Digitization at high speed
Berlin International University of Applied Sciences (BI) is moving its on-campus teaching into digital space within 48 hours. The corona crisis requires innovative solutions from the higher education landscape when it comes to replacing on-campus classes, with help of e-learning and other digital tools. Berlin International University of Applied Sciences wants to maintain its core university operations and enable students to continue their studies smoothly. The absence of social contacts in real life at the university makes interaction in the e-learning environment all the more flourishing.
"As a higher education institution, we are of course constantly looking at digital forms of learning and analyzing how innovative online tools could enrich the learning experience of our students in the future. But the Corona crisis has now forced us to act immediately and we have put a working digital learning arrangement in place within 48 hours. Berlin International University of Applied Sciences wants to enable its students to continue their studies almost uninterrupted", says Prof. Dr. Yüksel Pögün-Zander, President of the Berlin International University of Applied Sciences, on this given occasion.
Technology, didactics and communication
Berlin International University of Applied Sciences has put an online campus with virtual classrooms into operation for its students within a few days. Three elements are crucial for the successful introduction of this digital learning environment, especially in the absolute state of emergency of the current corona crisis. First, the choice of a reliable technology, second, a didactically well thought-out connection to the previous teaching, with which both teachers and students can cope well, and third, a distinctly clear communication among all participants within the university.
All BI students can now access the Online Campus and find their way from there to the virtual classrooms. This is because each course has its own virtual classroom, which can be accessed via a link. On the individualized online campus overview page, every BI student will find a list of their own courses with the corresponding links to the virtual classrooms.
Virtual Classroom
Berlin International University of Applied Sciences has chosen the web-based software Adobe Connect for the roll out of its digital learning environment. With the help of this software, all virtual courses can be held and accessed decentralized from almost any device with Internet access. Two arguments were critical in the decision to use Adobe Connect: the software is extremely easy for students to use, but at the same time it offers a wide range of didactic solutions that can also be integrated into teaching concepts at Berlin International in the long term.
Online Campus
In addition to Adobe Connect, Berlin International has introduced the web-based learning management system "itslearning". BI has already planned to switch to "itslearning", the current corona crisis has only drastically shortened the introduction phase, as the university had to roll out the implementation in just a few days.