For the third year in a row, members of teaching staff at Aarhus University can now apply for funding for experiments with digital learning technologies in teaching. The deadline is 11 October.

2019.09.09 | Camilla Schrøder

[Translate to English:] Virtual reality i undervisningslokalet er et eksempel på, hvordan nogle undervisere arbejder med at udvikle digitale læringsteknologier. FOTO: Lars Kruse

Video feedback, online methodological courses, virtual reality in the classroom. Digital learning technologies offer many possibilities, and now all members of teaching staff at Aarhus University can once again apply for funding from the university’s pool for EDU IT projects.

The funds are a central part of the university’s EDU IT initiative. This main objective is to provide the teaching staff with an extra opportunity to rethink their teaching practice – and to enable experimentation with using different digital learning technologies in teaching.

Virtual reality for teaching engineering

Many teachers have already started many exciting initiatives based on funding allocated in 2018 and 2019. One of them is Konstantinos Koumaditis, associate professor at the Department of Business Development and Technology in Herning. With the help of funding, he is working on a project that explores the use of Virtual Reality in teaching engineering. The project focuses on the development of a platform containing 360-videos and other interactive content, and its first pedagogical objective is teaching health and safety guidelines for robot arm operation.

"Virtual reality represents a unique opportunity to teach students in a completely new way that allows students to experience and acquire knowledge through simulations they would never have the chance to in reality – for example where it’s physically impossible, dangerous or expensive. Our preliminary test results indicate that the method is effective, and have provided the basis for further development of the platform," explains Konstantinos Koumaditis, who expects that the platform will be rolled out for testing in the 2020 spring semester in the Engineering Project Management course.

Online multiple choice for continuous learning

At the department of Management, teaching associate professor Lars Haahr is heading a project funded by EDU IT funds which works with online self-assessment as a learning strategy for students in large classes. The aim is to involve the students online with multiple choice questions – both in class and between classes, and in this way strengthen the students’ ability to use their knowledge. In one of the participating classes, multiple choice will also be used as the exam.

“Many of our degree programmes typically have classes with more than 100 students, and it can be a challenge to provide sufficient feedback. With this tool, the students are able to evaluate their own academic level and learning progress on an ongoing basis,” says Lars Haahr.

The Education Committee and the EDU IT Hub encourage everyone who has a good idea for using Educational IT to apply for funding from the pool.

Click to download the project template in English

Facts about EDU IT at AU

The Aarhus University Board has earmarked DKK 60 million for the period 2018-2023 for work on learning technology.

The EDU IT Hub is the joint coordinating support unit which collaborates with the university’s teaching development centres in order to promote the integration of more technology in teaching. Activities includes:

• Development, testing and implementation of learning technologies
• Improving the user-friendliness of Aarhus University's joint learning management platform
• Collaboration on teaching development
• Establishment of experimental teaching facility
• Help with video production
• Allocation of project funding, for example for teaching development at the departments and centres

For more information about EDU IT and applying for this funding, contact Anders Hyldig, head of Educational IT at AU,or Troels Pedersen, educational consultant at the EDU IT hub.