The office of the dean manages the current operations of the department.

The Examination Board is responsible for organizing and conducting examinations and ensures compliance with the provisions of the department’s study and examination regulations.

It reports regularly to the Departmental Council on trends in examination and study times and makes recommendations for reforming these study and examination regulations. Particular importance is attached to adherence to the standard period of study and examination deadlines. The members of the Examination Board are elected by the respective status groups within the Departmental Council.

The Examination Board meets once a month during the lecture period. During the non-lecture period, applications for theses are processed on an ongoing basis (approximately every 14 days).

Please submit your applications to the Examination Board at the Secretariat to Ms. Andrea Michaelis (andrea.michaelis@h2.de). Applications must be complete and received by the university at least three business days prior to the meeting date. 

The Ethics Committee reviews the ethical aspects of planned research studies (theses, research projects) in the Department of Applied Human Sciences that involve the collection or processing of human data, and issues an opinion upon request. It is assumed that researchers are responsible for continuously reflecting on research ethics decisions throughout the course of their studies; this does not fall within the scope of the Ethics Committee's responsibilities.

• How to Ethikantrag (pdf)
• Online Studie Aufklärung (pdf)
• Präsenz Studie Aufklärung (pdf)

What types of applications can be submitted to the Ethics Committee?

Not all research projects require ethical review by the Ethics Committee. In many cases, the feasibility of the project from an ethical standpoint can be assessed through a careful (self-)review (known as the self-tracking procedure or fast-tracking). The (self-)assessment should be conducted in consultation with the supervisor or the research project leader, or by consulting third parties (experts, peers).

We therefore recommend submitting applications (form at the bottom of the page) to the Ethics Committee only

• if the fast-track/self-review process indicates potential research ethics issues (form at the bottom of the page-this must be submitted when contacting the Ethics Committee),
• if the supervisor or project leader of the research cannot ensure adequate discussion of research ethics issues,
• if academic journals require a vote by the Ethics Committee for the publication of research results-or if ministries/authorities require one for the approval of the study, etc.

We would also like to point out that decisions regarding research ethics should be reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout the research process ("process ethics"); this is the responsibility of the research supervisors or project leaders, as well as the project participants (students, staff).

Important information on research ethics can be found, among other places, on the websites of professional associations (such as the German Psychological Society, the German Society for Evaluation) and scientific institutions (the German Research Foundation, the Council for Social and Economic Data):

• DFG: Leitlinien zur Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis (pdf)
• RatSWD: Forschungsethische Grundsätze und Prüfverfahren in den Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften (pdf)
• DGPs/BPP: Berufsethische Richtlinien des Berufsverbandes Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V. und der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie e.V. (pdf)
• DeGEval: Gesellschaft für Evaluation Standards für Evaluation (pdf)

Documents to be submitted

The application (form available for download at the bottom of the page) must be accompanied by at least the following:

• the "Information Sheet" intended for the study (see: Regulations on informing study participants about the study's objectives and procedures) as well as
• the "Consent Form" or "Interview Agreement" (see: Regulations on obtaining consent from study participants to participate in the study).
• if possible: the study's "instruments" (in particular "interview guides" or self-designed questionnaires)

Important note: For applications regarding bachelor's or master's theses, the applications must be discussed with the supervisor(s) and reviewed by them in advance for content (including compliance with GDPR guidelines) and style. The Ethics Committee reserves the right to set aside applications that contain errors (punctuation, spelling) for revision. Submitted ethics applications will only be considered once correctly drafted applications are available.

The ethics committee's review guidelines determine whether

• all necessary precautions have been taken to minimize the risk to the study participants
• there is an appropriate balance between the benefits and risks of the project
• the consent of the study participants or their legal representatives is sufficiently documented
• the implementation of the project complies with the relevant legal provisions, in particular those regarding data protection.

To this end, the Ethics Committee reviews whether the applications contain sufficient information regarding

• the purpose of the project,
• the type and number of study participants, as well as the criteria for their selection,
• all steps of the study protocol,
• burdens and risks to the study participants, including potential side effects and measures to mitigate adverse effects.

In particular, the Ethics Committee reviews whether the applications and accompanying documents contain information regarding

• procedures for informing study participants about the study protocol, which provide complete, truthful, and understandable information to the participants regarding the study's objectives and protocol (in writing)
• Provisions regarding the study participants' consent to participate in the study (in writing)
• Options for study participants to refuse or withdraw from the study; for participants with limited decision-making capacity (e.g., children, individuals lacking legal capacity): Provisions regarding consent to study participation by legal guardians or caregivers, and any insurance coverage provided,
• Data recording (particularly for audio and video recordings and computer logs) and data storage with regard to data anonymization.

During the review of the application and its accompanying documents, the Ethics Committee will specifically verify whether the information regarding data protection complies with the requirements of the GDPR. The following principles must be observed to ensure that the processing and storage of personal data comply with the law (Article 5 of the GDPR):

• Principle of "Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency"
• Principle of "Purpose Limitation"
• Principle of "Data Minimization"
• Principle of "Accuracy"
• Principle of "Storage Limitation"
• Principle of "Integrity and Confidentiality"
• Principle of "Accountability".

The attachments to be included with the application ("Information Sheet" and "Consent Form" or "Interview Agreement") must ensure that study participants are fully informed of their rights (informed consent). Therefore, the Information Sheet must clearly provide the following information:

• Data controller (legal entity) Project title
• Specific information about the type of personal data collected [Please note that when asking about "gender/sex," the categories "female / male / diverse"must be specified.]
• Data processing operations, data controller within the meaning of data protection law
• Particularly important: Purpose(s) of use
• Reference to the rights of data subjects, namely: Art. 7(3) GDPR: Right to withdraw consent | Art. 15 GDPR: Right of access | Art. 16 GDPR: Right to rectification | Art. 17 GDPR: Right to erasure | Art. 18 GDPR: Right to restriction of processing | Art. 21 GDPR: Right to object | Art. 77 GDPR: Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

In accordance with data protection regulations, the declaration of consent must be clearly identifiable as such to the data subject. The wording alone must make it clear that the person is actively consenting to the collection and processing of their data.

You can find sample wording for "informed consent" that complies with data protection regulations here:

• QualiService: https://www.qualiservice.org/de/datenschutz.html
• VerbundFDB: https://www.forschungsdaten-bildung.de/einwilligung

Note: If particularly sensitive data is collected during research, such research may only be conducted with enhanced data protection measures. In such cases, a data protection impact assessment must be conducted in accordance with Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This serves to provide a structured risk analysis. According to Article 35 of the GDPR, particularly sensitive data includes:

• Information regarding health and sex life
• Ethnic origin
• Political opinions
• Philosophical and religious beliefs
• Trade union membership

Detailed information on this can be found here: 

• RatSWD: Handreichung Datenschutz (2. vollständig überarbeitete Auflage, 2020)

Application Submission and Deadlines

The application, including all attachments ("Information Sheet" and "Consent Form" or "Interview Agreement," as well as any "instruments" to be used), must be submitted via email (to: ethikkommission@ahw.h2.de). For bachelor's and master's theses, all documents must be coordinated with the supervisor. Please note that the completed application form-after the self-tracking procedure has been carried out in advance-must be submitted in a timely manner before the start of the empirical phase. Up to four weeks are allocated for the review process by the committee members (including any revisions by the students conducting the study).

Forms

Formular Self-Tracking-Verfahren (Fast-Tracking) (pdf)

Antragsformular der Ethikkommission (pdf)

Meetings (always open to the public): Wednesdays starting at 2:00 p.m. in Building 1, Room 1.16

The Student Council-also known as FasRa-is the body that represents the students of the department. In other words, we represent your interests. Currently, our council consists of students from the departments of Applied Human Sciences and Economics. To improve networking, we have decided to merge both student councils and meet weekly.

We aim to

• improve structures and networking on campus,
• support your academic education,
• serve as your point of contact for concerns related to your studies,
• support the work in your study groups,
• coordinate the interdisciplinary activities of the student councils,
• collaborate with representatives on departmental councils, other student councils, and the Student Council,
• coordinate with student councils across Germany,
• create and maintain semester highlights.

Every year during the summer semester, representatives are elected for one year, i.e., two semesters. All students have the right to vote and to run for office, which means you can stand for election too. We see ourselves as a body of students for students, so we welcome everyone to our meetings.

"Is email too impersonal for you? Then why not stop by one of our meetings on Wednesdays at 2 p.m.?"

The Student Council performs the following tasks on your behalf:

Higher Education Policy
According to the Higher Education Act of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, student councils represent the academic concerns and higher education policy interests of students within their respective fields: they advise students and contribute to the advancement of academic affairs. To put it more broadly, of course, higher education policy as a whole concerns us. Even if you aren't really interested in it, you are directly or indirectly affected by the political decisions made there.

Points of Contact
If you're ever dissatisfied and have something to complain about, you can reach out to us. After all, one of our main tasks is to advocate for student interests, highlight issues at the university, and offer constructive criticism to professors and other administrators to improve the quality of teaching.

Campus Culture
To ensure that cultural and sporting events take place in Stendal, providing financial support is one of the FasRa’s responsibilities. Suggestions are always welcome here as well. Special cultural highlights include, of course, the university ball, Reflection Days, and the summer festival. Speaking of which: We can always use a few creative minds and helping hands!

Management of Student Body Finances
Have you ever wondered where your semester fee goes? A portion of it is made available to the FasRa for expenses that benefit students. These include, for example, expenses for the university ball, the summer festival, and other projects by and for students.

University apparel
If you ever find yourself with nothing to wear or want to show your support for our university at first glance, we offer a growing collection of university apparel. You can pick these up at the Info-Point in Building 2. 

Student Council for Applied Human Sciences

Tel: +49 (0) 3931 2187 48 19
Email: fasra@ahw.h2.de

Location: Campus Stendal, Building 1, Room 1.16

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