Under the motto ‘Giving learning space’, numerous participants exchanged views on the design of a wide variety of virtual and physical teaching and learning spaces. Andrea de Santiago, Head of the Teaching and Didactics Service Centre, found Prof. Dr Richard E. Mayer's contribution on the effectiveness of virtual reality concepts particularly exciting: ‘It's the same as with all other learning technologies. The learning outcomes are decisive for the use, not the technology itself.’
The joint event organised by OTH Regensburg and the University of Regensburg was very well attended, both in virtual and real space.
Virtual kick-off with award ceremony
The first day of the two-day event traditionally took place virtually. Keynote speakers Prof. Dr Bernadette Dilger from the University of St. Gallen and Prof. Dr Richard E. Mayer from the University of California, Santa Barbara framed the programme with their reports on the development of university room design and the integration of diverse virtual reality concepts in teaching.
After the first keynote speech, the award for innovation and quality in teaching was presented - also in online format, via Zoom. After short video clips in which the projects were explained in more detail by the award winners, Vice President Birgit Rösel presented the certificates in person. Two projects were honoured this year:
Conversion of the basic lecture ‘Physics’ for EI 1 to JiTT and PI by Prof Dr Christoph Höller, and More teaching incentives through two-part exams and opportunity for improvement, submitted by Prof Dr Florian Heinz and Prof Dr Johannes Schildgen.
The aim of the sponsorship prize, which has been awarded annually at OTH Regensburg since 2020, is the continuous evaluation and improvement of teaching. Established structures can (and should) also be rethought or scrutinised; in particular, projects that focus on students and their learning success and experience are supported with the award at OTH. Birgit Rösel emphasised in particular: ‘This award is intended to encourage all teaching staff to think about their teaching and simply try out new approaches.’
At the same time, the University of Regensburg's Teaching Innovation Award was presented to three projects in the categories of examinations, courses and degree programmes.
Virtual meeting platform as a meeting space
Numerous good practice examples of concepts and experiences with digital teaching were then presented to the visitors in Gathertown and provided space for discussion. Gathertown is a virtual meeting platform that provides a visually appealing, walk-in space for participants. A lively exchange took place in specially designated areas, and text and video contributions were presented directly by the authors.
Workshops for personal exchange
The second day offered two exciting workshops on the premises of the University of Regensburg. ‘That's what makes the concept so special. On the first day you listen to keynotes from all over the world and on the second day you meet like-minded people and exchange ideas face-to-face,’ says Andrea de Santiago.
The workshop on augmented and virtual reality in an educational context gave participants the opportunity to test a wide range of VR and AR applications and reflect on them in the context of their own teaching. The participants noticed that applications that simulate a reality that cannot be produced in analogue form are particularly interesting. A visit to the ISS or working with devices and materials that are virtually inaccessible in reality can thus be brought within the realms of possibility. By talking to contemporary witnesses of historical events or canoeing in the Arctic, experiences could be shared that could not be realised in real space. There were also critical discussions about the areas of application and challenges of this up-and-coming technology.
In the second workshop Moodle courses appealing design - ideas for an inviting course Christine Kramel, M.A. was able to provide participants with numerous methods on how courses in ELO (moodle) or GRIPS can be well structured and designed. From the fundamental question of the target group and one's own identity in the design of teaching to practical considerations on course formats, icons and the meaningful linking of individual topics, the participants of the workshop were given a lot of information on how to implement teaching in Moodle in an attractive and targeted manner.
