2017

A two-day symposium about the study entry phase was held on the 23rd and 24th of November 2017 in the University of Potsdam. Participants from more than 40 Universities all over Germany created an progam with presentations and posters. Special stress was layed on the following topics:

1.     Heterogenous ways to University
2.     Advise: No more time for talk
3.     Mathematics: building bridges to subject culture
4.     Key competences: competent ways to University and working practice
5.     Bonus-track – College: concepts for the way into University in transition

In panel 1 „Heterogenous ways to University“ the research associate „new teaching and learning methods“, Ms Dr. Elfi Thiem, gave the presentation „Successfully master new ways into study! ACCESS – University preparation courses for working people“. In this presentation she shared the experiences, gained within holding the successful course for year

From 13th to 15th November 2017 scientists of different countries met in the frame of Trecvid Workshop 2017 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. The University of Mittweida was represented by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Marc Ritter, Rico Thomanek M.Sc. and the research associate "Digital communication", Christian Roschke M.Sc.. Trecvid is sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA) and aims to support research in the Information Retrieval. For that reason they are providing test collections, uniform grading systems and a forum  where experiences can be shared. The annual meeting deal with a wide range of tasks which can later be examined by researchers. This year’s participants were the professorship of Media Information Science from the faculty for computer and bio sciences and the Technical Unit Interactive Entertainment from the faculty for Media Sciences in collaboration with colleagues of the TU Chemnitz. They worked together to solve the Instant Search Problem (INS) for the meeting related competition. At Trecvid Workshop 2017 the achieved outcome and the  resulting paper „Technische Universität Chemnitz and Hochschule Mittweida at TRECVID Instance Search 2017" were presented. Since 2016 INS deals with the testing of systems in order to find persons in certain places. The base of this research built a database with 464 hours video material from the BBC television series EastEnders. Provided was a set of test videos, shot-references as well as a set of known example videos and topics for certain places and sceneries.

From 16th to 18th November 2017 chosen representatives of colleges and universities met on the „Arbeitskreis Studium generale Sachsen“ conference in Leipzig, to discuss the current state of Studium generale as a complementary and interdisciplinary education offer. The participants  can  take  a look at the topic from different perspectives via presentations, workshops and posters about the benefits and potentials of the interdisciplinary study offer especially concerning the development of key competences. In discussions the consequences for the further development  of Studium generale under changing conditions of study were  weighed. The SEM project was represented on the conference by the research associate „key competences“ Claudia Hösel. She presented a poster, displaying the ‚modular qualification model for tutors‘, which had been developed in collaboration with the research associate „Digital communication“ Christian Roschke. The model aims to support Tutors with education beyond subject-specific qualification  such as key competences and  modern university didactic competences.

Further information about the conference and the „Arbeitskreis Studium generale Sachsen“ (in German) can be found here.

Incorporated into the international specialist conference in Kiew on the topic „New Concepts of Teaching. Innovative European Didactics“ German and Ukrainian teachers met on 10th November 2017 in Leipzig to exchange views on theoretical and practical aspects of modern University teaching and didactics.

The event was organized by Hochschuldidaktischen Zentrum Sachsen (HDS). The University of Mittweida was represented  by the research associate „key competences“ Claudia Hösel and Claudia Reiche (head of division in the prorectorate for study and quality assurance) who gave a lecture on the „Day of Teaching“ at the University of Mittweida. In their lecture they offered realistic insight into conception and realisation of the annual Day of Teaching, which already took place for the third time, and discussed the opportunities and limitations of this format with Ukrainian Colleagues.

The symposium for modern university didactics took place in the frame of the project „HDUkraine“ which supports a teaching oriented towards students and competences at Ukrainian colleges and universities. Detailed information (in German) can be found here.