Considerations for digital teaching

In this didactics section, we would like to present some conceptual considerations which might help you to successfully implement your digital teaching – whether as pure online teaching or in hybrid teaching settings. Beyond that, we are happy to give you personal and individual advice. In addition to these conceptual considerations, the success of the technical implementation is also important.

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Rethinking teaching – completely online / as a hybrid

So far, digital teaching at the TU Darmstadt mostly was done online to accompany traditional classroom lecturing.

With the occurrence of the Corona pandemic, the necessity arose to rethink teaching scenarios: at the TU Darmstadt, in the first step, for the most part completely online, in the meantime also partly as hybrid teaching settings.

Hybrid Teaching

In hybrid teaching settings, one part of the students is present at the university and the other part participates in the course online (e.g. from home). Depending on the character of the course, different scenarios are suitable. Online and presence participation are organised alternately if necessary.

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Transformation to online teaching

What is important for the transformation towards successful online teaching?

Well-balanced combination of asynchronous and synchronous online teaching

Just as in previous “Blended Learning” teaching concepts, a well-balanced combination of time-flexible teaching formats (asynchronous) and live teaching formats (synchronous) is also recommended for online teaching. – The respective advantages of synchronous and asynchronous teaching/learning phases can thus complement each other in a way that supports learning.

Time-flexible (asynchronous) teaching formats

can be organised via the learning platform. There, with the help of learning materials, e.g. videos, content can be provided and learning activities/ communication can take place.

Synchronous online courses

in the form of online meetings are ideally more interactive. Learning activities that are less feasible asynchronously or simply require direct contact can take place there.

Using the Learning Management System Moodle

Moodle represents THE central, digital learning environment for students, where they can find everything they need for their digital studies. With the possibilities in Moodle, online teaching can take place almost entirely asynchronously.

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Using video

Videos are popular among students. In online teaching settings, learning content can be presented in video form. This allows time-flexible learning and allows more time for interaction in complementary online meetings.

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Conducting Online Meetings

Teaching at the TU Darmstadt currently takes place within many online meetings with the web conferencing system "Zoom" to conduct courses in an online live format. Different implementation variants are depending on the type of course. We recommend using online meetings carefully and trying to make them interactive.

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Challenge: Encourage interaction

One of the challenges in online teaching is often the feeling of having a "black box" in front of you. That means, there is less interaction with the students, no backchannel, no connection – all this which usually happens automatically in face-to-face teaching. Get ideas on how to deal with this challenge.

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Picture: E-Learning Arbeitsgruppe

"Flashlights of Digital Teaching"

Blog article series that gives an insight into digital teaching practice under current covid-19 circumstances. In video sequences, lecturers talk about their challenges and experiences with the transformation of their teaching.

Blog article series "Flashlights of Digital Teaching"