Digitality and innovation

Innovative teaching and learning culture in the digital age
Digital teaching is a central component of the University of Siegen's mission statement, which emphasizes openness, diversity and the promotion of individual learning paths. Didactically appropriate digital formats complement classroom teaching and enable learning independent of time and place. This promotes diversity and the consideration of heterogeneous student needs. Formats such as blended learning and the use of OER (Open Educational Resources) break down barriers and open up new ways of teaching and learning.

The university sees digitality as a holistic concept that encompasses didactics, processes and infrastructure. The aim is to develop innovative teaching and learning architectures through cooperation between students, teaching staff and service facilities. The use of digital tools and platforms is not an end in itself, but rather a means of increasing flexibility and inclusion. Digital formats should promote quality development and complement analog formats in a meaningful way.

In addition, forward-looking technologies, in particular the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the areas of teaching, learning and assessment, are systematically integrated into teaching practice. In this way, the university is not only promoting technical innovation, but also raising awareness of AI skills as essential future skills. The use of virtual reality (VR) and other immersive media technologies is also becoming increasingly important in order to enable experimental and research-based learning settings.

The mission statement emphasizes the need for a sustainable digital learning culture that takes ecological, economic and social sustainability into account. Digitalization should be implemented in a way that conserves resources and is sustainable in the long term in order to guarantee attractive learning conditions for future generations.

At the same time, a culture of sharing is promoted that goes against the traditional protective thinking of academic outcomes. The appreciation and quality assurance of open educational resources (OER) is seen as a central building block for strengthening transparency, collaboration and innovation within the university.

The university also sees it as its responsibility to specifically promote students' digital skills in order to prepare them in the best possible way for the requirements of regional and global labor markets. Educational opportunities with regional partners and interdisciplinary projects for practical qualifications are supported.

Interdisciplinarity and networking form a further focus, with students, teaching staff, service facilities and administration working together to develop innovative teaching and learning formats. This collaboration creates learning architectures that meet the dynamic requirements of a changing university and working world.

Challenges in the area of data protection and digital security are addressed with high priority in order to ensure trust among all parties involved. Compliance with data protection regulations and ethical standards is an integral part of digital teaching and learning concepts.

Challenges and support structures
The digital transformation brings with it a variety of challenges, such as the necessary adaptation of teaching methods, quality assurance of OER, the teaching of digital skills, compliance with data protection regulations and the promotion of an open culture of sharing. In addition, the development and maintenance of innovative digital formats requires a great deal of time and personnel.

With the Digital Teaching Team (TDL), the University of Siegen has created a central, multi-professional contact point that provides advice and training opportunities for both teaching staff and students. The TDL is a cooperation between the Center for Academic Teaching, the Center for Information and Media Technology and the University Library. Together, topics from university didactics, technical infrastructure, media didactics, information literacy and e-assessment are addressed.

The offerings include:

• The digital teaching portal with curated content and good practices
• Individual advice on didactics and suitable digital tools
• Regular workshops on e-learning, AI in the teaching-learning process, barrier-free teaching, etc.
• Technical support with platforms such as Moodle and innovative media such as interactive whiteboards and VR
• ZIMT's innovation lab (Innolab), where students and lecturers can try out modern media technology, virtual reality and other digital technologies in a practical setting

In addition, mentoring programmes, peer observation and structured onboarding offers are being expanded in order to further promote the professionalization of university lecturers and ensure the sustainable establishment of digital teaching formats.

Goals and visions
In the long term, the university aims to establish a sustainable digital learning culture based on continuous innovation and systematic reflection. The focus is on activating teaching and learning formats that take individual learning needs into account and are geared towards skills acquisition in the sense of future skills.

The further development of support services for teachers and students will be intensified, as will the promotion of interdisciplinary projects with a view to innovative teaching and learning formats. The development of common quality standards and principles of action for digital teaching is seen as the basis for excellent and inclusive study programs.

Regular evaluations using feedback, teacher surveys and quality indicators ensure continuous improvement. The combination of digital teaching strategies with the topics of internationalization, diversity, inclusion and sustainability creates synergies that holistically strengthen the mission statement.

Finally, networking with regional partners and the targeted promotion of digital skills for the labor markets of the future is seen as an essential task in order to assume social responsibility and strengthen the innovative power of the region.