Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 2:30–4:30 p.m., CAS NN

No more last-minute cramming! Start early and take small steps—that could be the solution. But when is “early” enough, and what counts as a “small step”? A clear overview of the course material is the first step toward academic success. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to gain the necessary overview using a simple plan that structures all relevant topics and content. You’ll discover methods for setting learning goals and dividing the material into manageable stages so that you always know exactly what you need to learn and when.

Presenter: Ulrike Reintanz, 

#TeamStudySupport

Registration

Friday, November 6, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. via Zoom

This workshop is designed for students who want to use Excel in a structured and efficient way from the very beginning—whether in their studies, in statistics courses, or during an internship. Many Excel problems aren’t caused by complicated functions, but rather by poor spreadsheet structure and a lack of understanding of the basics.

Typical situations from everyday student life:

•  Spreadsheets become increasingly confusing over time
•  Formulas work—until you copy them
•  Data is collected, but is difficult to analyze later

Much of the work is done manually, even though Excel could actually do it automatically. This wastes time, leads to frustration—and is usually easily avoidable with the right fundamentals.

Why the workshop is worth it—despite AI and YouTube:

• YouTube shows individual tricks—we show you the system.
• AI can suggest formulas—you’ll learn to determine whether they’re correct.
• You’ll avoid typical beginner mistakes right from the start.
• You can ask questions live and resolve specific problems.
• Useful even without prior Excel knowledge—the workshop lays a solid foundation for the subsequent courses in the series.
  Instructor: Éva Mészàros, Certified Microsoft Trainer (MMI©) 

Instructor: Éva Mészàros, certified Microsoft trainer (MMI©) 

Registration

Friday, November 6, 2026, 9:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m., BigBlueButton

Dive into the fascinating world of forensic text analysis! Our new online lecture from the series “From Crime Scene to Perpetrator” invites you on an exciting journey where you’ll learn how criminals conceal their tracks in written communication—and how experts bring them to light again.

In the criminal underworld, the art of deception is essential. Perpetrators must protect their identities at all costs while planning and carrying out their sinister schemes. Whether it’s threatening letters, anonymous letters, or secret messages—every word, every letter could be the key to solving the case. But how do criminals manage to remain hidden? And how do investigators decipher the hidden messages to track down the perpetrators?

In our open online lecture with Dr. Sandra Hahn and Roman Michel, you’ll learn how criminal written communication works and what sophisticated methods are used to maintain anonymity. Discover how forensic experts go about extracting crucial clues from seemingly mundane details. Using real-life cases, the two speakers will show you how the analysis of written documents can help convict perpetrators—and how you, too, can develop an eye for hidden clues.

This event is a unique opportunity to take a look behind the scenes and understand the language of crime. Whether you’re a student, a staff member, or simply curious—let yourself be inspired by the exciting world of criminal text analysis and become part of our interactive community of investigators!

Speakers:

Dr. Sandra Hahn, Faculty of Social Sciences, htw saar

Roman Michel (retired KHK)

Registration

Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., CAS NN

College, part-time jobs, plans for the future—it often feels like you have to juggle everything at once. But what really suits you, and in which direction do you want to grow?

In this workshop, you’ll learn about the Japanese Ikigai model—a practical tool that provides guidance for your studies, career, and personal decisions!

• What really motivates me?
• What strengths set me apart?
• How can I apply my skills to my studies and career?

Together, you’ll develop your personal Ikigai diagram. In the process, you’ll strengthen your self-reflection, self-confidence, and future prospects—and gain concrete insights for making academic decisions, writing job applications, and taking the next steps in your career.

Presenter: Barbara Ditzler, Consulting & Coaching  

Registration

Tuesday, November 10, 2026, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. – R 10.01.07 (large lecture hall, CAS)

Anyone can find themselves in a situation—due to illness or an accident—where others must make important decisions on their behalf. With a power of attorney and a living will, you can specify in advance what you want to happen in accordance with your wishes.

Modern medicine offers many options—but at the same time, there is concern about “overtreatment” and prolonging the process of dying or suffering. A living will allows everyone to determine for themselves which medical and nursing measures are desired or rejected. This is because every treatment or decision not to treat must correspond to the patient’s “express” or “presumed” will.

Key Topics:

· Options and limitations of a spouse’s right of representation

· Requirements for a legally valid power of attorney for healthcare and advance directive

· Practical guidance on drafting these documents, as well as suggestions for ensuring that the patient’s wishes are carried out as effectively as possible by authorized representatives or legal guardians

Speaker: Robert Klein (Judge at the Local Court)

Questions about the event? Please email:familie@htwsaar.de 

Registration

Friday, November 13, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., via Zoom

After completing the refresher course, you’ll deepen your knowledge and turn Excel into a tool that allows you not only to manage data, but also to understand and present it. This online workshop is designed for students from all disciplines who want to take their skills to the next level.

Contents:

• Review of the most important basics for confident use
• Using custom number formats
• Using more complex functions efficiently
• Working with references and conditions
• Preparing tables specifically for analysis
• Visualizing data clearly with conditional formatting

Why attend—even with AI and YouTube?

• Practice in a supportive environment: Instead of just watching, you’ll apply functions yourself—with feedback and support.
• Commitment & Motivation: You can watch YouTube anytime—and then put it off. The fixed schedule ensures that you really stick with it.

Terms of Participation:

• Active participation with a working audio connection is required.
• We recommend taking the Excel 1 course beforehand to ensure you’re fully prepared.

Instructor: Éva Mészàros, Certified Microsoft Trainer (MMI©) 

Registration

Monday, November 16, 2026, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., VR Arena CAS 3405

Do you have a paper, a project presentation, or your first presentation at college coming up—and does the mere thought of the audience make you nervous? In the VR Arena, you can practice this exact situation without any real-world stakes.

You’ll give a short presentation to a virtual audience and immediately see how you come across. You’ll be able to observe and specifically adjust your voice, speaking pace, eye contact, and demeanor, among other things. After your first attempt, you’ll have the chance to try out specific elements again right away.

In this training session, you can:

• practice speaking in front of an audience in a safe environment,
• experiment with nervousness and tension,
• better assess your impact when presenting,
• test small changes immediately in a second attempt.

You don’t need a finished presentation or any VR experience. The workshop is particularly well-suited for students in their first semesters—but anyone who wants to become more confident in giving presentations is welcome.

Registration

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., CAS NN

Did you know that as a student, you can often get several hundred euros back from the tax office? But how does that work? In this workshop, you’ll work with a tax expert to take a close look at your own (first) tax return. Together, we’ll address common questions:
💡 What expenses can I claim as a student?
💡 How can I benefit from filing my tax return?
💡 What mistakes should I avoid?

Tax knowledge really pays off, especially as you transition into the workforce: Which receipts are important? How can you start taking advantage of tax benefits for your future job right now?
🔹 Calculate
your tax return with an expert 🔹 Get your questions answered live—no more Googling!
🔹 Make the most of tax benefits right now

Bring all your questions and get it right the first time—it doesn’t get any more hands-on than this!

Speaker: Kay-Oliver Denne, Saarland Chamber of Labor

Registration

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 7:00–8:00 p.m., Online

Many fathers underestimate just how much they influence the atmosphere in their family. Children can sense very clearly whether their father is still mentally at work after leaving the office, whether he’s irritable or exhausted, or whether he’s truly present in the moment. And they adjust their behavior accordingly, often without anyone noticing. In everyday life, this shows up in small moments—like on an evening after a long day when even a minor issue is enough to tip the mood, or during an argument over a cell phone or homework, when you raise your voice more than you intended and end up feeling annoyed with yourself afterward. A father’s own attitude, his current emotional state, and how he handles stress are important factors in the relationship between father and child and in how conflicts play out within the family. Children learn to regulate their own emotions by modeling the adults around them. A father who is aware of his own tension and knows how to manage it provides them with a sense of security. This presentation offers numerous insights to help you better understand your children and yourself, and to support your children’s development as a father in a more relaxed and confident manner. It does not assign blame or demand perfection. 

Key
Topics:
▪ How your own attitude and state of mind affect your children and your relationship with your partner
▪ Recognizing stress in everyday family life before it escalates
▪ Better understanding children’s behavior
▪ Ways to stay connected with your children even during conflicts
▪ Greater composure and confidence as a father

Target audience: Primarily fathers. Mothers and other interested individuals are also welcome

Speaker: Carsten Vonnoh is an expert on fatherhood in German-speaking countries and an author. As a systemic family counselor (DGSF), he has worked with over 1,000 fathers and couples. He is a father himself and founded the Vaterherz® Academy.

Questions about the event? Email:familie@htwsaar.de 

Registration

Friday, November 27, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., via MS Teams
Microsoft Excel is and remains by far the most widely used data analysis software in the world. While the focus used to be more on creating lists, tables, calculations, etc., Excel is increasingly finding its way into the field of professional data analysis as digitalization advances.

Microsoft Power Query is a free Excel add-in that allows you to import or connect to external data and prepare it in such a way that creating complex data analyses becomes effortless. However, very few users are even aware of Power Query. And even fewer know how it works.

In this course, you’ll get a comprehensive introduction to the Power Query add-in. To start, you’ll become familiar with the user interface and receive a summary overview of the Power Query command palette.

Course Content (Selection):

•
Retrieve data from tables, text/CSV files, databases, and folders•
Combine data from different sources• Identify differences between different datasets and
create join queries correctly• Identify and change data types•
Pivot, unpivot, and
swap rows and columns• Automatically clean (transform)
data•
Add calculated columns• Optimize data for pivot reports

Technical Notes:

Are you already using Microsoft Excel 2016 or later? In that case, Power Query is already part of the standard feature set of Microsoft’s spreadsheet program. You can find Power Query under the “Data” tab in the “Get & Transform” tool group.

If you’re using Excel 2010 or 2013, the tool isn’t yet integrated into the program. You can download the add-in for free from the Microsoft website. To activate Excel Power Query, simply double-click the downloaded file to open it.

For Mac users, Power Query is available starting with Microsoft 365 and is directly integrated into Excel.

Presenter: Andreas Pfister

Registration