All universities face the challenge of making their courses more flexible, says Olaf-Zawacki-Richter, lecturer in knowledge transfer and learning with new technologies. But when does digital teaching offer real added value?

"A large proportion of today's students have social or professional commitments. As a result, for more than a decade now there has been a trend towards more flexible degree programmes and even courses that can be done entirely online. Private universities, in particular, are focusing on this type of programme. At the same time, traditional campus-based universities are still in demand because many students find it important to have direct interaction with each other and the teaching staff.

Nonetheless, these universities also face the challenge of making their courses more flexible. This is not an end in itself but can serve strategic goals such as strengthening research-based learning, attracting non-traditional audiences or making teaching more international. There are good opportunities here, such as inviting international guests to attend online meetings. And even large classes with stable course content, such as lectures on statistics, can become much more interactive. In the flipped classroom format, for example, students first watch a video on a topic and can ask questions later in regular classes. This approach adds real additional educational value.

In the science and technology subjects, virtual reality and augmented reality are becoming increasingly popular. There's also a lot of hype about AI applications like ChatGPT. In a project with lecturers from all over the world we are currently researching how to integrate these tools into teaching at the didactic and pedagogic levels. Modern universities should prepare their students for a digital work environment."