Teaching and learning activities

The specification of learning objectives is obligatory – they must at least be provided in the module handbooks. However, they are didactically worthless if the forms of teaching and learning in the course, and later the exam, are not developed with these learning objectives in mind. Only when this is the case can the shift from teaching to learning begin. If students should be able e.g. to analyze something by the end of the course, they - not you as instructors – should also be the ones to accomplish this task. This is an essential point in the context of constructive alignment: the verb used when formulating the learning objectives should also describe the primary activity of the students in the course itself!

This lynchpin poses a challenge for you as an instructor: You require a sufficiently large repertoire of methods so that the students attending your course can engage in precisely that activity that is defined in the course learning objectives. At the same time, this implies a substantial reduction in pressure: you no longer have to “perform” over the entire 90 minutes of course time, as this activity now falls to the students. This is precisely what is meant when speaking of the shift from teaching to learning.

eLearning and Blended Learning: Learning with electronic media opens up a variety of (new) didactic possibilities. However, when considering utilization of these methods, the first question to ask is what concrete advantages eLearning offers compared to other forms of teaching.

The Bavarian Virtual University offers free, high quality web-based courses for students who are enrolled at a Bavarian university. These courses can be attended in addition to regular courses (at the university). Students can generally attend virtual courses from all subject areas, regardless of the specific degree program in which they are enrolled.