Internationalisation through Digitalisation
Digitalisation affects all aspects of our global society and works as a driving force for innovation. International mobility, collaboration and networks in higher education are going through changes that have immediate effects on how internationalisation is promoted in the German Academic Exchange Service’s programmes and scholarships.
Over 100 of DAAD’s projects are either linked to digitalisation processes in higher education or feature digital components. Blended learning and virtual exchange are prominent examples from the portfolio that also includes DAAD’s own information webinars and digital services or the virtual reality experiences that DAAD offers at virtual fairs.
- Virtual Exchange: Connecting students around the globe
The DAAD supports and advises German universities and their international partners on the conception and implementation of Virtual Exchange projects.
With the DAAD space on the teaching platform “Linkr” we are aiming to provide an environment for building a virtual exchange community. We invite university teachers to exchange ideas on the topic and other related questions in the field of digitally supported international mobility and exchange.
Additionally, the DAAD Space on Linkr provides partnering opportunities for developing and realising co-teaching scenarios.If you are interested in joining us on Linkr, please feel free to contact Leo Peters (l.peters@daad.de)
- Transatlantic Virtual Exchange Webinar, jointly with Fulbright Germany, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, Wayne State University, Iowa State University, and Michigan State University:
Globally networked learning using digital media is a driving force for the internationalisation of Higher Education. Strong networks and the ability to collaborate successfully in intercultural teams are essential for becoming a global citizen. Virtual Exchange provides a collaborative online international learning experience by putting the students in the center. Exchanging ideas, working collaboratively on shared tasks in technology enhanced and global environments is an effective way to open mindsets, creating mutual understanding and paving the way for outgoing mobility
Join our webinar to learn more about e-learning driven transatlantic teaching projects, project based learning activities, intercultural communication in virtual teams, and co-creation of knowledge and solutions for societies in a digital age.
If you interested in the topic, please feel free to contact Leo Peters (l.peters@daad.de).
- African Centers of Excellence:
In the frame of the African Excellence program a new project for improving higher education and research at the Centres of Excellence via digital components and capacities has been launched. The new project called DIGITAL INITIATIVE FOR AFRICAN CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE (DIGI-FACE) is financed by the funding of DAAD with support of the German Federal Foreign Office. The aim of this new project is to support the African Excellence program objectives by setting up and using digital tools to be developed in order to promote digital learning, teaching and research competencies at the Centres. It addresses all the Centres of Excellence and aims on strengthening the African Excellence Network, so that geographically separated participants become part of a broad community of learners and practitioners of interactive digital learning progress and reflexive research supervision. Students, doctoral candidates, alumni, lecturers and research supervisors will contextualise their learning and research issues within their own disciplines and institutional policy frameworks, and communicate their contextualised view clearly to others via an appropriated range of digital modalities.
DIGI-FACE will develop and implement a needs orientated interactive learning platform based on existing learning management system software and appropriate multidisciplinary online training courses. The platform will provide a wide range of possibilities for connecting learners to tutors and to peers for sharing and online collaborating.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute via better digital learning and teaching facilities to a more effective and efficient functioning of societally relevant areas in African countries through the activities of graduates in key positions in teaching, society and business. Further, the program will contribute via the digital elements to build up internationally competitive, sustainably operating and socially perceivable Centres of Excellence.
DIGI-FACE is managed by the consortium of the German Universities of the Centres of Excellence CEGLA (Centre for Local Governance in Africa), CERM-ESA (East and South African-German Centre for Educational Research, Methodologies and Management), CCAM (Congolese German Centre for Microfinance) and WAC-SRT (West African German Centre for Sustainable Rural Transformation) and will serve all the partners of the African Excellence program.
Further information can be found here: https://www.african-excellence.de/2020/02/04/digitalisation-of-the-centres-of-excellence-innovative-digital-project-digi-face-launched
- Professional Training (iDA):
Within the link below, you can get an overview of the latest webinars and digital options of courses DAAD offers with regard to the present COVID-19 pandemic. The target group are University employees working in different sectors of the institutions, whereas some are open to anyone interested in the topics. Please note: The webinars are held in German.
https://www.daad-akademie.de/seminare-und-workshops/digitales-fortbildungsprogramm/de/
- Hackathon #DigiEduHack
The DAAD together with Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD) invite all interested parties to a higher education-themed hackathon taking place on 6th and 7th May 2020. There will be English-speaking teams joining the hackathon. Check social media for #SemesterHack and #DigiEduHack.
Link to the hackathon website (in German): https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/de/online-hackathon
