…as a tool of discourse and qualification on didactics in higher education.
Talk at ECREA conference at February 9th 2022
Abstract: The Macromedia University of Applied Sciences has been dealing with the question of how to optimize face-to-face and distance learning and how to combine them into blended learning offerings not just since the beginning of the Corona pandemic. However, the experiences of the past semesters, which were dominated by online teaching, make it clear that it is no longer a matter of promoting digital transformation. Rather, „classic“ on-site teaching is suddenly under massive pressure to justify itself. Students are asking why they should come to campus for what content. Whereas in the past the search was on for reasons as to what added value could be gained from digitally supported, media-mediated teaching, the logic of justification is reversed when the special nature of on-site teaching has to be explained.
For the optimization of study programs on the basis of a guiding didactic concept in which center is the teaching of the future skills (Ehlers, 2020), relevant for the future employability of the students, this development means a special opportunity, because didactic innovation is no longer thought of in only one direction. At the same time, however, it also increases the uncertainty that generally accompanies change processes, because supposedly secured ground, in this case the traditional teaching, suddenly appears as unstable as the new one that has not yet been established.
The mediation between innovative formats and lived practice is accordingly one of the central challenges: on the one hand, to try to give formats and methods of a „new“ teaching concept a binding character through formative settings and, on the other hand, to pick up colleagues and take them along and not only to value their teaching experiences in principle, but to let them have a constructive effect on the concept level in the sense of a critical dialogue. To this end, we use a PodCast (Hebbel-Seeger, 2021), in which changing guests from our own university universe speak on different key topics, the common feature of which, however, is the consideration and reflection of one’s own teaching framework.
Overall, the PodCast is designed as a low-threshold continuing education resource and is accepted accordingly. In addition, we are subjecting the published episodes to a content analysis in order to filter out which indications can be derived from the colleagues‘ recommendations for best practice (successful university teaching); on the one hand, for the practical implementation of the didactic guiding concept itself and, on the other hand, for the conception and design of continuing education programs in higher education didactics (Hebbel-Seeger & Strauß, 2022).
In this contribution, we present the concept, content and practical implementation of the PodCast and reflect on its connectivity to accompanying continuing education programs in higher education didactics.
References
Ehlers, U.-D. (2020). Future Skills. Lernen der Zukunft – Hochschule der Zukunft. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
Hebbel-Seeger, A. (2021). Technologien und Techniken in der (Online-)Lehre – Video, PodCast und Partizipation. In U. Dittler & C. Kreidl (Hrsg.), Wie Corona die Hochschullehre verändert: Erfahrungen und Gedanken aus der Krise zum zukünftigen Einsatz von eLearning (p. 259-280). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer VS.
Hebbel-Seeger, A. & Strauß, A. (2022). Konzeption von Lehre und didaktisch-methodische Qualifikation von Lehrenden unter der Maßgabe digitaler Transformation. In U. Dittler (Hrsg.), E-Learning: Digitale Lehr- und Lernangebote in Zeiten von Smart Devices und Online-Lehre (p. 101-117). Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg.