Student Dirk Damaschke has been part of the DigitalChangeMaker initiative of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung since September. As one of 15 students from universities across Germany, he ensures that students' ideas are incorporated into the further development of digital teaching. At TU Bergakademie Freiberg, he is supported by the authorised representative for TUBAFdigital. In his role as DigitalChangeMaker, Dirk Damaschke will take part in the network meeting for digital pioneers at universities in Berlin on 13 November and report on his commitment on the Social Media channels of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung.
"It is extremely important for our university that students are actively involved when it comes to forms of learning and innovative teaching," says Professor Urs Peuker, the Rectorate's representative for TUBAFdigital. "Last but not least, the participation of all status groups at the university is also a central component of the action plan for virtual teaching and AI, which we drafted as a result of a peer-to-peer strategy consultation of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung."
The DigitalChangeMakers see themselves as a student think tank, working in agile teams on various key topics. They develop visions for higher education, actively contribute to the discourse on contemporary teaching and implement their own change projects at their universities. In the Peer2Peer strategy consultation of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung, Dirk Damaschke has already initiated and implemented a change in everyday university life in cooperation with student peers: there are now agreed standards in the OPAL learning management system together with lecturers and other relevant units.
"Dirk Damaschke has proven to be an ideal student partner with whom we are planning further activities. New ideas and suggestions from the DigitalChangeMaker programme will soon enrich our joint work on the further development of teaching at TUBAF," comments Professor Urs Peuker. "With TUBAFdigital, we are continuously working to increase the number and quality of digital resources for our face-to-face and contact students. Since 2023, we have already made 55 modules available as a digital resource, which is also used intensively by our Ukrainian students."
Students are committed to digitalisation in teaching
Why is student involvement in this process so important? DigitalChangeMaker Dirk Damaschke: "Students have a completely different perspective on the topic. After all, we are the ones who first feel whether methods of teaching are working well or not. We can also provide important impetus in the process because, as digital natives, we are often closer to digitalisation."
About the DigitalChangeMaker initiative
The student initiative DigitalChangeMaker is supported by the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD). The working group brings innovative perspectives from different disciplines, types of universities and regions to the work of the Higher Education Forum on Digitalisation. In September 2024, the sixth cohort started the joint working group semester. 15 students from almost all corners of Germany are involved at a local, regional and national level to jointly shape the digital transformation at universities.
The Hochschulforum Digitalisierung coordinates and supports the user-centred design of universities. It creates a productive and open collaboration framework in which DigitalChangeMakers can develop visions for higher education, directly contribute their own innovative ideas and disseminate examples of good practice nationwide. One focus is on networking, exchange and collaboration across status groups and sectors. To this end, (international) experts from universities, politics, start-ups and civil society will be involved as initiators during the WG year.