18. January 2023

Lunch in the digital space

New exchange format for digitally supported teaching at the HSZG.

Collegial exchange with inputs on digitally supported teaching. The new format "Digital Teaching Exchange HSZG" took place for the first time on 14.10.2022. 17 participants from various structural units and faculties accepted the invitation of the Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs as part of the joint project D2C2 and the Center for eLearning (zfe) and exchanged experiences, ideas and concerns regarding digital teaching on a collegial basis. The format is part of the action plan for the digitalization of studies and teaching, which goes back to the peer-to-peer strategy consultation carried out as part of the University for Future (U4F) process.

After a brief presentation of the organizational team and the event concept, the experiences of the lecturers were collected, first by cross, then in the discussion. The lecturers emphasized the additional work involved in using digital tools and methods in teaching on the one hand, and the advantages of using them on the other. The participants agreed that they had all been "thrown into" digital teaching due to the pandemic situation and that this was one of the reasons why peer-to-peer exchange was important and beneficial for the further development of digital teaching skills.

The first input was given by the deputy head of the zfe, deputy professor Dr. Steffi Heidig, on the topic of "Digital teaching formats: blended learning vs. hybrid teaching", answering the frequently asked question of what digital teaching actually is. The concluding words of one lecturer: "Practice composure! Teachers' demands on themselves are often an obstacle on the way to good digital teaching."

The exchange format has now taken place five times. Input has been provided on topics such as the development of digital tasks in thermodynamics,  the design of digital examinations, the concept of microteaching and didactic challenges in digitalized laboratories. The short, ten-minute discussion impulses came both from lecturers at the HSZG and from the joint project D2C2, which deals with the subject-specific implementation of digitalization in university teaching. The lecturers then discussed the possibilities and limitations of using digital tools in teaching as well as data protection issues and exchanged experiences with each other.

The next dates will be on the following topics:

After a meeting on 13 January, at which the Head of the Language Center, Dr. Cristiano Marcellino, reported on digital possibilities in language courses, Professor Mandy Schulze will give an insight into the application of the flipped classroom approach in her teaching at the Faculty of Social Sciences for the last exchange opportunity in the winter semester 2022/2023.

From March 17, the exchange format will then start again in the summer semester. The first input will be given by Dr. Steffi Heidig on the topic of "Teaching videos as a lecture format".

"Exchange Digital Teaching HSZG" takes place every 14 days on Fridays from 11:45 to 12:30 via BigBlueButton.  If you have any further questions, please contact .

Further offers of the D2C2 project for teachers

In addition to "Digital Teaching Exchange HSZG", the D2C2 project also offers other services for lecturers at the HSZG. For example, Deborah Halang and Lydia Laarz can be contacted for support in digitally supported teaching on the following questions:

  • Would you like to use a specific (or as yet undefined) tool, explore a method in your course?
  • Would you like to evaluate your course using qualitative methods or e-assessments?

This is not just an offer, but an explicit subject of the "D2C2" project, which is part of the Vice-Rectorate for Education and International Affairs: Your courses and innovations as well as evaluations of these.

So please feel free to contact us! After an exchange appointment, in the canteen or in the hallway, but also by email to deborah.halang(at)hszg.de or by phone on 03583/612 4862. If you are interested in the engineering lecturers' network and would like to participate, please contact Lydia Laarz(lydia.laarz(at)hszg.de or 03583/612 4878).

Photo: Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Sophia Keil
Ihre Ansprechperson
Prof. Dr. rer. pol.
Sophia Keil
Rectorate
02763 Zittau
Theodor-Körner-Allee 16
Building Z I, Room 1.51.3
1st floor
+49 3583 612-3010
Dr. Steffi Heidig
Ihre Ansprechperson
Prof. Dr. phil.
Steffi Heidig
Faculty of Social Sciences
02826 Görlitz
Brückenstraße 1
Building G II, Room B 152
First floor
+49 3581 374-4688