An important goal for achieving university-wide acceptance and use of digital teaching and learning is the promotion of a digital teaching and learning culture that encourages self-directed learning processes and in which teaching staff provide support and guidance. In addition to teaching digital learning content and skills, the focus should be on supporting individual learning processes and providing (digitally supported) feedback on individual learning progress. This requires a transparent presentation of the expected or anticipated ‘learning outcomes’ or competency goals and the (further) development of digital exchange and feedback formats. It is important for the University of Oldenburg to recognise that the mere provision of digital media has no effect on the quality of teaching and learning and that establishing a digital teaching and learning culture is a major challenge.

Digitalisation opens up far-reaching opportunities to make studying and teaching more flexible. Flexibilisation offers design approaches for studying and teaching with regard to dimensions such as access, time, content, learning locations, learning objectives and examinations. This also includes the potential of cross-location digital teaching programmes with various partners. At the same time, all of these aspects are limited by legal framework conditions or subject content standards.

To this end, the University of Oldenburg will provide more information and advisory services at central and decentralised level and focus on the further development of the entire study process through supplementary digital formats. The flexibilisation of Studying and Teaching will take place within the framework of the self-image of an on-campus university and in coordination with the subject cultures and study objectives. Furthermore, participation in university educational processes is to be increased and participation, e.g. through co-determination or participation by students, teaching staff and employees in technology and administration, is to be made possible.

By promoting digital sovereignty, students and lecturers should develop the skills that are necessary both for the world of work and in the course of a changing society towards a digital world. The University of Oldenburg promotes the competent and learning goal-oriented use and co-design of digital applications and technologies, also in combination with analogue techniques in studies and teaching. This includes, in particular, a correspondingly reflective approach to and understanding of IT, including AI-based systems. This is achieved primarily through information and counselling, special modules and offers to strengthen digital sovereignty for students, teaching staff and employees in technology and administration.

The degree programmes at the University of Oldenburg are responding to the digital transformation by further developing their curricula, particularly with regard to the new subject-specific and interdisciplinary requirements that arise as a result. This also includes the associated changes to modules, examination formats and degree programme designs. In addition to these content-related considerations, the quality-assured integration of digitally supported teaching and examination formats will also be promoted, and the corresponding administrative and formal requirements will be created. The University of Oldenburg aims to incorporate digitality into the curriculum of all degree programmes. In addition, digital examination formats are to be further developed and mapped in the corresponding regulations and the teaching profile feature of research-based learning is to be linked with digital elements.

The digital transformation in the area of Studying and Teaching is dependent on the establishment and expansion of needs-based support structures. This process can only be accepted and continued as a joint task in cooperation with all stakeholders, i.e. students, teaching staff and employees in technology and administration. The qualification of academic and non-academic staff in the responsible use of digital services is of great importance here and should be promoted through appropriate programmes. Furthermore, a website on the digitalisation of Studying and Teaching is to be developed to promote exchange and networking between the stakeholders. The existing legal regulations of the University of Oldenburg are to be reviewed with regard to the needs arising in the course of the digital transformation and, if necessary, adapted and communicated.