...
The lecture "German as a second language for teacher training students of the humanities" was undertaken for the first time in the summer semester of 2015 and was attended by approx. 390 students. The weekly lecture was split up into 12 thematic face-to-face sessions. The subject-spanning tutorial that belonged to the module and was only one weekly semester hour long took place on a bi-weekly interval. The face-to-face as well as contact time of the students is split up witin within this large lecture group with little chances of interaction and the indeed smaller tutorial groups which though still had an average group size of 40 students.
During the eraly early planning stages of the semester a blended learning structure was developed for the module of the subject group of the humanities which served two focal points. On the one hand the extensive contents of the module should be presented in a structured way and enough material provided for self-study purposes (cf. Illustration 1). On the other hand supportive online interaction offers were to be made. For the first goal repetitive structures were set up within the Blackboard course regarding thematic learning modules from the lecture. For the support of the tutorial 10 work groups were set up within the framework of the lecture course (cf. Illustration 2) in which the students filled in wikis with lecture protocols and reading excerpts during the course of the semester. In addition, in the respective work groups the tools e-mail and forum were available.
...
Illustration 1 - Screenshot: Learning modules within the lecture structure
illustration Illustration 2 - Screenshot: Wok groups within the lecture course
...
- The dovetailing of lecture contents and independent activities by students within a module that, based on the high numbers of students enrolled does not allow for individual supervision, is a success.
- The students access the online leaning offers provided in various different ways.
- The task of "Creating a wiki post" was fulfilled by most students (active participation), this - though - in a myriad of ways. Some of the students did actually work online in a collaborative manner. A few of the groups met face-to-face in order to mutually work on creating the wiki posts. Only very few posted individual text fragments. The contents of the wiki posts were the basis for the oral design of the tutorial sessions by the respective student groups (protocol group, excerpt group). The wiki pages were therefore partially public texts that the students created for one of the semester sessions. The oral presentation of the topics and the related design of the face-to-face sessions based on the wiki entries were realized very differently. Some groups read out the wiki texts, others made their peers carry out supplementary exercises for which the wiki posts had to be read beforehand by the entire group.
- Thanks to the wiki entries the students were made to "write something" even though the module doesn't really allow for this in its current structure. Even those that don't have any say within the larger groups were able to provide a bit of active participation. This contribution was not the "traditional university seminar presentation".
- The e-mail feature was used by the students independently, e.g. for the on-time handing in of protocols and excerpts that were independent of the wiki. The forum function of the work groups was not used.
- The wiki entries serve partially as exam preparation. In order to use the potential available here even better, the tasks assigned need to be structured even better. The danger of turing turning university education into school-like teaching should, though, be counteracted with suitable as well as challenging tasks that need to be worked on and completed.
...
- Making tasks provided for the collaborative wiki entries more precise
- Systemizing feedback for the wiki entries
- Providing models for properly worked-out wiki entries (thematizing text types "protocol", "excerpt")
- Structuring face-to-face sessions that build on online activities in a stronger and more sequential manner (offering protocol + excerpt + exercises as a task)
- Maintaining / creating free spaces for mutual reflection eve even though suitable online structures are in place
...
