Type and Duration
ERASMUS, April 2021 until August 2023 (finished)Coordinator
Institute for FinanceMain Research
Growth and ComplexityDescription
Higher education and especially small and private universities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, university study programs have been taught in a physical classroom setting while online channels have mainly been used for organizational reasons such as the transfer of study material and the communication outside the classroom. With the arrival of the crisis, however, this has changed abruptly. Regulations and guidelines for the containment of the coronavirus led to a rapid shift in teaching methods as universities started to transform their lectures into pure online or hybrid (blend of offline and online lecture) for-mats. Pure online classes, however, have struggled with technical difficulties, inefficient didac-tics, and low engagement during class. Hybrid teaching, on the other hand, is supposed to integrate online and offline experiences live and at the same time, thereby combining the best of both worlds. That is why hybrid teaching has been particularly interesting for many universi-ties; for being an appropriate balancing act to implement the required countermeasures against the pandemic, while at the same time preserving proven didactics to keep the quality of education high. However, hybrid teaching has turned out to be way more demanding than anticipated; primarily for the lecturers, as they have to multitask and show awareness for two channels simultaneously. It also turned out that the didactics and engagement strategies of offline course formats could not simply be transferred to a hybrid teaching environment with-out clear conceptual guidelines and appropriate training.This project aims to solve the issues described above by developing a new hybrid approach for courses and programs offered by universities. The idea is to still teach the program at the university in presence, but at the same time, offer this program live for remote participants, without a loss of quality for either side, especially by solving the problem of decreased inter-action. This is achieved in particular through a concept study of a next-level classroom equip-ment, the development of training materials as well as guidelines in regard to technology, communication modes and examination modes. Moreover, it includes an exemplary curriculum adaptation of a certificate program for executives in the field of blockchain and fintech.
