Along with exercises and seminars, lectures are probably one of the most prominent forms of knowledge transfer at universities.

They are part of the university's permanent fixtures - no other place represents the world of academics more than the lecture hall.

But I'm surprised that there hasn't been an extensive argument about lectures for a long time.

Because among us students, contrary to the romantic image of huge events with stimulating discussions afterwards, there seems to be a quiet consensus: Lectures fail in terms of efficiency, gnaw at our motivation and are considered by many to be simply unnecessary.

From my first real lecture, which I had at the beginning of this semester, not much has stuck with me apart from a few impressions: someone is sitting in the front row and rubbing his hands together as if he wants to start a fire.

To my left are two female students who share an apartment and are discussing new wall colors.

I squint at her screen throughout the session, and after about the 25th slide, read monotonously by the professor, those wall colors start to seem more and more interesting to me.

Should I paint mine soon?

Completely white?

I've been thinking about wall colors for quite a while.

The fellow students next to me also stare bored into the distance.

And when our professor acoustically simulates towards the end what kind of noise a steam locomotive makes,

I leave the lecture hall confused and bored, but above all disappointed.

I had high hopes, why not?

Even my parents excitedly talked about the major events of their studies: Hundreds of eyes fixed on the lecturer, everyone shared a love for the subject.

There was talk of exciting discussions, of earth-shattering content and impulses for students.

After the first lecture I think: Maybe my hopes were a little unrealistic.

In the end, the number has halved

But what exactly makes my lectures so boring and interchangeable?

On the one hand there is the lack of sanctions if you stay away: while attendance is still required in seminars and exercises, nobody is interested in lectures anymore.

In addition, the content has always been available online since the pandemic at the latest.

You can basically watch them whenever you want, at your own pace, in your own four walls.

What I still felt to be a burden during the pandemic I now see as an advantage.

So with most lectures it is a matter of deliberation: Do I drag myself into the lecture hall to hear the professor's maybe three or four sentences that are not on the slides?

Exactly these sentences could perhaps be relevant to the exam.

Most of my fellow students don't seem to think it's worth it.

At the beginning of the semester the lecture hall was still overflowing, but by the end the number of students had at least halved.

I'm not alone in my dislike, my friends also report that they either force themselves to attend lectures or give up fairly quickly.

This is not representative, but fits in with the study by René Bochmann, lecturer at Chemnitz University of Technology, which shows that students attend lectures much less frequently and prepare them less intensively than seminars and exercises.

It's a bit of fun

As for me, I don't want to be a passive consumer of knowledge.

I want more exciting, interactive lectures.

Is it naïve to ask that of teachers?

I see: We are no longer in school.

But aren't lecturers and professors also teachers somewhere and responsible for presenting their content in a lively way?

Many college professors never seem to have learned how to teach properly.

This text is not to be understood as a license to do nothing.

Because if you skip lectures and don't repeat content regularly, you will have big problems at the end of the semester when the exams are due.

But maybe it's time to think about whether lectures are still up to date.

The pandemic has not only destroyed a lot, but also opened doors and consolidated forms of teaching that did not exist before.

For many students, e-learning is now a more enjoyable, convenient and effective way to acquire content.

The only thing that keeps me in the lecture is the feeling that it is part of studying.

It's also a bit of fun to sit here, kill time and then be able to talk to fellow students about a common topic.

So I keep coming back, every week.

But what remains is the desire for less monotony and more interactivity.

Incidentally, on the day of the last lecture I made a resolution to paint my wall blue.

Tom Konjer, 20 years old, is studying English and Politics in Düsseldorf.

Still firmly believes in graduating within the standard period of study, although it's already too late for that.