Digitalising universities: Berlin will offer online international courses and hybrid learning

Around 8 million euros of state funding will help academic institutions to create a collaborative city-wide digital network

Today, authorities in Berlin announced that they will invest 8.2 million euros in digitalisation initiatives in the city’s universities. The funding will not go towards specific institutions, but rather to finance city-wide collaboration projects between them.

Ultimately, the money will go towards creating a digital eco-system for sharing resources, lectures and know-how to the other universities in the German capital.

According to a statement by the city, universities will develop the tools they need to offer international courses with partner institutions and offer digital learning packages for hybrid learning.

Creating a digital learning eco-system

One of the key features of the digitalisation schemes for Berlin’s universities is creating the digital campus card, which will be available as a smartphone app. The card is supposed to replace all other forms of student identification, including canteen cards, semester tickets and library cards.

Furthermore, authorities envision the creation of a digital online learning system complete with a platform allowing access to multiple university courses through a singular platform called LMS. It, on the other hand, is supposed to be the backbone of the universities’ hybrid learning offers, as well as their online international offers.

Collaborative Online International Learning, or COIL, would allow local higher education institutions to expand their horizons and internationalize their courses. Additionally, this will also let them create international courses with partner universities.

Orientation and administration are also moving to the cloud

The funding will also finance a digital orientation platform that will help students at the start of their journey. It is supposed to give young people all the decision-making skills they might need to operate within the system, especially if they have doubts about their studies, advice, support and mentoring.

Additionally, most of the administration will move online, including digital self-service, electronic procurement and identity management.

Berlin’s current university system is characterised by its diversity and density, which is highly specific in Germany. Digitalisation, on the other hand, would help cooperation and cross-department projects through innovation and the transfer of knowledge.