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Digital teaching offers a wide range of possibilities, but it also comes with certain limitations. Compared to in-person classes, the “traditional” challenges of teaching at universities are often even more pronounced. Encouraging student participation and fostering interaction are not always easy for instructors and students in a digital context. In a distributed setting, there is often a desire for targeted interaction among participants.

On May 27, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., a webinar will be held on the topic of promoting student participation and interaction in digital teaching; all interested faculty members are invited to attend. In the webinar, Mr. Stefan Müller, a higher education pedagogue at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau, will outline the limitations and potential of digital teaching with regard to student participation and interaction. Approaches and ideas in the areas of designing digital teaching and learning environments, as well as possibilities for incentives and obligations, will be critically examined for their applicability to one’s own teaching. The access information has been sent to the faculty via email.

The range of higher education teaching methods and digital tools used by faculty at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences to engage their students during the online phase is extensive. In virtual lectures and webinars, for example, “audience response systems” encourage participation through polls. Electronic tests using the ONYX Test Suite or Quizlet enable interactive exercises and provide students with feedback on their level of knowledge. Virtual bulletin boards and collaborative test editors support communication and collaboration in the digital space.

To provide an overview, the staff involved developed a comprehensive portfolio of tools, methods, advisory services, and guidelines, which has been made available on the website of the Center for eLearning (Zfe).