assessment can be taken in both the Bachelor's and the Master's program. However, please take into account in your planning that passing the German assessment is a prerequisite for admission to the master's thesis.
How often can the German assessment be repeated?
There are no restrictions with regard to the number of repetitions.
What can I do if I have not passed the German assessment?
With the result of your assessment, you will receive feedback on which category or categories your difficulties lie in and can then register for an appropriate workshop and/or complete the corresponding online module to improve your written language competence. In addition, there is the possibility of individual coaching upon request.
In which areas are workshops offered?
The workshop offering is modular and covers the areas of upper and lower case, hyphenation and conjunction, as well as comma placement.
How can I register for the German assessment?
The registration takes place via RWTHonline. Please note deadlines for the registration of examinations.
How can I register for the workshops?
If you would like to attend a workshop, you will be able to register for it online shortly. If you would like to book an individual coaching session, please send an email to k.beckers@isk.rwth-aachen.de.
Where can I find the online courses?
The online courses will soon be released as Moodle course pages for RWTH students.