Course / Module

Tools

Learning Management System Blackboard

• Learning modules (thematic in accordance with the lecture structure)
• Work groups (in accordance with the tutorial groups)
  
  • Wiki
  • Mail
  • Forums

Realization

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 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 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.   

In order to also display the structure of the face-to-face sessions, all of the registrations for the lecture as well as for the 10 parallel occurring tutorial groups were collected (CeDiS setting before the start of the semester: Setting up registrations of the tutorial groups as a subfile for the lecture in BB).  

Illustration 1 - Screenshot: Learning modules within the lecture structure

illustration 2 - Screenshot: Wok groups within the lecture course

The thematically prepared learning modules were related to one respective lecture each and contained the following content elements, here clearly portrayed using the example of the third lecture in the series:   

• Questions to lecture 3
  
• Exam-relevant knowledge
  
• Text for preparation (excerpt → wiki post)
• Tasks and material for the tutorial
• Follow-up material

The learning modules were activated in Blackboard according to the right schedule. The adaptive availability of individual elements turned out to be very helpful for this. The exam-relevant knowledge was activated only approx. 5 weeks before the exam (final exam of the module).

The requested wiki posts by the students were based either on preparatory or follow-up work to the individual lectures. For the follow-up collaborative protocols were drafted for the preparation of collaborative excerpts of a text provided within the learning module. The execution of the assignment "Create a wiki post" was the prerequisite for the confirmation of active participation in the tutorial.  

Experiences made by the lecturer

Setting up a properly filled Blackboard course in order to accompany a lecture and a tutorial within the BA module German as a second language was, in all cases, worthwhile. A few select experiences made are briefly presented here:   

Didactic added value:

1. 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.
2. The students access the online leaning offers provided in various different ways.
3. 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    wurde von den allermeisten Studierenden erfüllt (aktive Teilnahme), allerdings in sehr unterschiedlicher Weise. Einige Studierende haben tatsächlich kollaborativ online gearbeitet. Einige Gruppen haben sich in Präsenz für das gemeinsame Erstellen der Wiki-Einträge getroffen. Nur wenige haben individuelle Textbausteine eingestellt. Die Inhalte der Wiki-Einträge waren die Grundlage für die mündliche Gestaltung der Übungssitzung durch die jeweiligen Studierendengruppen (Protokollgruppe, Exzerptgruppe). Die Wiki-Seiten waren somit halböffentliche Texte, die die Studierenden zu einem Termin im Semester erarbeitet haben. Die mündliche Präsentation der Themen und daran geknüpft die Gestaltung der Präsenztermine aufbauend auf den Wiki-Einträgen wurde sehr unterschiedlich realisiert. Während einige Gruppen die Wiki-Texte vorgelesen haben, haben andere ergänzende Übungen durchführen lassen, für die die Wiki-Einträge im Vorfeld von der Gesamtgruppe gelesen werden mussten.
4. Dank der Wiki-Einträge wurden die Studierenden dazu gebracht "etwas zu schreiben", obwohl das Modul in seiner aktuellen Struktur dies kaum zulässt. Auch diejenigen, die in den großen Gruppen nicht zu Wort kommen, konnten so einen aktiven Beitrag leisten. Dieser Beitrag war nicht das "klassische universitäre Seminarreferat".
5. Die E-Mail-Funktion wurde von den Studierenden selbstständig genutzt, z.B. für das rechtzeitige Verschicken von Protokollen und Exzerpten unabhängig vom Wiki. Die Forumsfunktion der Arbeitsgruppen wurde nicht genutzt.
6. Die Wiki-Einträge dienten zum Teil als Klausurvorbereitung. Um hier das Potential noch besser auszunutzen, müssten die Arbeitsaufträge noch stärker strukturiert werden. Der Gefahr der Verschulung der universitären Lehre sollte allerdings mit geeigneten, anspruchsvollen Arbeitsaufträgen begegnet werden.

Probleme und entwickelte Lösungsstrategien:

• Aufgabenstellungen für kollaborative Wiki-Einträge präzisieren
• Feedback zu den Wiki-Einträgen systematisieren
• Modelle für gelungenen Wiki-Einträge bereit stellen (Textsorten "Protokoll", "Exzerpt" thematisieren")
• Präsenzzeiten auf online-Aktivitäten aufbauend stärker strukturieren (Protokoll + Exzerpt + Übung als Arbeitsaufträge anbieten)
• Freiräume zur gemeinsamen Reflexion erhalten / schaffen trotz guter online-Strukturen

Further information / Excerpts from the course evaluation (FU, Department of Education and Psychology)

What did you really like about this course?

• it was good that everything was so well organized in Blackboard!
• the offers in the LMS
• good online realization
• Mir hat es gut gefallen, dass die Vorlesungen von den Studis zusammengefasst wurden und für alle im Wiki verfügbar sind.
• Die Einbindung des Onlineangebots. Online-Plattform war hilfreich -> Texte wurden zur Verfügung gestellt
• Protokolle zum Lernen im Blackboard sehr gut!
• Blackboard gut genutzt -> weiter so! man findet alles gut
• Gute Kombination aus VL, Übung und Online-Lernportal -> Zusammenspiel bestmöglich ausgenutzt.
• Group-Wiki habe ich als sehr hilfreich empfunden
• Die Wiederholung und Vorbereitung der Vorlesung in der Übung waren sehr gut. Ich wurde "gezwungen" mich mit dem Wiki auseinanderzusetzen und habe so den Umgang damit gelernt.

Support offered by CeDiS

• Consulting services for the implementation of digital solutions in teaching: The Center for Digital Systems (CeDiS) has extensive experience of many years when it comes to the implementation of digital media and systems within the fields of teaching, learning and research. We offer a wide variety of consulting services on the implementation of these tools and systems within the entire academic scope and especially at Freie Universität Berlin. 
• Training courses and workshops: For lecturers at Freie Universität Berlin (professors, employees, tutors) as well as lecturers of other universities CeDiS offers training courses and workshops on the topic of teaching and learning with digital media. These course enable participants to implement online elements within their own sphere of teaching.
• The Executive Board of the Freie Universität supports e-learning initiatives: With the e-learning funding program financial resources are provided to lecturers that enrich and improve their courses quality-wise by implementing technological and media-related support. All of the academic staff teaching, the lecturers or even the institutions of the Freie Universität - without the Charité-Universitätsmedizin - can be supported within this program.

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