Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb)

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:
31.01.2025: Deadline for submitting a project proposal including a financial plan
01.04.2025: Earliest possible start of project

According to the vhb, it can be assumed that there will be another opportunity to submit a project application on 30 June 2025.

The documents for the project application and the requirements for submitting an application are available on the vhb website.

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.

E-tutor training for vhb formats (20.02. to 06.03.2025)

The effective and continuous support of students in their learning process is an essential element for the acceptance and success of e-learning. Therefore, the e-tutor training course for vhb formats offers the opportunity to train as an e-tutor. 

Interested parties who already supervise existing vhb courses as tutors, but also project managers or staff whose courses are still under development, as well as multipliers for e-learning at the vhb member universities, can participate.
Training content.

In the training you will learn

• what tasks an e-tutor has and how he/she can manage them effectively,
• how online learners can be supported individually and in groups and
• how virtual courses are organised and technically supported.

During the course, participants gain practical experience from the perspective of the e-tutor and from the perspective of the learner.

The training takes place on the Moodle learning management system. It consists of an introductory Zoom session and a 6-week asynchronous online phase. The vhb will cover the costs of the course.

Event language: German

Further information and the opportunity to register: https://www.vhb.org/veranstaltungen/
Registration until 16.02.2025

Online event “AI in the range of subjects: skills, methods, transfer potential” (cooperation HND-BW)

The online event “KI im Fächerspektrum: Kompetenzen, Methoden, Transferpotentiale” will take place on 31.01.2025 from 10:00 to 12:30. It will focus on the use of AI in teaching, subject-specific skills and interdisciplinary transfer potential. Keynote speeches from the social sciences, engineering and humanities will highlight application examples:

• Prof. Dr. Anna-Sophia Schwind & Markus Rossa: Integration of VR and AI in psychological interviewing
• Johannes Schleiß: AI skills in the engineering sciences
• Dr. Markus Gottschling: Use of AI in literary studies and rhetoric

In the panel discussion, the speakers will discuss the challenges and potential of AI in university teaching with Dr. Angelika Thielsch and David Lohner. Moderation: Dr. Isabell Lisberg-Haag.

Event language: German

The event offers space for exchange, networking and insight into current research and good practices. Register now!

Registration:
To participate, you must register online (by 24.01.2025) on the event page of the Hochschulnetzwerk Digitalisierung der Lehre Baden-Württemberg (HND-BW). Participation is free of charge.

Further information on the event can also be found on the website.

Here you will find answers from the vhb to general questions about CLASSIC vhb: https://www.vhb.org/lehrende/faq/

Here you can find answers to questions about the vhb offer: https://www.vhb.org/studierende/faq/