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Panoramic view on the North Campus © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
THE POTENTIAL OF DIGITAL TEACHING FORMATS

Three Questions to Wiebke Möhring on the Future Design of Teaching

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Portrait photo of Prof. Wiebke Möhring © Benito Barajas​/​TU Dortmund
Prof. Dr. Wiebke Möhring has been a member of the Rectorate since September 1, 2020, and is responsible for the Study Division.
What didactic and technical potential do digital teaching formats offer and what challenges do they entail? This was the topic of the second Day of Digital Teaching, which took place on 28 September at TU Dortmund University. A survey conducted in July among teaching staff on its experiences in the past 18 months also yielded revealing insights. In this interview, Professor Wiebke Möhring, Vice President Academic Affairs at TU Dortmund University, explains what conclusions can be drawn from this for the future design of (digital) teaching.

Professor Möhring, how has teaching changed during the coronavirus pandemic?

With the start of the pandemic, we, that is, the University as a whole, had to switch to online teaching at very short notice; at times almost everything only ran in a digital format. For most teaching staff and students this was very unfamiliar, they had to get to grips with the new situation and the switchover naturally also demanded considerable effort. However, it has worked well – especially in view of the short space of time – and we have all tried out many different alternatives and learned a lot of new things in the past 18 months. In this respect, the coronavirus pandemic has led us to question existing structures and to think fundamentally about where digital formats are suitable for which courses and other scenarios and where face-to-face teaching is indispensable.

Which role should digital teaching play at TU Dortmund University in future?

This question is keeping us busy in the Rectorate at the moment because we want to ensure that we continue to make use of the experience we’ve gained and the work that has gone into developing digital teaching formats. The survey among teaching staff showed clearly that it would like digital teaching and examination formats to be kept after the pandemic too. For example, staff especially highlighted that digital tools make it easier to supervise students individually and according to their specific needs. In addition, possibilities for participation are increased, for example because studying can be better reconciled with childcare or caring for relatives. However, it is also undisputed that TU Dortmund University would like to retain its character as a brick-and-mortar university. Campus and courses should remain a place of encounter and social interaction.

What plans and support services are there for the coming semesters?

The survey has shown us that there is a distinct wish for an exchange of ideas on digitalization in teaching and studies – both with colleagues in the same discipline as well as beyond. We will therefore remain in close dialogue with each other on this in future too. Helpful here are formats such as the Day of Digital Teaching, which has now taken place for the second time, or the Digital Lunch, which enables a monthly exchange between the departments, the ITMC, the Center for Higher Education, and the Department of Disability and Studies. We will also expand and restructure our support services to help implement digital teaching and examination formats. To this end, the ITMC and the Department of Academic Teaching & Faculty Development at the Center for Higher Education will be expanded in terms of personnel. In addition, we are in the process of setting up a new central Digital Teaching Coordination Unit, which will bundle support services as well as advise and assist the departments.

Results of the survey on digital teaching

Digital Lunch

 

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