At a glance
For: prospective students, students, teachers
Topics: Flexible studying, sustainable studying, individual course of study, pilot study programs and projects, cross-course transfer, university-wide project week
Sub-project of making the study programs at Fulda University more flexible
Location: Fulda University
Pilot project on flexibility in the "B.Sc. Food Technology" degree program
Challenges:
The Department of Food Technology is currently facing a sharp decline in student numbers and, against this backdrop, will offer its core Bachelor's degree program – the B.Sc. Food Technology –
in English starting in the upcoming winter semester 2023/24, in addition to its existing course offerings. Since it is anticipated that not all international students will be able to be present and participate in on-campus classes at the beginning of the winter semester due to visa delays and difficult housing situations, the department is
aiming for greater flexibility in the design of modules for the first few semesters through online, hybrid, or blended learning formats.
Objectives
The following objectives are central to the efforts to increase flexibility:
- New students from abroad are given the opportunity to participate in courses and acquire the desired skills from the very beginning via digital teaching and learning resources, even if they cannot yet be present on site.
- The early integration of students into existing learning groups on site is pursued through hybrid teaching formats and individualized (digital) feedback formats.
- The exchange of international students with teachers and learners is promoted, and dropout rates are reduced.
- Existing digital teaching and learning arrangements will be consolidated and further developed, and used to reach new target groups in the subject area.
- The aim is to implement and test new learning formats while respecting teaching load requirements.
Concept:
The flexibility of the design of individual modules can be tested in different ways:
Option 1: Guided online study (see description of the GO-IN project):
Provision of asynchronous self-study materials and regular digital exercises in weekly learning packages. Digital exchange and feedback formats on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to clarify questions and support the (individual) learning process of the students.
Option 2: Blended Learning Design (see diagram of the GO-IN project pattern)
Provision of self-study materials in learning packages for asynchronous completion (see Option 1) and weekly in-person/hybrid or online meetings to summarize and deepen the content from the learning packages. Depending on the available teaching load,
the in-depth sessions can be conducted in a hybrid format, or if several parallel sessions can be offered, one in-depth session can be held entirely online.
Option 3: Hybrid event
Regular classes will be held in a hybrid format, allowing international students to join the in-person sessions remotely. Individualized
office hours or support services for this student group would be beneficial (e.g., supplementary online tutorials).
Option 4: Alternating Mode
Since English and German-language events run concurrently, weekly in-person sessions will be held either in German (every even-numbered week) or in English (every odd-numbered week). The sessions not held in person will be
provided as an annotated PowerPoint file in the respective language.
Further ideas from the teaching staff regarding the implementation of the English-language degree program will be specifically addressed and integrated into the project as it progresses.
Focused Dimensions
The project aims at methodological, spatial and temporal flexibility.
Further development and expansion of the project:
The experiences gained from the project can be extended to the design of individual modules in existing degree programs. Here, the increased flexibility particularly addresses target groups who, due to professional activities or caregiving responsibilities at home, cannot attend full-time on-campus studies and are therefore currently confronted with delays in their studies, sometimes even leading to dropping out.
Furthermore, considerations regarding the design of new study programs, such as a part-time and/or dual bachelor's degree program, can be used within the department.
