Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)?

We have prepared a basic introduction into MOOCs for you here.

Who can register for openHPI?

There are no access restrictions. Anyone can register independent of education level, grade average, age, nationality or company affiliation.

Does participating in openHPI courses cost any money?

No, the courses are offered entirely for free.

In what languages are the openHPI courses offered?

Courses are either offered in German or in English. You will find the appropriate information on the course detail page.

What kind of technical requirements do I have to fulfill for using openHPI?

Course participation is fully web-based. We recommend to keep your web browser updated to the latest version. In general, the installation of additional software is not necessary. However, in some courses this could exceptionally be the case and course participants are then informed about it. For a smooth access to our course videos you should be connected to a broadband internet connection.
The openHPI mobile apps for Android and iOS can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store or in the iTunes App Store.

Which kind of course formats are offered on openHPI? How long does a course take?

There are three different course formats on openHPI:

  • Regular courses last for seven weeks including the week of the final exam.
  • Hands-on courses last four weeks and focus on direct application of acquired competences (e.g. programming languages).
  • Workshops last two weeks emphasizing a very specific topic (e.g. "Safe Email"). Workshop participants can acquire no record of achievement, but a graded confirmation of participation.

How is an openHPI course cycle organized?

Typically for MOOCs, courses on our openHPI learning platform come with a fix start and end date and follow a weekly interval. The whole learning material for a learning week -videos, accompanying literature, self tests and homework - are published on Saturdays prior a course week on openHPI. Course participants can access these learning materials and self tests at any time which is suitable for them, and as often as needed during this week and even after the course has finished. They do not need to sit at a fixed time in front of their screens.

However, for all those collecting points for a record of achievement, they need to finish the graded weekly home work and exams. For these there are certain deadlines that need to be followed during an active course. Course participants are informed in good time about those deadline via course announcements.

How much time do I need to invest per week? How much work is involved?

The amount of work involved depends on one's prior knowledge and is estimated at 3-6 hours per week. This involves working with the videos and the course material provided, checking one's understanding of the curriculum with a self-test, completing the homework and actively participating in the discussion forums.

What kind of learning materials are provided?

As learning materials we usually provide short videos explaining the particular topic. Supplementary literature information can be integrated on the specific course pages or offered as PDF-downloads. If necessary, other learning materials can be offered as well. Besides, the learning experience can be enhanced by active participation in discussion fora, either posting your questions or answer and support other course participants.

Where can I find the course materials?

From the course list or your dashboard you reach the individual courses. There you will find the materials in the tab "Course Content". The content is structured as follows:

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  • On the left side is the course navigation - with this you can navigate through the course of weeks. Because the weeks of the course will be released on openHPI only gradually, all weeks aren't always active.
  • In the course navigation you can find in the active week (week 1 in the graph) also always some links for quick access
  • Above the actual learning content is the current weekly navigation, a series of symbols that indicate the type of learning units.
  • The active learning unit is marked by a red bar above the icon.
  • Already visited learning units have a light gray background and stand out from the non visited ones.
  • The title of a learning unit appears as a tool tip above the icon by hovering with the mouse over it.

Where can I find the self-paced mode / archive mode?

After a course has ended you can still access the learnings (videos, self-tests, etc.), but you cannot take the exam and get a certificate anymore. This is called the self-paced or archive mode. You can find all courses that are available in the self-paced mode below the current and upcoming courses on the course website.

What happens to the openHPI course material after the course is over?

After the end of a course, the course contents remain available on the platform. You can follow the course in the self-paced mode which is explained above. The discussion forum is closed after the course ends and remains in read-only mode.

Please explain self tests and homework. What is the difference between these two?

  • Self tests are short multiple-choice quizzes which are directly linked to a video or a text. The purpose of a self test is to self-control the understanding of the just required knowledge. The self-tests can be repeated as often as desired and they do not count for the record of achievement.
  • Homework, in contrary, has to be finished by a certain fixed (usually weekly) deadline and is precondition for receiving a record of achievement.
  • Depending on a certain course structure, additional assignments can be part of a course week. These serve, for example, as practical and interactive tasks in which course participants can directly apply their required knowledge. These could be for example coding assignments which are embedded on openHPI via an external tool. Points for the record of achievements can be collected as well by successfully finishing these assignments.

Please find additional explanations about offered homework, assignments, their deadline and significance for the record of achievement on the respective course pages.

In many courses we offer bonus exercises in which you can obtain additional points. In this way you have the possibility to compensate a missed homework or missing points in the final exam. If some points are still missing you can close this gap by taking the bonus exercise.Even if you have answered all exercises fully correctly, it's worth having a look at the bonus exercises. They often contain interesting practical exercises.

You can achieve a maximum of 100 percent of points in a course. If you have collected more than 100 percent (bonus points included), the surplus points are cut.

How are multiple choice and multiple answer questions graded?

Exercises and examinations consist of multiple-choice tasks (with exactly one correct answer) and multiple-answer tasks (with one or more correct solutions). For multiple-choice questions you can receive either full points if you answered correctly or none if you did not. For multiple-answer questions the case is a little more complicated. The number of achievable points is divided by the number of correct answers. The result of this division forms the base value. For each correct answer this base value is added to the sum of points that you’ll receive for this question. For each incorrect answer, the base value is subtracted from your result. If the total result is negative, you’ll receive 0 points.
Here’s a short example: a total of 3 points is assigned to a question. Three out of five answers are correct. The participant has marked two correct and one false answers. For each of the correct answers s/he receives one point (3 divided by 3), for the false answer one point is subtracted. The participant, therefore, receives only one point for the question.

How is my final result calculated?

A graded record of achievement is received by those who have earned more than 50% of the maximum number of points for the sum of all homework and the final exam. In the workshops and in the hands-on courses this may be handled differently because you often have only one graded exercise in these courses.

How are the received points rounded?

The sum of all points is displayed on the record of achievement. Furthermore, we show the percentage of the maximum number of points. Decimal places are floored. Therefore, if a participant has received 49.9 % of the maximum points he is not eligible for a record of achievement.

What is a peer assessment and how does it work?

A peer assessment is a special type of assignment which is used in some courses, in particular for some topics, for which automatic grading is not possible or for which it makes sense to reflect about one's peers' work as part of the learning process. The submission phase can either be done individually or in a team (team peer assessment). You find more information about peer assessment here.

How can I contribute to the discussion forum?

While a course is running, you can visit the course forum to ask questions and discuss the course content with your peers and the course instructors. Please consult the discussion forum rules beforehand. These contain important guidelines and tips for posting threads.

Is it possible to get a record of achievement at openHPI?

Yes, after successful completion of an openHPI course you can receive a graded record of achievement from the Hasso Plattner Institute. Successful participation means that you earn at least 50% of the sum of maximum possible points for homework and final exam. The final exam counts 50%. The record of achievement will be issued in the name you used to register at openHPI.

If you have worked through at least 50% of the course material, you receive a confirmation of participation.

Furthermore, you can book a qualified certificate contains the participant’s photo and a supplement with detailed course information. The participant agrees to be proctored via webcam during the graded exercises and exams. With the help of this online proctoring technology, we determine that the registered user is taking the assignments and the final exam in person.

Further information on the different certificates issued on openHPI can be found here.

When do I have to book the qualified certificate at the latest?

Registration to the qualified certificate must occur after the first graded exercise - at the latest. Normally, this is within the second week of the course. After the deadline for the second graded exercise has passed, registration for a monitored exam is no longer possible.

Which criteria is relevant for the proctoring?

  • Make sure that only the registered participant is in front of the camera.
  • Make sure that only one person is in front of the camera.
  • Make sure that the camera is not covered or turned off.
  • Make sure that you stay in front of the camera while you're working on the weekly assignment or final exam.
  • Make sure that there is no light source behind you. Your face will appear too dark to be recognized by the camera otherwise.
  • Remove any accessories that cover parts of your face (such as a hat or sunglasses). Reading glasses are allowed.
  • Do not present any photos or pictures to the camera.
  • Close all other tabs except for the weekly assignment or final exam.
  • Close all other applications that might interfere with your webcam.

For an illustrated guide please click here.

Can I discontinue my participation in an openHPI course whenever I want?

Yes, discontinuation of a course is possible at any time. You can unsubscribe from a course by using on the course detail page the button "Un-enroll". But this is not essential.

Can I still register at openHPI if a course has already started?

As a rule, course registration should take place before a course has begun - or at least in the first week of the course. Starting a course late means it becomes increasingly difficult to earn the number of points necessary for a graded record of achievement. You can, however, sign up for a course at any time and receive access to all material. After a course is over it is no longer possible to obtain a record of achievement as the deadlines have already passed.

I have problems with the registration or activation of my openHPI account. Who can help me?

To finish your registration on openHPI, you will receive an e-mail in which you will be prompted to confirm that you are the owner of the email address. Once you receive this email, please click on the link in this email to verify your email address.

If you don't receive a confirmation email, please check your spam folder. You can request a new confirmation email logging in with your access data previously selected. As long as your account is not confirmed, a message appears with a link to request a new confirmation email.

If your account is already confirmed but you can not log in, please make sure you have JavaScript enabled and accept cookies from our site. If it still does not work, please use the "Reset Password" function in the log in form.

Please click on the Helpdesk button on the right hand side of your browser window and describe your problem. Alternatively, contact us per email at: openhpi-register@hpi.unipotsdam.de. We will be glad to assist you.

I have forgotten my password. How can I reset it?

In the login form you will find on the bottom the password entry field as a small link: Forgot your password? (see chart below).

This will take you to another form where you must enter the email address that you used for your registration at openHPI:
Passwort-Reset A

After submitting the form, you will receive an email address. This email contains a link that takes you to the actual password reset. After clicking the link you have to enter your new password and confirm it. Now you can log in.

Password-Reset B

I can't participate in the whole course because I'm on vacation. Can I still earn a record of achievement?

Unfortunately, we can't extend the deadlines for homework completion. If you're not able to turn in the homework within the course week, you will need to earn more points in the following weeks to reach the total number of points necessary for a successful course outcome. In many courses we offer bonus exercises with which you can compensate missing points.

I just want to get familiar with some of the material, but not earn a record of achievement. Is this allowed?

You can participate in the areas of the course based on your own interests and possibilities. There is no obligation to complete the homework and earn a record of achievement. But, we do welcome every active contribution to the discussion forums.

I would like to use the learning material provided by openHPI for teaching purposes. Am I allowed to do so?

Yes, you are. You may use the provided learning material for educational purposes. The openHPI courses are licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA licence. That means you are free to copy and redistribute the material for non-commercial purposes and by naming the author.

What happens to my personal data?

Hasso Plattner Institute is subject to the Federal Data Protection Act, as the servers with the user data are situated in Germany. Hasso Plattner Institute does not transfer any personal data to third parties. For platform improvement and research reasons only, expressly pseudonymized data is used. Further information on data protection and privacy on openHPI can be found here.

How can I contact the openHPI-Team?

If you didn't find any answers to your questions on our website and in the FAQs please contact us via the orange Helpdesk button on the right side of your screen. If you have any questions regarding the course content, please visit the course forum and have a look if other learners have encountered a similar problem or ask your question there.

This page was last changed at June 12 2018 16:20.

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About openHPI

openHPI is the educational Internet platform of the German Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam. On openHPI you take part in a worldwide social learning network based on interactive online courses covering different subjects in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

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