The need for online teaching and learning has risen tremendously and unexpectedly in 2020 due to the global pandemic. Universities worldwide had to switch to online teaching, students worldwide had to move to online learning. The world of higher education has been changed dramatically. Lecturers had to adapt their courses and, thus, professional development towards methods of online teaching and learning has increased to a large extent.
Even after the pandemic will be overcome, online teaching and learning will continue to some extent, since both students and lecturers discovered the potential and the added value of the use of digital resources in higher education. Furthermore, the digital instruments enable the fruitful exchange of methods of teaching and learning beyond physical borders.
The region of Styria in Austria and the Oblast Tomsk in Russia have concluded a cooperation agreement in 2013. Among other objectives, this cooperation agreement serves the purpose to enhance collaboration in the area of higher education and academic mobility. This joint conference contributes to the strengthening of the partnership between Styria and Tomsk through the initiation of a continuous exchange of good practices in online teaching and learning between the two participating higher education institutions and other universities and industry in both regions. The regional government of Styria has, thus, awarded a grant for this project to exchange good practices in online teaching and learning.
This project will foster the dialogue between FH JOANNEUM, Tomsk State University and other higher education institutions in both regions on fruitful didactical methods of online teaching. Lecturers of both higher education institutions will share their experience and good practice examples on online teaching and learning, and this project will initiative a continuous community of practice.
Building a community of practice and the increased network between the two institutions, this project will contribute to a closer collaboration between the lecturers of both higher education institutions, aiming at using the newly gained digital competence to increase cross-institutional collaboration (e.g. common publications, guest-lectures, shared exercises etc.).
The papers presented in this conference will be published online in fall of 2021.