Digital Media and E-Learning at the Department of English and American Studies

The on-going digital change enriches the teaching and research practices at universities. The university’s eLearning platform (Moodle) is used extensively by lecturers in order to supplement and extend their seminars through digital resources and communication tools. Moreover, an increasing number of colleagues are working with web2.0 tools in their teaching and research, because these allow for collaborative research and writing as well as discussions over distance. Besides the institutional eLearning platform, the University of Potsdam is hosting a number of other IT services that can be used for learning and teaching by staff and students alike – among them a video streaming portal and a cloud storage solution.

As all buildings on Campus Neues Palais have full wireless network coverage, students and staff can use a broad range of institutional as well as non-institutional online services. Most rooms in the department of English and American Studies are equipped with digital whiteboards and beamers which allow for a broad use of online resources and tools.

Colleagues from the Department of English and American Studies who seek advice and support regarding digital media in teaching and learning please contact the eLearning coordinator Michael Krause (michael.krauseuni-potsdamde). The following topics have been central so far in counselling and workshops:

  • E-Learning platform Moodle
    • Designing Moodle courses based on learning goals and didactic methods
    • Providing digital learning resources
    • Designing tasks: from simple exercises to complex tasks
    • Planning and designing online learning modules
    • Using video and audio resources in Moodle
    • Employing web2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, forums, glossaries, writing pads) for individual and collaborative learning scenarios
  • Videoconferencing
  • Mobile learning: Using Laptops and Tablet PCs in class
  • Copyright in educational contexts
  • Teaching with digital portfolios
  • Managing Research literature with digital tools (off- and online; e.g. Citavi, Zotero)
  • Open Educational Resources (OER) in teaching

For recordings of lectures please contact the university’s “Audiovisuelles Zentrum” (AVZ).
Moreover, the „AG eLearning“ organises thematic workshops about teaching and learning with technology.

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