This interview is part of the new “Centres for Teaching and Learning” series, a collection of interviews exploring the diverse roles and innovative practices of CTLs, presented by the Media and Learning CTL Special Interest Group. In this series, we invite one of our members each month to introduce their CTL, describe the work they do and to highlight some of the challenges they face.
This month’s interview is with Frank Ollermann from virtUOS, Osnabrück University, Germany.
Can you start by telling us about Osnabrück University?
In terms of size, our university currently caters for 13,271 student, there are 1800 staff members of which 217 are professors and there are 8 faculties; Cultural and Social Sciences ; Educational and Cultural Sciences; Biology/Chemistry; Mathematics/Computer Science/Physics; Linguistics and Literary Studies; Human Sciences; Business Administration and Economics and Law. In addition UOS has 6 different research centers; Center for Early Childhood Development and Education Research (CEDER); Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics Osnabrpck (CellNanOs); Data Science (DS); Institute of Early Modern Intercultural Studies (IKFN); Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) and Institute of Environmental Systems Research (IUSF)
How does virtUOS fit in and what are the services it offers?
virtUOS is a central facility and is responsible not only for higher education didactis, but also for campus management and for supporting digital teaching and learning. The core service of virtUOS is to provide Osnabrück University (UOS) with a needs-based and future-oriented range of innovative digital tools, consulting, and support.
For years, virtUOS’s reach has extended beyond the University of Osnabrück, resulting in a strong network within Lower Saxony, Germany and beyond. It maintains a particularly close collaboration with the Lower Saxony Electronic Learning Academic Network (ELAN e. V.).
Through its participation in the global development consortium for the open-source video recording and distribution system Opencast, virtUOS assumes an internationally recognized role in inter-university research projects. In addition to securing funding, this enables, for example, bringing international scientific conferences on digital learning technologies to Osnabrück and having virtUOS employees and junior researchers invited to relevant national and international conferences.
Can you tell us something about the staff working in virtUOS?
In terms of professional qualifications, the virtUOS team is highly multidisciplinary. Many projects can be implemented efficiently precisely because team members from different disciplines and with diverse prior experience work together on them.
How is virtUOS structured?
virtUOS is organised into three main business units:
Educational technologies
At Osnabrück University, virtUOS is responsible for providing digital teaching and learning technologies that meet the needs of both teachers and students. It supports instructors and students in using modern information and communication technologies in their daily work and studies. This also includes the continuous maintenance and development of the digital services and tools provided.
This business unit includes the following departments:
- Innovation management and quality assurance
- Information Technology (IT)
- Video production and DigiLab (a fab lab/maker space)
Campus Management
As part of campus management, online services are provided and maintained to support applications and admissions, student administration, and examination administration. Information management also offers standardized and ad-hoc reports to support decision-making for a wide range of target groups. These include, first and foremost, students, but also deans of studies, faculty administrations, examination offices, and university management.
This business unit includes the following departments:
- Application and student management
- Examination Management
- Information and process management
Higher education didactics
Higher education didactics deals with the theory and practice of teaching and learning at universities, including their interrelationships, prerequisites, and conditions. Good teaching is the overarching goal.
This business unit focuses on developing teaching skills by providing expertise, networking opportunities for instructors, offering hands-on experience, and tailoring programs to the entire teacher lifecycle. We also create conditions that facilitate effective teaching. This involves identifying requirements, designing digital tools in a pedagogically sound manner and developing flexible room concepts. In doing so, we contribute to a supportive teaching and learning culture.
What are the factors that contribute to the success of virtUOS?
We believe that there are several factors that contribute to the success of virtUOS as a CTL, The first of these is are our spirit. Our employees are highly motivated and committed to a supportive and enabling work culture. We are known and loved for making things happen. We take our teachers seriously and leave no stone unturned in addressing their concerns to their satisfaction. Our hierarchies are flat, and good ideas are implemented, regardless of who they come from. We work in an agile manner and get straight to the point. We have a positive culture of error and are not afraid to try new things.
The second factor contributing to our success is the interdisciplinary nature of our team.Our employees have very different professional backgrounds. This makes it easier for us to engage in dialogue with teachers from different subject areas and understand their requirements.
We also believe that the excellent regional, national and international networks that we have built have had a significant impact on our success, giving us access to a wide range of experience and perspectives. This helps us in our day-to-day work, but also e.g. in attracting third-party funding.
Finally, the University of Osnabrück has established central measures and formats that provide good starting points for virtUOS activities. These include, among other things, the awarding of a prize for excellent teaching, an internal funding line for the implementation of teaching projects, and the »LehrKolleg« as a forum for the exchange of ideas on good teaching. All of which have helped make virtUOS the success that it is.
What about challenges? What are the kinds of challenges you face as a CTL?
Despite the success of virtUOS, we do indeed face several challenges. The first of these lies with the difficulties in promoting appreciation for good teaching. Many professors see themselves primarily as researchers and give teaching lower priority. This also applies to mid-level faculty, where research assistants are also expected to spend more of their working hours acquiring third-party funding and writing research papers than developing their university teaching skills. Commitment to teaching still does not receive the same level of appreciation as commitment to research.
Secondly the fact that didactics certificates are not compulsory is a challenge. Our measures and formats often reach primarily those who are already committed to good teaching. Many teachers who would particularly benefit from a qualification in university teaching do not take advantage of the relevant opportunities. Participation in our qualification measures is still not compulsory for newly appointed staff.
Finally, It has proven very challenging to motivate students to participate in improving teaching quality, even though one would expect them to have a keen interest in doing so. Various measures such as focus groups and surveys were discontinued after initial success because they failed to attract student participation.
Many thanks Frank and your colleagues in virtUOS!
