The coronavirus quickly put what had been planned for a long time into practice: FH Salzburg and FH Kufstein are countering the pandemic with a boost to digitization – and removing boundaries.
Visiting top European companies despite Covid-19 and getting to know their women and men at the front in a group meeting? Of course, it works in days like these. “We were able to transfer trips abroad into a virtual format,” reports FH Kufstein spokeswoman Christina Rüges. When asked how the Tyrolean University of Applied Sciences reacted to teaching and studying – as far as possible – at home, she replied: “Thanks to the progressive digitization and good infrastructure, the University of Applied Sciences could be controlled directly and remotely. This meant that the face-to-face lectures were online within a very short time and all employees have successfully moved to mobile working. By switching to online teaching, all students were able to continue their studies smoothly. ” And that is still the case today.
Better hygiene measures
The university of applied sciences made itself “Coronafit” especially in terms of hygiene measures – training courses in matters of events produced trained Covid officers. Short time corridors with face-to-face events on campus in the warmer months were possible under strict hygiene precautions. That was immensely important for laboratories and essential lectures on site, for example. Rüges reports what has also found its way into the buildings: “Plexiglass dividers on the tables, capacity reduction in the lecture halls, numerous disinfectant dispensers and the posting of generally applicable hygiene measures such as keeping your distance or wearing a mask of all Austrian universities of applied sciences for mutual exchange in order to learn from one another and benefit from good individual solutions.
A decent boom in e-learning
Change of scene to Urstein, to the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. Here, too, digital learning, known as e-learning, has seen a real boom. As a result, there has recently been a special lobby of its own. What is happening there? “In regular virtual rooms and in an informal setting, teachers have the opportunity to exchange ideas with other colleagues about positive and successful teaching experiences in the field of new media,” reports Barbara Zoidl from the FH communications team. Lobbying here means that tried and tested methods can be adopted and valuable experience can be brought in. A second catchphrase relates to the e-learning tapas. In 60 minutes, the participants receive a short description of a digital tool, application scenarios are explained and a demo is shown for implementation. This makes it clear how the exchange on the Moodle learning platform works better or how whiteboards can be used using the example of MS Teams.
Digital alternatives instead of rejections
Popular events, which interrupt and structure the year and the semester, could not take place as usual in the past few months. However, they were not canceled. The Salzburg University of Applied Sciences has created digital alternatives for them too. Zoidl: “We have moved our open house, the Open House, our Contacta career fair as well as various information and alumni events to the virtual space. We have also tested and used various tools and platforms for this purpose.” Only recently, at the end of March, the creative festival Creativity Rules – organized and carried out by MultiMediaArt and MultiMediaTechnology students – took place. Exclusively virtual. The motto of the event was “New Realities”: In times of digitality and social distancing, technology and progress enable the existence of new platforms and means of communication. There was also a “living” proof; because it was possible as an avatar to meet other people in the form of avatars and to interact with them.
“Need Some Help?”
A look at the website of the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems shows that digital offers are also well represented in Lower Austria. Distance learning and mobile working – that is, learning and working outside the lecture halls – are very important. Information events from student advisory services to subject-specific discussion groups have also found their way onto the Internet. The same picture is shown on the homepage of the FH Upper Austria in Wels. Striking there is the thick red button that says “Need Some Help?” In white letters. stands. If you click on it, you come to the psychological student counseling. Of course, Covid-19 and the effects of the virus are a top topic here too.
Back to the campus in Kufstein. There, professors have been showing for months how to come to terms with the circumstances and how to set up at home or in the office so that courses reach the students in the best didactic and technical quality. Spokeswoman Christina Rüges: “Our Vice Rector Michael Kohlegger, for example, has converted his home office into a small studio.”
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