It's 7:30 a.m. on March 16, 2020 - the alarm clock rings. Quickly get dressed, have breakfast and off to university - stop. Not today. Because face-to-face teaching at Zittau/ Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has been suspended. From now on, everything will take place online. Lectures, group discussions and even exams will take place at home - on the computer via video chat. Anything goes in today's lectures - whether it's sleepy in bed, at breakfast or at your desk. The lecturer speaks on the screen. He starts the lecture as a monologue. At the end, he answers questions. The students' microphones remain silent. Otherwise it would be too distracting with all the background noise, slurping coffee or biting into a crispy bread roll. That sounds like a relaxed lecture.

Learning like in Australia

E-learning has been part of everyday life there since the 1950s. The geographical conditions demand it. Because where "just down the road" sometimes means a 600km drive, students and lecturers come together online. A system that works and a possibility that the Faculty MK is currently testing. Albeit for different reasons. The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic mean there is no other option. "Social distancing" is now part of our reality. Students living in Poland and the Czech Republic are no longer allowed to cross the border into Germany. In order to enable teaching and learning to continue, the Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies is rapidly converting its teaching to e-learning. A solution that will perhaps be retained after Corona? After all, the future is online.

F-MKdigital- is that the future?

Each class has its own virtual room where lecturers and students meet according to the timetable. Lecturers give lectures and call up students' preliminary examination results. Self-study tasks are evaluated and discussed online. Lecturers make scripts and presentations with assignments available to students via the OPAL learning platform. PowerPoint presentations with sound are also made available via digital channels. Flexibility and understanding are very important to both students and faculty staff these days.

Studying from home with a child, how does that work?

I would like to talk to Marlene K. (name changed) via Skype about her new everyday life. But the internet connection in the village is too poor and keeps cutting out. So I call her on her cell phone. But even our phone call is often interrupted by static. Marlene is studying health care management in her second semester. As a single parent with a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter who has to stay at home due to the daycare closures, studying seems to be a challenge for her. Grandma can't help either, because we have to protect people in risk groups. So close your eyes and get on with it, Marlene?

"It's tough. Getting up early, getting the little one ready and sitting at the computer in time for the first lecture. Listening with one ear and keeping the little one happy at the same time. Cooking lunch at lunchtime. When my child takes a nap, I have 1.5 hours to complete an independent study task. After the nap, I'm there for her again. So out into the fresh air, because exercise is important for her. Only when she has fallen asleep at around 8 p.m. can I make up for the day's omissions. Or at least try to, because I'm exhausted from the day. Sometimes my motivation suffers as a result."
Students at the Faculty of Managerial and Cultural Studies

E-learning - the future model for students

"Provided that everyone has a stable internet connection, I can certainly imagine it in individual cases. At least if the module and subject allow it. But I prefer face-to-face teaching and contact with others. There's no substitute for that."
Cornelius B. Culture and management degree course (4th semester)

The age of online exams has begun

What's next, will the exams and defenses now also be moved to the virtual space, Prof. Dr. Pflicke?

"Yes, applications for possible changes to the examination format were submitted by the respective teaching staff by May 6. Some invigilated (written) examinations will be converted into short academic papers, others will take place orally online. The examination period has been extended for the realization. The defenses can take place in presence from 4 May with the current rules on hygiene."

Flexibility and understanding - that is probably the key word these days and it requires everyone to pull together. Nevertheless, the feedback shows that e-learning is new in this country - but most people do not consider it to be sustainable in its current form. There are numerous advantages to working from home. Social interaction with fellow students and colleagues is something that everyone misses equally. The gradual transition to normal operations is currently being planned in coordination with the other Saxon universities.

Here's to seeing everyone healthy again soon.

Author: Theresa Liebich - Tourism Management student

Photos: Cornelius B, Ute P., Theresa L., Sebastian B.