Instructional Development Award (IDA)
Between 2009 and 2019, the University of Freiburg awarded up to three Instructional Development Awards (IDA) each year, each endowed with €70,000, partly from the Teaching Quality Pact. These teaching development awards gave lecturers the time and financial freedom to implement innovative projects in teaching and learning.
The IDA concept was continued between 2022 to 2024 with the introduction of the E-IDA.
University College Freiburg (UCF)
University College Freiburg (UCF) is an innovative organisational structure within the university for the expansion and strengthening of interdisciplinary courses. In particular, the College offers a decidedly interdisciplinary programme in the area of undergraduate teaching: the four-year Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) in English.
Digital teaching toolbox Teaching evaluation
With the teaching evaluation toolbox, the decentralised units primarily responsible for the implementation and further development of teaching – the faculties – were supported in the introduction of quality management processes and competence-oriented teaching evaluation. The design and implementation of surveys of exmatriculated students and first-year students enabled the faculties to gain insights into the causes of students dropping out, for example. After the project was completed, the survey modules developed were integrated into the regular student survey.
In addition, the dialogue-oriented FORUM project enabled individual departments to exchange views on self-imposed priorities between all status groups involved in teaching, such as students and lecturers. Various aspects of the teaching and learning context could thus be discussed at eye level and considered together. Active support is not currently offered.
Business Intelligence-System Lehre (BI-Lehre)
The aim of the teaching business intelligence system was to support the decentralised units responsible for planning and implementing teaching (deans of studies) in the effective management of processes to increase academic success and improve the quality of studies. To this end, customised information on the status quo of teaching, including time series and subject comparisons, is identified and made available electronically. BI Teaching is integrated into the University of Freiburg’s SuperX portal.
kosmic – Kompetenzorientierte Online-Selbstlernangebote für Mathematik, Interkulturalität und Chemie
In order to provide students with targeted support in the early stages of their studies, digital self-learning and blended learning materials were designed and piloted in three selected subject areas (mathematics in STEM subjects, chemistry for female scientists, interculturality). The aim was to make the developed content available to the relevant subjects in the form of a sustainable modular system in order to increase the studyability and study success rate.
The modules and materials developed were integrated into existing curricula such as preliminary courses or basic courses and have been published under the name ‘kosmic – competence-oriented online self-study programmes for mathematics, interculturality and chemistry’.
Student Mentoring Competence Network
With the help of the Competence Centre for Student Mentoring, academic support measures and networks were established to provide targeted support for students and students with special cultural, professional and social backgrounds.
English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education (EMI)
The goals and perspectives of the English-medium Instruction in Higher Education competence centre were to review and improve English as a language of teaching and communication, combined with enabling self-help and further development through guided and accompanied self-learning. In addition, a solid professional basis (including teaching and analysis materials) was to be created for the further training of lecturers. The programme was not continued after the end of the funding period.