Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb)
The Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb) is a network of Bavarian universities. It offers online courses as well as shorter learning units that are designed to supplement your on-campus studies. All vhb content is developed by lecturers at the host universities, including TUM.
As a student of our university, you can use the online courses of the vhb free of charge with tutor supervision. At www.vhb.org, you will find detailed information. The course program kurse.vhb.org provides detailed descriptions and demos of all courses. Please contact your academic advisor to find out whether vhb courses can be recognized in your TUM study program.
Through OPEN vhb, you will find shorter, open courses at the university level which may be of interest to you and the general public. Here you will also find courses that you can take in preparation for, or during, your studies. These courses are not designed to be taken for credit. The OPEN vhb course overview can be found at open.vhb.org.
As a lecturer, you will find support from vhb not only in developing and implementing online courses across universities, but also in integrating existing digital courses into your teaching. In a repository, you will find online learning units of 45 minutes each for blended learning, which can be flexibly integrated into classroom teaching. You can also contribute to the repository yourself and set up blended learning units. Further information can be found at www.vhb.org/lehrende.
Online offers of the vhb in the summer semester 2025
1. CLASSIC vhb
Supervised online courses
https://kurse.vhb.org
2. OPEN vhb
Open self-study courses
https://open.vhb.org/?lang=en
3. SMART vhb
Repository for blended learning units
https://smart.vhb.org
The vhb promotes the development of online courses anchored in the curricula of the supporting universities (CLASSIC vhb) and the creation of open online courses with academic content accessible to all interested parties free of charge (OPEN vhb).
Course development
Are you a lecturer interested in developing a vhb online course? Information on how to develop courses is available at https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/kurse/
Dates for funding round 2025-I:
- 30.04.2025: Deadline for submission of funding applications
- 15.07.2025: Announcement of the accepted funding applications
- 01.09.2025: Fearliest possible project start
Important:
If you are interested, please read through all the information and forms provided by the vhb regarding the application process.
Please send your application for review to your contact person at TUM, Elvira Cyranka (see Contact). She will arrange for the required signature to be obtained from the President's Office after successful review.
A scan of the signed documents can be submitted in advance to meet the application deadline. Scans from all consortium universities must be available by the deadline. The signatures of the participating universities can be made in separate documents. The documents with the original signatures must be sent to the vhb by letter mail.
Note: Please note that the use of vhb courses in fee-based continuing education programs is subject to revenue sharing by the Virtual University of Bavaria. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
For detailed information and required forms, see https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/kurse/foerderung/foerderrunde-2024-ii/
Course implementation
Do you have questions about your vhb course? A list of frequently asked questions is available at https://www.vhb.org/vhb/faq/
Promoting the integration of AI into existing vhb courses
Do you already offer a vhb course? As part of the funding program "AI meets vhb: Enabling experimental approaches in online teaching," you can apply for funding of up to 30,000 euros to test AI application scenarios in your existing vhb course (CLASSIC vhb & OPEN vhb) with an open outcome. The focus is on practical approaches to integrating existing AI systems and expanding the database for AI systems or training AI systems in the field of university teaching. In this way, new teaching/learning content, new ways of learning, and/or new teaching approaches are to be developed. The experiences will also be shared across universities, and the "lessons learned" will be published.
Dates:
30.06.2025: Deadline for submission of funding applications
01.09.2025: Earliest possible start of project
25.-26.06.2026: Final conference in Bamberg
Call for the development of basic and introductory courses on AI for the CLASSIC vhb and OPEN vhb formats
As part of the new special funding program “AI Competencies in Studies” funding can be requested for the development of new basic and introductory courses in both the CLASSIC vhb format and for the OPEN vhb platform. The aim of these courses must be not only to teach students how to use AI applications and tools effectively in their studies, but above all to provide them with a general understanding of how AI works and the underlying mechanisms. Interdisciplinary introductory courses are just as possible as subject-specific basic offers. The courses can focus on legal and ethical aspects in addition to application-related aspects and be structured in an interdisciplinary way. As part of the new special funding “AI Competencies in Studies”, the development of basic and introductory courses can be applied for in both the CLASSIC vhb format and for the OPEN vhb platform. The aim of these courses must be not only to teach students how to use AI applications and tools meaningfully in their studies, but above all to provide them with a general understanding of how AI works and the underlying mechanisms. Interdisciplinary introductory courses are just as possible as subject-specific basic offers. The courses can focus on legal and ethical aspects in addition to application-related aspects and be structured in an interdisciplinary way.
Deadline:
30.06.2025: Deadline for submission of funding applications
You can find more information on the call for proposals and all the application documents at: https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/kurse/foerderung/sonderfoerderrunde/.
The SMART vhb funding line supports the development of blended learning units that are made available to all instructors at the sponsoring universities via a repository.
Information on blended learning with SMART vhb
Use SMART vhb learning units and enhance your own teaching
As members of the vhb member universities, TUM lecturers can access the SMART vhb repository and view content using their individual university ID via Shibboleth authentication.
The vhb also provides an overview on its website with information on all learning units that have been developed or are currently being developed within the framework of the previous funding rounds. You can access the overview here: https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/smart-vhb-blended-learning/lerneinheiten/
Development of SMART vhb learning units
Funding rounds SMART vhb
Funding for SMART vhb learning units is provided centrally by the vhb to the sponsoring universities, both for the development of new learning units and for the adaptation of existing materials. For this purpose, vhb conducts annual funding rounds. Detailed information on the funding criteria and deadlines can be found below.
The deadline for submitting funding applications is May 15 of each year. For questions regarding the application process by your university, please contact your vhb representative, as a joint application is submitted for each university.
The development of the learning units begins with the project start on 01.09. The end of the project and the latest date for posting the course units in the repository is 15.10. of the following year. After formal review by the vhb office, the course units are made available in the SMART vhb repository. Here you will find an overview of all course units that have been made available so far or are currently under development.
Detailed information can be found at https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/smart-vhb-blended-learning/foerderrunden/.
Note: If you are interested in developing one or more blended learning units, please contact your contact person Elvira Cyranka (see contact) in time.
The vhb offers you a repository for freely available educational materials from Bavarian universities.
Have you created digital teaching/learning materials that you want to share beyond TUM and the vhb network? Or are you looking for existing educational materials to use in your own university teaching? If so, it is worth taking a look at the vhb repository for Open Educational Resources (OER): https://oer.vhb.org.
The vhb offers training and workshops that not only teach the basics, but also provide the opportunity for mutual exchange and inspiration.
The following training formats are offered at regular intervals:
- E-tutor training
The practical training teaches the basics for supervising students in online courses. Based on practical scenarios, theoretical concepts and working methods are discussed, practically applied and practiced online. The target group is teachers and tutors who supervise existing or new vhb courses.
- Introduction “CLASSIC vhb for new course supervisors”
At the start of the semester, tutors and course supervisors receive a compact overview of formal requirements and organizational tips for conducting CLASSIC vhb courses.
- Introduction ”SMART vhb for project participants”
At the beginning of each funding period, new project members are introduced to the SMART vhb repository and trained in the development and provision of learning units.
Regular thematic online and in-person workshops also provide insights into current topics in the field of digital teaching.
Information on the individual training courses and workshops is available on the vhb events page.
Here you will find answers from the vhb to general questions about CLASSIC vhb: https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/faq/
Announcement of the vhb
Fifth Statute Amending the Regulations for the Use of the Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb) of 13.01.2025
Click here for the text of the statutes ( (text in German)
Contact
The vhb representative at TUM is Dr. Anderas Fleischmann (ProLehre | Media and Didactics). He represents the TUM and is responsible for all vhb matters.
Lecturers and employees of TUM are welcome to contact Elvira Cyranka (ProLehre) regarding CLASSIC vhb, OPEN vhb and SMART vhb. Ms. Cyranka is also tasked with reviewing and forwarding grant applications.
For information on the vhb project Instructional Design, please contact Amelie Zauner.
General questions and suggestions concerning vhb should be addressed directly to vhb: info(at)vhb.org.
The Virtual University of Bavaria is funding the project “Instructional Designer for cross-university online courses” and is supporting up to 20 project positions at the participating universities in the field of media didactics and media technology as part of a two-year pilot project. Project duration: 01.08.2024 - 31.07.2026.