On the recommendation of the Study Commission, the Faculty Council of School I – School of Educational and Social Sciences adopted the following ‘Guidelines for Digital Teaching and Self-Study Phases’ at its meeting on 19 February 2026.

Preliminary remarks:

University of Oldenburg sees itself as a university with a strong focus on face-to-face teaching. School I - School of Educational and Social Sciences also regards direct, close contact and personal interaction between students and lecturers as essential to the success of teaching and learning. Courses and seminars should be spaces in which the exchange of ideas and discussion take place, and where learning processes are supported both academically and pedagogically.

This philosophy is not necessarily at odds with the development and implementation of digital teaching and learning formats or the inclusion of so-called ‘self-study phases’. Rather, we recognise the potential of digital formats and self-directed skills development to enrich face-to-face teaching, whilst being fully aware that, for students in particular, the university is more than just a place for the transfer of knowledge; it is, in fact, a key part of their educational journey and personal development.

Supplementing face-to-face teaching with digital formats and guided self-directed learning phases

The focus of higher education today is on enabling the acquisition of subject-specific and cross-disciplinary skills. The mere presentation of knowledge by lecturers and its reception by students is increasingly being replaced by teaching and learning opportunities that actively involve all participants, thereby intensifying individual learning.

With regard to digitalisation in teaching and study, the German Council of Science and Humanities, in its statement[1], highlights four dimensions within which teaching formats operate: content, timing (synchronous/asynchronous), location (face-to-face/online) and social interaction (study groups). Teaching and learning programmes can operate within these four dimensions, thereby responding to the specific needs of learners. Digitalisation opens up a wide range of possibilities between traditional distance learning and purely face-to-face teaching.

The integration of face-to-face and online teaching harnesses the pedagogical advantages of both formats. Whilst the focus during face-to-face sessions is on interaction between students and teaching staff, learning materials – such as reading material, exercises or videos – can be made available for self-study and used by learners according to their own needs (blended learning).

School I - School of Educational and Social Sciences is committed to supporting and promoting the integration of digital elements to complement face-to-face teaching. In addition to creating the legal, staffing and infrastructural conditions for digital teaching and learning formats, there is also a need for an appropriate quality assurance process to review their methodological and didactic implementation.

In addition to digital elements, phases of (guided) self-study may also form part of the curriculum to varying degrees. In terms of preparation for and follow-up on courses, as well as exam preparation, these are in any case an integral part of the student’s workload, which reflects the total scope of all learning activities required to achieve the expected learning outcomes. Furthermore, it may be pedagogically beneficial to embed phases of independent learning into course designs. However, it must be borne in mind that, in accordance with the LVVO, this self-organised acquisition of competences neither can nor may replace face-to-face teaching.

Obligation to notify for the approval of digital teaching and self-directed learning phases

The support of face-to-face teaching through interactive and multimedia learning modules, as well as the incorporation of self-directed learning phases, should continue to be implemented without unnecessary obstacles in future; indeed, their pedagogically sound use is expressly welcomed.

In cases where digital resources or self-study phases merely support face-to-face teaching and do not exceed a de minimis threshold of three sessions per semester (20%), there is no obligation to notify the relevant authorities.

However, should digital resources or self-study phases account for a larger proportion, an application must be submitted to the Dean’s Office, stating the reasons, and approved by the Studies Committee. Valid reasons include, in particular, the academic and/or pedagogical added value, as well as the prevention or adequate compensation for the cancellation of courses. This requires the express approval of the Academic Committee of School I - School of Educational and Social Sciences or, where urgency is required, an urgent decision by the Dean of Studies. The Dean’s Office provides a corresponding (online) form for the application, which is discussed and decided upon together with the course planning at the relevant meeting of the Academic Committee.

In all cases, whether below or above the de minimis threshold, lecturers must make the planned changes transparent on Stud.IP as early as possible, for example in the course description and in the ‘Schedule’ tab for the course. Any changes made during the semester must also be communicated to students as quickly and comprehensively as possible, for example through notifications and updates to the schedule. Simply stating the changes in the seminar/lecture timetable as a PDF or announcing them verbally is not sufficient.

Counting digital teaching and self-study periods towards teaching load

When counting digital teaching and self-study periods towards the teaching load, the contact time between the lecturer and the students during the delivery of the course must always be taken into account.

• Course components involving continuous contact time with the lecturer (in person or synchronously online) are counted at 100 per cent;
• Course components involving only passive supervision with limited feedback mechanisms (only limited presence of the lecturer) are counted at a factor of one-third of the allocated teaching load.
• Where lecturers merely provide learning materials without offering any further guidance to students, no credit is counted towards the teaching load.

Example 1: If, in a course with an actual workload of 2 LVS, 50% of the course sessions take place synchronously (in person or via synchronous digital means) and 50% consist of self-study with asynchronous feedback, the calculation is as follows: 2 LVS * 0.5 * 1 + 2 LVS * 0.5 * 0.33 = 1.33.

The universities are obliged to "exhaustively utilise teaching capacities", i.e. the teaching capacities available in the teaching units according to the capacity calculation should/must be used responsibly with the resources provided by the state. The Schools are therefore required to document the teaching provided as part of the teaching load and to fulfil the quantitative teaching standards (basis of the capacity calculation).
In the past, despite course planning that is updated every six months and based on the respective admission figures, and despite the distribution of course places using the so-called "priority selection procedure", very few students have decided to take part in individual courses.

In order to ensure responsible capacity allocation, School I - School of Educational and Social Sciences sets the following minimum number of participants:
- five students per seminar on the Bachelor's degree programme
- three students per seminar on the Master's degree programme

All lecturers are obliged to check the number of participants based on the entries in Stud.IP after the course places have been allocated (usually at least two weeks before the start of the course) and to report this to the Dean of Studies Office if the number of participants falls below the above-mentioned limits.
A decision is made together with the lecturers, if necessary the programme directors, if necessary the respective institute directors and the Office of the Dean of Studies as to whether the planned course will take place or whether the resources can be used elsewhere (e.g. to relieve the teaching load in larger modules).

Of course, it must be taken into account whether
- it is a course in a compulsory module with no alternative and/or
- other concerns of the participating students must be taken into account.

If the course is cancelled, students will be informed immediately and supported in their search for alternative courses. Lecturers should be given the opportunity to fulfil their teaching obligations in the same semester.
A "postponement" of the teaching obligation to the following semester should only take place in consultation with the heads of the institutes and the Dean's Office

Students enrolled at a state-recognised university are covered by statutory accident insurance.
All activities that take place within the university's area of responsibility in terms of content and organisation are insured.
In addition to attending lectures and seminars, this also includes
- excursions
- visits to university libraries
- activities in university self-administration
- as well as the journeys to and from these activities.

Not insured are, for example, private study trips, home study work (self-study) or private interruptions of the journey to and from work.

In order to ensure insurance cover also for excursions, we ask lecturers to notify the Dean of Studies Office informally in good time by email:

Information on insurance cover during internships can be found on the following pages of the German Statutory Accident Insurance: https://www.dguv.de/de/versicherung/versicherte_personen/kinder/praktika_studium/index.jsp,
Information on insurance cover during school internships can be found on the following page of the Lower Saxony State Accident Insurance Fund (LUKN): https://lukn.de/rehabilitation-leistung/versichertenkreis/kinder-schueler-studierende/universitaet.php

If you have an accident, please submit the accident report immediately to the InfoDesk in the Student Service Centre (Building A12) or to the Admissions office. The accident report must be submitted for all accidents, not just sports accidents. Please fill out the proposal on the PC (not handwritten).
- Accident report form
- questionnaire for commuting accidents

Contact: unfallmeldungen.studierende@uol.de

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