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Digitalization at universities: How AI is revolutionizing teaching!
The University of Oldenburg is driving digital teaching forward with AI tools and projects to increase quality and efficiency.
Digitalization at universities: How AI is revolutionizing teaching!
Academic education has changed significantly in recent years due to advancing digitalization. At the University of Oldenburg, the topic of digitalization is being actively promoted, particularly as part of two large collaborative projects in Lower Saxony that are strengthening digital teaching. These developments are part of a comprehensive strategy that aims to increase the efficiency of courses while improving the quality of teaching.
Lecturers traditionally spend a lot of time planning their courses. This is where innovative AI tools such as ChatGPT come into play, which, according to Susanne Schorer from the “Digital Teaching Hub Lower Saxony” (DLHN) project, can help to significantly reduce the planning effort. Schorer emphasizes the time savings that can be achieved by using these technologies.
Policies and infrastructure
In order to meet the challenges of digital teaching, universities must not only build their infrastructure, but also develop clear guidelines for dealing with digital technologies. Important aspects that must be taken into account are data protection, copyrights, and accessibility for all students. These considerations are essential for the successful implementation of digital teaching methods.
One of the central projects that has been running since 2021 and will be funded until the end of 2025 is SOUVER@N - Digital Teaching and Learning in Lower Saxony. Eight universities in Lower Saxony are involved in this project and are working to achieve digital sovereignty by promoting the use of non-commercial providers. In this context, the University of Oldenburg coordinates the “Shared teaching and learning materials” sub-project.
Digital tools and resources
As part of the SOUVER@N project, an extensive collection of digital tools was created that teachers can use online. This includes software solutions for creating teaching materials, conducting surveys, scheduling and video production. The Academic Cloud also offers access to various tools and generative AI to further support teachers.
More than 1,800 teaching and learning concepts are available via the open educational resource platform (OER) twillo, which serve as a valuable resource for teachers. The SOUVER@N team has also developed podcasts, checklists and practical tips on digital teaching methods to promote exchange between universities.
Dr. Janine Horn has dealt intensively with the legal aspects, particularly the topics of data protection and copyrights, and has created relevant handouts. In order to facilitate the implementation of these procedures and technologies, a cross-university qualification offer is being developed. The “eTutor:innenprogramm” aims to convey the media didactic basics of digital teaching.
Overall, the efforts at the University of Oldenburg and within the framework of the Lower Saxony joint projects show how important it is to keep up with the developments in digital technologies. It remains to be seen to what extent the new technologies will have a lasting, positive impact on the quality of teaching. Digital innovations offer teachers and students many new opportunities that need to be taken advantage of.