Teaching practice in Transfer+

All lecturers at the HSCG receive free, individual advice for their teaching units if required and interested. By means of teaching observations, workshops, collegial advice, etc., needs-based solutions for the design of teaching processes are found in a joint exchange and discussion in order to implement them sustainably in one's own teaching. In addition to individuals, entire institutes or departments are also welcome to take advantage of these offers on subject and media pedagogical challenges in university teaching.

Cross-institutional cooperation between universities and universities of applied sciences is one of the cornerstones of quality. As part of the LiT funding program, LiT ^plus provided guidance on content and pedagogy and supported the transfer of pedagogical experience, knowledge, and skills through financial funding. Collaborative classes / courses and instructional development initiatives in degree programmes were funded over a period of two semesters, and good teaching in Saxony was highlighted.

LiT-funded projects at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences:

thermoACTIVE
A didactic concept for actively ensuring understanding and providing differentiated support in technical thermodynamics.
thermoACTIVE is a didactic concept for actively assessing understanding and providing differentiated support in Engineering Thermodynamics; it is characterized in particular by its applicability to various campuses with differing student populations, prior knowledge, and areas of focus. thermoACTIVE is based on a comprehensive, interactive exercise system integrated into OPAL, which provides students with computational problems covering all topics of the Technical Thermodynamics lecture across a wide range of skill levels. After solving the problems using conventional methods, the results are then re-entered into thermoACTIVE. The interactive feedback on the entered solutions provides students with a new tool that enables them to identify problematic areas even when working independently and to solve them effectively. This helps students in every ability level gain and retain knowledge, thereby automatically increasing their motivation. The re-registration of problem-solving results from thermoACTIVE to instructors is an excellent tool for reflecting on teaching and, consequently, for the targeted optimization of instructional content and methods, specifically tailored to the content, prior knowledge, and key focus areas of the respective location. Furthermore, thermoACTIVE enables differentiated academic support, ensuring that average-performing students are good at preparing for upcoming exams and that top-performing students can reach a level that goes well beyond the examination component.
Further information

MUVE-STAT
E-learning project on basic statistical concepts and the fundamentals of multivariate methods.
Learning statistical methods is a major challenge for psychology students, especially in interdisciplinary degree programmes such as the bachelor’s degree programme in communication psychology (KP) at the university of applied sciences Zittau/Görlitz. Consequently, university Master's degree programmes, such as the Human Performance in Sociotechnical Systems (HPSTS) degree programme at TU Dresden, face the challenge of integrating students with highly heterogeneous backgrounds from diverse Bachelor's degree programmes, who often have gaps in their basic statistical knowledge. Consequently, building advanced knowledge for these students is a major hurdle on the path to the degree. As a collaborative team, we are addressing this challenge in both degree programmes—KP at HSZG and HPSTS at TUD: The MUVE-STAT e-learning module supports both the foundational statistical methodology in the KP Bachelor’s program and the acquisition of basic knowledge in the HPSTS master’s program. With interactive web apps and instructional videos, it encourages playful experimentation and thus enables experience-based learning.
Further information

Overview of all projects in the Saxon consortium:
https://www.hd-sachsen.de/web/page.php?id=478

These two- to four-hour subject-related short formats raise awareness of didactic topics in higher education and promote reflection on one's own teaching activities through peer-to-peer exchange. Selected best-practice examples are presented by experienced and committed teachers and put up for joint discussion. The LiT.shortcuts are recognized for the Saxon University Didactics Certificate of the HDS.

You can find an overview of all event dates for LiT.Shortcuts in Saxony on the website:

www.hd-sachsen.de

The self-organized LiT subject-specific working groups serve to establish cross-university “communities of practice” in which faculty members discuss subject- and topic-specific challenges in teaching in order to develop new ideas and inspiration for their teaching. In addition to providing support for the initiation, organization, implementation, and follow-up of the subject-specific working groups, LiT ^plus provides funding for travel expenses as well as for the costs of external subject-matter experts. Finally, we are here to assist you with the presentation and publication of your results to the broader university community

The following subject-specific working groups are currently meeting:

• Student Peer Learning
• E-Assessment
• Innovative Teaching in Computer Science and the Natural Sciences
  
• International Teaching in STEM Programs
• Mathematics in the Natural Sciences: From High School to College
  
• Mathematics/Physics + E-Learning
  
• Structure and Culture: Teaching Political Science in Saxony
  
• Videos in Teaching
  
• Virtual Learning Systems in Engineering
  
• Digital Humanities
• Game-Based Skill Development
• Tablets/Smartphones in Teaching
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Didactic Concepts for Support Tools in Education, Development, and Research
• Verbal and Nonverbal Communication in Teacher Training
• Technical Thermodynamics in Saxony

If you are interested in participating in one of the specialized working groups or in starting a new one, please feel free to contact us.

In the LiT.School, participants had the opportunity to develop a project to research their own teaching in the spirit of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Based on a reflection of their subject-specific didactic challenges, they were supported in formulating a research question and developing a research design.During the LiT.School, there are inputs from experts, self-work phases and opportunities for exchange within the group. At the end, the framework for a coherent research project is created, which can be used to independently work on your own research question.

further information:

https://www.hd-sachsen.de/web/page.php?id=469

In the Research Information System (FIS) of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, we provide information about ongoing and completed research, service, and technology transfer projects.

More information

The Digital Learning Map showcases teaching and learning scenarios that use digital media and are implemented at German universities. Use this collection to find inspiration for new ideas, get in touch with the contact persons, or share your own practical examples.

www.e-teaching.org/community/digital-learning-map