Under the motto "returning to campus", in June 2021 graduate students enrolled in a criminal law course titled "Aktuelle Probleme des Strafprozessrechts" presented their academic findings on campus. Taught by Univ. Prof. Dr. Alois Birklbauer and legal expert Dr. Norbert Wess (Vienna), the course combines theory with applied practices, focusing on topics ranging from the (potential) need to reform legal procedures when conveying information from court hearings by using a news ticker and parallel investigations during criminal proceedings to taking a closer look at parliamentary investigative committees.

At the start of the semester, students enrolled in the class selected a topic and subsequently presented their concept to classmates and course instructors for review and input. After further developing and refining their respective topics, students took part in a formal presentation at the start of the summer to present their key and central findings. Students can take advantage of the summer holidays to finalize and submit their thesis. The concept ensures that the Diploma degree thesis and accompanying seminar can completed in one semester.

The students' commitment and dedication to their respective presentations was impressive, getting to the heart of their findings within a maximum presentation time period of 15 minutes in a professional manner. The presentations account for part of the overall course grade. In order to give other students an opportunity to take part in the presentations and liven up the campus, the presentations were open to the public but in adherence to safety protocols and mandates.

Dr. Wess’ contributions to the course were highly successful, focusing on combining academic theory with applied practice. He conveyed his interest and passion for criminal (procedural) law, both when supervising students and when providing  feedback during the presentations. Students were impressed by the class and Faculty of Law is considering continuing the collaboration.