Suche
Mein Konto
International teaching at TU Braunschweig: Students demand more!
The TU Braunschweig is promoting international teaching with a new project, expanding English-language offerings and surveying students.
International teaching at TU Braunschweig: Students demand more!
With an ambitious project, the Technical University of Braunschweig is pursuing the goal of making its teaching more international and significantly expanding the range of courses offered in English. As part of the “ProDiGI – Promoting Digital education through Global Interconnection” project, a comprehensive survey was carried out to capture students’ perspectives on international teaching. This survey will take place from November 2024 to January 2025 and is part of an initiative funded by the Innovation in University Teaching Foundation with a budget of around 3.3 million euros, which runs until the end of the year TU Braunschweig reported.
A central aspect of this survey is students' understanding and demands of international teaching formats. Of the 1,635 participating students, 16.7 percent said they were international students. This group views international teaching as crucial to their professional success. It is striking that many students associate international teaching primarily with “teaching in English”. However, both international and non-international students complain about the overall low number of English-language courses, with one exception: Faculty 4 rates the existing offering as “just right”.
Student perspectives and wishes
The survey covers significant differences in the perception of the learning effort: International students experience the effort in English-language courses as lower, while non-international students rate it as higher. On average, international students attend 2.25 English-language courses, while non-international students only attend 1.23. The most common reason for not attending such events is a lack of available offerings.
The majority of those surveyed have a positive attitude towards teaching in English and would take part in such events again. However, some report negative experiences, especially with regard to the quality of teaching and the offering. Support in speech production and activating teaching methods are highly demanded aspects that many students want.
Expansion of English-language teaching
The “English-language teaching at TU Braunschweig” project also aims to expand English-language courses, modules and study programs. This project, which has been running since 2020, is funded by the Clusters of Excellence university flat rate. The advantages include increasing the attractiveness for exchange students and securing international university partnerships. In order to optimally support the subjects and faculties, various formats such as consultations, workshops and process support are offered to improve didactics in English teaching, as [TU Braunschweig] reports.
In addition to the local initiative, numerous platforms and organizations offer valuable information for students planning a stay abroad. The DAAD, for example, provides information about the study conditions in various countries, while IEC Online GmbH provides a certified information and application service for students, such as Education Server highlights.
The need for English-language teaching reflects not only the globalization of education systems, but also the increased demand for international career opportunities. There is a great interest in exchange programs and global cooperation, which means that the TU Braunschweig plays a crucial role as an educational institution.