Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

About openHPI

My openHPI account

Courses

Evaluations and performance records

1. What is openHPI?

OpenHPI is the learning platform of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam. In September 2012, openHPI started with Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Hasso Plattner's course "In-Memory Data Management" as the first European MOOC platform. The English and German language courses on IT topics, Design Thinking and Digital Health are created by professors and research assistants at HPI. In addition, openHPI is used for blended learning formats and to support face-to-face lectures at the Hasso Plattner Institute.

2. How does a course on openHPI work?

The courses at openHPI have a fixed start and end date and they follow a weekly rhythm. All course material for a week, i.e. learning videos, self-tests, homeworks, and reading material, is unlocked at openHPI at the beginning of each course week (usually Tuesdays or Wednesdays). The course materials and self-tests can then be worked on flexibly during the course week according to your time budget and repeated as often as you like.

You can access the individual courses from the course list or your dashboard. There you will find the materials under the tab "Learnings". The contents are structured there as follows:

openHPI Navigation

  • On the left side you will find the Course Navigation - with this you can navigate through the course weeks. Since the course weeks on openHPI are activated only gradually, not all weeks are always active.
  • In the course navigation, you will always find some links for quick access in the active week (week 1 in the graphic), e.g. to the homework, reading material, or discussions of the respective course week.
  • Above the actual learning content (e.g. video, self-test, or homework) you will find the respective week navigation, a row of symbols indicating the type of the corresponding learning units.
  • The active learning unit is indicated by a red bar above the symbol.
  • Already visited sessions have a light gray background, which makes them stand out from the unvisited ones.
  • The title of a session appears as short info above the icon when the mouse pointer is held over it.

However, there are deadlines for evaluated weekly homeworks as well as for the final examination which must be met. Usually, the deadline for the homeworks and the final exam is one week. For the first homework, you have a two-week deadline because we want to enable users to start the course at a later date. For homeworks and the final exam, you have only one attempt each. Programming tasks can be worked on and evaluated until the end of the course. The deadlines cannot be extended individually, as the results of the homework and final exam will be published shortly after the deadline and the assignments can be discussed in the forum afterward.

At the end of the course, the course content is available for self-study without evaluated tasks (homework and final exam). Potential programming tasks in courses can be done and evaluated, but the results cannot be transferred back to openHPI. The course can only be completed with a confirmation of participation, but not with a record of achievement or qualified certificate.

3. Who can register on openHPI?

There are no formal admission restrictions. All you need for registration is a valid e-mail address.

4. Does participating in openHPI courses cost any money?

The courses at openHPI are free of charge. Exceptions are the courses in the Executive Education Channel, which can be booked for a fee via the HPI Academy.

5. What is the minimum age to attend a course?

To participate in an openHPI course, you must be at least 16 years old. If you are younger than 16, you need the written consent of your parents.

6. Why does openHPI use gender-sensitive language?

OpenHPI is a learning platform with a diverse community. To reflect this diversity, we generally use gender-appropriate language in all texts.

7. Which technical requirements do I need to use openHPI?

Participation in a course on openHPI is completely web-based. We recommend that you update your browser and operating system to the latest version. The installation of additional software on your system is usually not necessary. Should a particular course require it, the course will explicitly point this out. To play the course videos, you should have a fast internet access. The openHPI apps for Android and iOS can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play Store and the App Store. In the mobile apps, the videos can also be downloaded and played offline.

8. How can I contact the openHPI team?

If you did not find the answer to your question on our openHPI pages and the "Frequently Asked Questions", please contact us via the Helpdesk Button. If you have any questions about courses, please use the course forum, which is maintained by the Teaching Team. Please also check the course forum to see if other learners have had a similar problem and have started a discussion on the topic.

Feel free to contact us if you want to offer your online course for your company or public institution or if you are interested in our learning platform.

My openHPI account

9. How do I create an account with openHPI?

To register with openHPI, please go to the following Link. Enter your e-mail address and a password of your choice. Confirm the link in the confirmation email to complete the registration. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check first that it has not ended up in your spam folder. You can request a new confirmation mail by logging in with your previously selected access data. As long as your account has not been confirmed, a message will appear containing a link to request a new confirmation mail.

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

10. Why am I not receiving my confirmation email?

It may occasionally take some time for the confirmation email to arrive. please also check your spam folder. If you have not received a confirmation email after three hours, please contact the Helpdesk.

11. How do I reset my password?

You can reset your password using the "Reset Password" function. Please enter the email address you used for registration. After submitting the form, you will receive an e-mail in this address. This e-mail contains a link that will take you to the actual password reset function. After a click in the mail, you only have to enter and confirm your new password and you can log in again.

12. How do I change my password?

You can change your password in your Profile. You will find the Change Password function on the right side.

13. How do I change my email address?

You can change your e-mail address on your openHPI profile. Please log in to openHPI and go to your Profile. Overwrite the existing e-mail address, and don't forget to check the box. You will receive an e-mail that needs to be confirmed before the change is made. These confirmation e-mails sometimes end up in the spam folder. So please check your spam folder as well. As soon as you have confirmed the change, the e-mail address displayed in your profile will change. Please note that you can only use the primary email address for login.

14. What happens to my data?

The Hasso-Plattner-Institute is subject to the Federal Data Protection Act, as the servers on which user data is stored are located in Germany. No personal data will be passed on to third parties. Only pseudonymized data is used to improve the platform and for evaluation for scientific purposes. Further information on data protection at openHPI can be found here.

Courses

15. Course structure and content

The most important element of the learning platform is the courses. Courses are divided into modules. Modules comprise several learning units. Such learning units include not only knowledge-transmitting videos and texts but also interactive and testing elements such as quizzes and practical tasks.

16. Where can I find an overview of the courses?

The List of Courses offers the user an overview of the courses offered. There are also several filter options. The courses of the HPI Academy can be found in the Executive Education Channel.

17. In which languages are the courses offered by openHPI?

The courses are offered mainly in German and English. You can find the corresponding information on the course details page.

18. How long does a course at openHPI last?

There are three different course formats at openHPI. Regular 6-week courses last seven weeks including the final exam. Hands-on courses last four weeks and focus on the direct application of acquired skills (e.g. programming languages). Workshops last only two weeks and deal with a narrowly defined topic.

19. How much work is required for a course?

Depending on your previous knowledge, you should plan 3-6 hours per week for your studies. The estimated time includes the study materials and self-tests. Also, each week a graded homework assignment with a 60-minute time limit is scheduled. The processing time of the final exam is 120 minutes. The workload of a regular 6-week course corresponds to 2 ECTS points.

20. What does the time in UTC mean?

The times on openHPI are given year-round in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You can here find your time zone relative to UTC here.

21. What happens if I could not submit my homework on time?

The deadlines for evaluated assignments cannot be extended individually, as the results of the assignments will be published for the other participants shortly after the deadline and the assignments may be discussed in the forum afterward. If you did not participate in the task, you will not be able to access the questions (for example for practice purposes). Our courses are designed in such a way that you can also complete the course with a certificate if you cannot manage to take part in all the assessed tasks.

22. Can I still register if the course is already running?

You can register for an openHPI course at any time. If you join during the first week of the course, you can still complete all the graded assignments. If you join later, it will become more and more difficult to achieve the required number of points for the certificate. Qualified certificates can only be booked during the first week of the course. You can also receive a confirmation of participation for a late entry.

23. Can I drop out or re-enter the openHPI course?

You can withdraw from an openHPI course at any time. You can unsubscribe from a course by clicking on the button End course participation on the course details page. You can also remain enrolled in the course and continue the course at a later date in Self-study. It is also possible to re-enroll in the course. Your progress in the course will then be restored.

24. Do I have to do the homework?

You can participate in the course according to your interests and possibilities. There is no obligation to do the homework and strive for the certificate. We are happy about every active participation in forum discussions.

25. What license are the openHPI courses? May I use them for further education?

You are welcome to use the materials for your training sessions unless otherwise noted on the course details page. Most of the learning content on openHPI is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license. This license allows the materials to be distributed, remixed, improved, and built upon, but only non-commercially, with openHPI being named as the author of the original, and if distributed under the same conditions. HPI Academy courses on the Executive Education Channel are generally excluded from this regulation. These courses may not be used for any other purpose, commercial or non-commercial.

26. How does self-study work?

After the end of a course, the course content remains available in archive mode. New participants can register for self-study at any time. However, evaluated tasks with deadlines can no longer be processed and therefore a course certificate can no longer be obtained. You can only receive a certificate of attendance for successful course participation. The forum will be closed after the end of the course and is only available in read-only mode.

27. How do I use the discussion forum?

The forum is an important part of the learning experience at openHPI. Active participation is crucial to your learning success, as it allows you to reflect on course topics, ask (and answer) open questions or discuss with other participants and the instructor. Information about the specific functioning of the forum and the forum rules can be found here.

28. How does a collab space work?

In a collab space, you can discuss and collaborate in a group. In addition to a group forum, collab spaces offer further functions such as video conferences, Etherpad, file exchange, and appointment planning. A learning room can be open to all interested course participants or only open to a restricted group.

29. How does a peer assessment work?

A peer assessment is a form of a task in which participants evaluate each other. A peer assessment is used when an automatic evaluation for a specific question would be difficult or when it actively supports the learning process to reflect on and evaluate the solutions proposed by other course participants. The task can either be completed alone or in teamwork (Team Peer Assessment). More information is available here.

30. What is the Recap?

The Recap offers the possibility to answer questions from self-tests in quiz form and thus deepen knowledge.

31. What are the characteristics of HPI Academy courses?

The HPI Academy courses are subject to a fee and can be booked through the HPI Academy. You will receive your course fee after we have received your payment. You will only have access to the course materials during the course. Course materials may not be used commercially or non-commercially for other purposes. If you have any questions regarding the content of the HPI Academy courses, please contact the HPI Academy team.

Evaluations and performance records

32. What are self-tests and homework and how do they differ?

Self-tests are short, unassessed quizzes that directly follow a video or text. The purpose of the self-tests is to self-assess your understanding of the knowledge you have just acquired. These do not count for the record of achievement or a confirmation of participation and can be repeated as many times as needed. Homework and the final exam, on the other hand, must be completed by a specific (usually weekly) deadline and are required in order to earn a course certificate.

33. What do the XPs in my profile mean?

The Experience Points reflect the effort in the course as well as the activity in the forum. They are differentiated from the credit points that you receive through successful participation in the homework and the final exam. Here you will find an overview, of how the Experience Points are distributed.

34. What do badges like Communicator, Knowledgeable, and Self-Tested mean?

There are 3 different badges, which are awarded in bronze, silver and gold respectively: Communicator for particularly active participation in the discussion forum and learning groups, Knowledgeable badge for particularly helpful answers in the forum, and Self-Tested when a course's self-tests are answered completely correctly. You can find more information here.

35. How do I get my score on multiple choice and multiple answer tasks?

In multiple-choice tasks, there is exactly one correct answer. If this is selected correctly, the participant receives the specified number of points for the task. If the wrong answer is clicked, the participant receives 0 points for this task. In the case of multiple-answer tasks, the points achieved for partially correct solutions are calculated in the following way: The maximum number of points is divided by the number of correct alternatives. This value is used as a base. For each correct alternative that was correctly selected, the base value is awarded, for each incorrect alternative, the base value is subtracted. If the total result is negative, 0 points are awarded.

Example: A maximum of 3 points are awarded for a task. Out of five answers, three are correct. You have marked two correct and one incorrect. You will receive one point for each of the two correct answers (3 divided by 3), and one point will be deducted for the incorrect one. You receive one point for the task.

36. What is my final score?

The maximum number of points that can be achieved in the course is made up of the points from the homework and the points from the final exam. Everyone who achieves at least 50% of the total score will receive a certificate at the end of the course indicating the score achieved.

37. How are my achieved scores rounded?

The sum of all points achieved by a participant is shown on the certificate and expressed as a percentage of all possible points (maximum number of points). If the result has decimal places, it is rounded down. For example, if a participant has achieved 49.9% of the total points, this is unfortunately not enough to receive a certificate.

38. What is the difference between the Qualified Certificate, the Record of Achievement and the Confirmation of Participation?

The certificates differ mainly in their value. A Qualified Certificate shows the user's result and, due to the online supervision and the printed photo, offers the certainty that the certificate was also acquired by the corresponding user. The Record of Achievement also shows the result of the user and certifies the successful completion of the course. A Confirmation of participation only says that at least 50% of the course material has been viewed, but says nothing about the duration and intensity of the work.

39. When will the certificates be released?

The certificates (the Qualified, the Record of Achievement and the Confirmation of Participation) are usually released one week after the end of the course.

40. What is the date of issue on the certificates?

The date of issue on the certificates generally refers to the end of the course. Confirmations of Participation show the date on which the certificate of achievement was unlocked, so in self-study courses that took place last year, for example, you will receive a Confirmation of Participation with a date from last year. Qualified Certificates and Records of Achievement show the date you earned the certificate. It is not possible to manually change the date of issue.

41. When will I receive a Confirmation of Participation?

The confirmation of participation is given to those who have accessed at least 50% of the course material. The duration and intensity of the processing of the course materials are irrelevant.

42. When will I receive a Record of Achievement?

The Record of Achievement is awarded to those who have achieved at least 50% of the maximum number of points in the sum of all graded assignments. It is irrelevant how the point distribution is of homework, possible programming tasks and the final examination.

43. When will I receive an Open Badge?

Open Badges are offered in some courses. If you have purchased a certificate, your Open Badge will be additionally unlocked.

44. When will I receive a Qualified Certificate?

This can be booked by the participants. Automatic facial recognition is used to ensure that the participant has taken the exam in person. HPI credits its students with ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) points for this and recommends this to other universities as well.

45. How much does a qualified certificate cost?

A qualified certificate costs 60 euros including the statutory value added tax.

46. By when do I have to book a qualified certificate at the latest?

The booking of the qualified certificate must take place at the latest after the submission of the first assessed task of the course. As a rule, this is within the second week of the course. If the submission deadline for the second homework assignment has passed, registration for the examination with automatic face check via webcam is no longer possible.

47. Which violations are relevant for the online supervision of the qualified certificate?

Above all, make sure that the online supervisor always has access to your webcam and that no other person is in front of it. You can find a detailed list of violations here.

48. Can I also receive an invoice for the purchase of a certificate?

If you need an invoice for the purchase of your qualified certificate, please contact the openHPI Helpdesk. Our third-party administration will then create an invoice for you.

49. How can I add my openHPI certificate to my LinkedIn profile?

Log in to your LinkedIn account -> Go to your profile -> In the "Credentials and Certificates" section (you may need to add this profile section first), please select the following:

  • Name: Name of the openHPI course.
  • Issued by: Hasso Plattner Institute
  • Certificate ID: openHPI
  • URL of the certificate: You will find the online link at the end of your certificate of achievement.
  • Please select "This certification has no expiration date".
  • Issued on: Month and year in which your certificate of achievement was issued.
  • Please click on "Save".

This page was last changed at Fri, 20 Aug 2021 12:01:34 +0000.

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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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