Prof. Dr. Bianca Wühr

• Since 2012 Professor of Psychology
  Fachhochschule Dortmund
  Faculty of Applied Social Studies
  Fields of teaching: Psychological diagnostics and social psychology
• 2010-2012 Professorship for Psychology
  University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration NRW, Bielefeld
• 2001-2010 Research assistant and deputy head of department
  Psychological Service of the Federal Employment Agency, Nuremberg
  Department of Psychological Research and Development
• 2001 Doctorate (Dr. phil)
  Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
• 1998-2001 PhD student
  Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Munich
  Dept. of Cognition & Action
• 1998 Diploma Psychology
  University of Osnabrück

• Cognitive psychology: perception, attention, executive functions
• Psychological diagnostics: professional interests, social skills

• BA courses in social psychology and psychological diagnostics as well as Bachelor's accompanying seminars and courses in quantitative research methodology and statistics
• MA courses on study projects (methods of empirical social research: statistics)
• No place or one place too many? Places for the courses are allocated exclusively via regular registration in HisInOne. You can also deregister from courses independently in HisInOne. Thank you very much!

• As a student, please use your Fachhochschule Dortmund e-mail address for questions to me.
• For course-related questions about seminar content, assignments, exams and coursework, please always state your matriculation number, the semester in which the courses take place and the course with exact identification (name of the course and day of the week) so that your query can be correctly assigned.

• Do you supervise theses?

Yes, as a full-time lecturer and examiner at Fachhochschule Dortmund, I naturally also supervise student theses as a first or second examiner. But please note the following information.

• I would like you to be my first reader. What should I do in the first step?

Write me an e-mail, but use your UAS e-mail address for an e-mail request. Attach a three-page synopsis to the e-mail. You describe your research topic in an exposé (2 pages plus 1 page work plan). Please do not confuse an exposé with an outline - in the exposé, for example, you already review the initial literature (+/- 10 sources). On the basis of the synopsis, I will decide whether I can be considered as the first examiner. Please note that I only supervise literature-based work if it falls within my teaching area, i.e. if it is related to social psychology and/or psychological diagnostics. This reference must then also be emphasized in an exposé. Also important: in which semester are you planning to graduate?

• I would like you to be my second supervisor. What should I do?

Write an e-mail, but: specify the topic of your BA thesis in your request, e.g. in the form of one or two questions. So please don't just name a rough topic area. Also important: In which semester are you planning to graduate? What type of thesis are you planning (e.g. literature-based vs. empirical; perhaps even a conceptual thesis)? Who is responsible for the initial supervision?

• How does the initial supervision work for you?

I am generally available during my consultation hours (see llias consultation hours: https://www.ilias.fh-dortmund.de/ilias/goto_ilias-fhdo_prtf_858470_1179.html). If you need a longer consultation, please book several time slots (e.g. 2* 15 minutes). I usually discuss longer evaluations for quantitative empirical work separately, i.e. appointments outside of consultation hours. However, this is only necessary for a small group of students and only later in the course of the work. Otherwise: You book yourself into the consultation hours if you need to talk. I do not require a "monthly report" or similar, especially as you are also doing independent academic work. And in this context: I only advise and recommend - you have to do the writing yourself.

• How does the second supervision work for you?

A) I am your first supervisor and you are looking for a second supervisor:

I take the right to suggest very seriously. If you have a specific wish for a second reader, I am happy to support this - I do not generally advise against one or the other person as a second supervisor (unless: the person is not authorized to take exams at the UAS; see examination regulations). However: You must write to the desired person yourself and ask them to be your second reader.

B) I am your second supervisor, then:

A personal exchange is not necessary. This is the task of the first reviewer. However, I am also available to you in my (general) consultation hours for questions that you think your primary supervisor cannot help with.

• How long am I "guaranteed a place" (first and second readings)?

Due to the current situation, I will "book" you for the semester in which you are due to graduate and also for the following semester (for first and second readings). So: If you want to complete your studies in the summer semester ..., you are automatically booked for the following winter semester. You may be blocking a place for someone else, but you do not have to worry if you have to postpone your plans for a short time. If you postpone again (i.e. postpone for a whole year), I will no longer be available. Please note that your thesis must be registered in good time or you must submit the "Application for admission..." in good time.

• How long do I need to evaluate a thesis? When is the date for the colloquium?

I would like to refer you to the examination regulations. In the BPO, for example, the examiners have eight weeks to decide whether you have passed at all. Strictly speaking, the examiners will only find a date for the colloquium once you have "passed" the thesis. A colloquium can only be "considered" after the thesis has been submitted and is physically available to the examiners. Please take this into account in your planning!

• How should I cite?

I don't care which citation guidelines you use. One of my assessment criteria for citation is "consistent and helpful" and not whether you have applied citation guideline xy correctly. If you can fulfill this criterion ("consistent and helpful"), great. Otherwise, we recommend using a citation guideline that is less error-prone, comprehensively documented and established. Currently, I only see the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA), i.e. "APA 6" or "APA 7", which fulfill the three criteria mentioned. A German-language manual is also available in this regard, e.g. from the German Psychological Society (DGPS, 2019), which is based on the APA guidelines.
This advice should not deter you from using "Harvard", "Chicago" or "MLA" etc. if you feel confident in these citation styles and have had good experiences so far (by the way: you've noticed - there is not THE citation guideline...).

• How can I find out what my (preferred) citation policy does?

Check your policy (ideally you have documentation, whether online or print) using the following three questions. If you can answer "yes" to all questions, great - stick with the policy.

1. Does my preferred citation style take the "digital object identifier" (DOI) into account?
2. Does my preferred citation style also provide a recommendation for citing "newer" sources such as online forums and blogs?
3. Does my citation policy also have recommendations for more "unusual" sources such as brochures, films and/or pieces of music?

• How many pages do I need to write?

The length of theses is not specified in the examination regulations, but among colleagues we currently recommend 60 +/- 20 pages for BA theses (between 40 and 80 pages corresponds to most other BA theses; experience shows that the length of MA theses is somewhat higher). However, it is not automatic that a longer thesis guarantees a better grade. Conversely, a concise but well-written and well-founded thesis does not necessarily mean a poor grade. Quality and quality should not be confused...

• Where can I find answers to detailed questions or formalities?

Please also take a look at your examination regulations - they specify what applies to you and your thesis. Many details and formalities are also discussed in BA accompanying seminars or can/must sometimes even be clarified in the Office for Student Affairs.

• What other tips and tricks do you have?

Having supervised around 200 theses at Fachhochschule Dortmund so far, I recommend ...

...to write an empirical thesis, even as a BA candidate. This is where independence in scientific work becomes particularly visible.

...attending a BA accompanying seminar, in which the basics of scientific work are also taught and which is attended to accompany the writing process (i.e. "in advance" and without a concrete research interest, you can already take it in the 5th semester, but from my point of view it has proven to be of little help for these candidates - most of them attend the course as guest listeners a second time when they are directly in "writing", e.g. a course with me when I have a corresponding course in W13...)

...also to use the various offers of Fachhochschule Dortmund, e.g. the writing center of Fachhochschule Dortmund, the trainings and consultations of the FH Bib, the math helpdesk etc.