Whether LipDub or campus radio: in the area of specialisation "Project management for students of the humanities, cultural and social sciences", projects are created that are also perceived beyond the confines of the university.
Module coordinator and lecturer Thomas Schneeberg explains in an interview what students learn in the module - and what the prospects are for the programme.
QUESTION: "Project management for students of the humanities, cultural and social sciences" is the name of the cross-faculty area of specialisation that you are responsible for. What exactly does it involve?
SCHNEEBERG: All aspects of project management are practised in these modules - on practical projects designed by the students themselves. Resource management, public relations, evaluation and documentation - everything that is needed for successful project management these days. In addition, there is the particularly important aspect of obtaining third-party funding, in which most project groups are surprisingly successful.
QUESTION: Which projects have you been able to put on track so far?
SCHNEEBERG: In addition to many exhibitions, projects such as LipDub, the campus radio or a sponsored run have been planned in terms of organisation and structure. Specialist conferences, for example on the topic of "Inclusion", which was organised by the Johanniter in the Oldenburg state parliament, or the anniversary conference of the vebn (Verband eLearning Business Norddeutschland) in Hanover were also organised by "my" students.
QUESTION: What experiences do the students take away with them?
SCHNEEBERG: It can be said across the board that the amount of work involved at the end of projects was underestimated beforehand, but the students are unanimous in their opinion that all the work was worth it because they knew afterwards what they were getting into. And: they all had a lot of fun!
QUESTION: How is the programme being received by the students?
SCHNEEBERG: The modules are very popular, sometimes fully booked with 40 participants. The re-registering students in evaluations and reflections are very positive. One criticism is that the modules are still too little known in the various Schools, especially among lecturers. It is often suggested that these modules should be made compulsory.
QUESTION: What are the plans for the future?
SCHNEEBERG: The modules "Introduction" in the summer semester and "Specialisation" in the winter semester will certainly continue to produce exciting projects. For example, the test run of the campus radio station from June 2013 will be developed into a permanent project in the coming semester. Personally, I would be very pleased if we could install a permanent project for the university's anniversary next year, given the appropriate support.
