Account setup & TUCaN/Moodle

The TU-ID

The TU-ID is important because it is used for various online services of the TU Darmstadt (e.g. for WLAN access), so never give the login data out of your hand. You will receive them together with your student ID by mail, they can be found in the lower part of the colored box. There you will also find the URL with which you have to unlock your TU-ID before using it¹. At this point you should definitely change your password! The process should be relatively self-explanatory, in case of problems the OWO tutors will help you.

The TU e-mail address

The TU email address is another important tool, as it will be used for all communication from and about TUCaN. You will also receive important announcements from the university through this (e.g. payment reminders for semester fees or registration periods for exams). This e-mail address will also be activated together with the TU-ID via a link from the mail². You then have the option to set up a redirection to a private e-mail address or to collect the mail directly from the server. If you set up the redirection, please make sure that you have enough space in the mailbox of your private address. In both cases you should check your mail regularly to make sure you don’t miss anything important.

All the links and information mentioned above, as well as much more about the TU-ID can be found on the pages of the University Computer Center (HRZ) at the following URL: https://u.fs-etit.de/hrz4erstis

TUCaN

In the winter semester 2010 a new online system for the organization of the university everyday life of the students, lecturers and administration of the TU Darmstadt was introduced. TUCaN is the online system for organizing the everyday university life of students, lecturers and administration of the TU Darmstadt. With TUCaN, students have to register for events (lectures, etc.) within the system. The types of events are marked with abbreviations in TUCaN. These are subdivided as follows:

• Lecture (VL)**: Lectures are especially in earlier semesters a course with many participants and therefore usually take place in lecture halls. Here, lecturers present the contents of the course. How interactive the lecture is designed, changes from lecture to lecture. In general, however, questions in the lecture are welcome and an active thinking along of the material often contributes to a better understanding.

• Exercise (UE): The exercise usually takes place in small groups and has the goal of deepening or applying the contents of the lecture. Here questions can be clarified very well, because the supervision ratio is better than in lectures.

• Tutorium(TT): Like the tutorial, the tutorial is intended to deepen the lecture knowledge by means of assignments. However, the tutorial is a frontal lecture and therefore tasks are usually more likely to be recited. In the first semesters, exercises are more common than tutorials.

• Pre-Arithmetic Exercise (VÜ): The pre-calculus exercise primarily describes the same as a tutorial. However, since the abbreviation VÜ is often used in the timetable, it is listed separately here.

• Lecture + Exercise (VU)**: Especially in mathematics the abbreviation (VU) for lecture + tutorial is common, since these are usually listed as a single course. After registering for the lecture, the desired exercise group must/can be selected in the same process.

• Practicum (PR): An internship describes an event in which learned material is practically applied. Here, work is usually done with groups of three to four people at a laboratory stand.

• Integrated Event (IV): An integrated course is a course that combines several types of courses into one. For example, there is often a practical course accompanying the lecture, which is then examined together in a final examination. The module grade is then composed of the internship and the lecture.

The exams and events result in a schedule stored in TUCaN, which automatically includes schedule changes for the registered events and exams. Instructors can store material for the events (although Moodle is more commonly used here) and inform participants of changes via message. The grades of the exams are stored in the system and can be viewed at any time. If you want to withdraw from exams, this is also done in TUCaN. More about this in the chapter Exams.

TUCaN can be accessed at https://www.tucan.tu-darmstadt.de. There is also a TUCaN app, which can be downloaded here for Android and here for iOS.

Semester planning with TUCaN

After logging in with your TU ID, you will find a menu with the sections:

• News: Here you will find your courses booked for the current day, notes and unread messages (read messages are in the archive).

• Lecture Schedule (short: VV): All courses that take place within a semester are listed in the Vorlesungsverzeichnis. The sorting here is done by departments, and within these by courses, institutes or semesters. For example, the subjects for the first semester in B.Sc. Electrical Engineering can be found under FB18 -> Bachelor Electrical Engineering -> Compulsory Semester -> 1st Semester. For B.Sc. Mechatronics in the corresponding subfolder Bachelor Mechatronics. However, the registration is done via the section Events, more about that in a moment. If you want to take a language course in the first semester, you can find the language courses under Language Center, where all offered languages are listed. You can also search the VV for rooms and courses, even from previous semesters. Not all courses that you have to take during your studies, especially those from elective catalogs, are in the area of FB18 (= Fachbereich etit). The course catalog can also be used to find courses that are not included in the sample study plan. After consultation with the service center, these can also be taken.

• Calendar: If you have signed up for events, you will find a calendar here with the individual dates and rooms for those events.

• Events: Before you sign up for an event, we need to clarify a few terms.
  A module is a collection of different events under one organizational unit. In turn, an event is a collective term for corresponding lectures, exercises and exams. In etit, the name of a module often matches the event it contains. Thus, the event ETiT 1 consists of the lecture ETiT 1, the exercise and the final exam and is located in the module Electrical Engineering and Information Technology 1. To register for a course, click on Registration in the left menu. Here you select your respective course and click on the link Register, then Next and Submit. By the way, you can view your registered events at any time under Events -> My registration status³. If you have problems registering for a course, your mentors or the Study Office will help you.

• Exams: Registration for exams, once enabled, can be done here. To do this, click on My exams and then Registration for exams. Here you will see a list of all exams you can register for. If you have problems with the registration for exams, your mentor or the [Study Office]({{ref “hsq/01_die_ersten_schritte/kontakte_und_anlaufstellen” >}}) will help you. In the section you will also find your transcript of records, which provides an overview of your achievements and calculates your current grade point average.

• Service: In the service area you can change your personal data, for example your address. Under My Documents you will also find the certificate of enrollment for the respective semester and the certificate for the BAföG office.

• Application: The status of your applications can be viewed here. Additionally, new applications can be submitted here if you wish to transfer to the Master’s program after the Bachelor’s degree or if you wish to change programs.

• Help: Here you can find information on how to use TUCaN as well as contact addresses in case of problems. If a quick solution is needed, it is always worth asking older students.

Moodle

Since the provision of material at TUCaN does not work as well as hoped, Moodle is almost always used for this purpose. The registration on Moodle also takes place with the TU-ID. All courses have a course set up there, which you will usually be automatically enrolled in when you log into TUCaN. (This may take a moment.)
Just check at the beginning of the semester and register manually if needed. If a password is required for this registration, it will usually be provided in the first lecture or introductory session. Once you are registered in the course, you will receive files such as lecture notes and exercises. Sometimes there are also interactive mini tests and there is organizational information or a forum where questions can be asked. Moodle is the central website for teaching that you will use daily during the semester.