DAAD: Successful - Digital - Integrated: Studies at the TU Dresden (EDI:TUD)
A project located at the Institute of Lightweight and Plastics engineering (ILK) for the inclusion of international students.
The project Successful - Digital - Integrated: Studies at TU Dresden (EDI:TUD) aims to integrate international students into campus life and to support them in their academic success. To this purpose, measures are developed that take into account the study conditions and challenges of international students. The developed measures will all be implemented in the ILK as a model institute within the framework of EDI:TUD, as well as scientifically accompanied and evaluated.
The inclusion of international students in a successful study process faces many challenges. A complete integration into the study process is made more difficult for foreign students than for their native fellow students, for example because of language barriers or because the study conditions at TU Dresden are different from those at their home universities. The improvement of the welcoming culture for international students and the increased support offered by EDI:TUD contributes to making Dresden in general and the ILK in particular appear to be an attractive place to study and to better network the university in the future in terms of internationalization.
Specifically, the EDI:TUD project aims to increase the academic success of international students, facilitate the study entry, improve social integration, strengthen subject-specific study support, increase the intercultural competence of students and university staff, and facilitate the integration of international graduates into the labor market. The goal is to avoid dropouts, shorten the general duration of studies, improve study results, and simplify integration into the TU Dresden. To achieve these targets, the project relies heavily on the close networking of German and international students. In addition, international students are to be recruited during their studies as future junior scientists for later doctoral projects by involving them in a tutor activity at an early stage.
EDI:TUD is about synergistically linking the existing offers of the TU Dresden and thus successfully integrating foreign students into teaching and research on the one hand, and into campus life on the other hand.
The measures in the project are structured along six objectives:
1. Promotion and teaching of technical language:
In cooperation with ILK lecturers, the SZD, central institutions at the TU Dresden and external experts, coaching for the practical use of scientific language is designed and implemented.
-> In conception since winter semester 2021/2022.
2. Mediation of the academic culture at the TU Dresden:
For this goal, tandems of two students are formed at the ILK. They act as mediators and mentors for other students. Furthermore, handouts and guidelines are developed together with ILK lecturers (and are available to students via OPAL).
In implementation since June 2021.
3. Connecting the German and the international students:
The basic idea behind the third goal is to reduce segregation by origin through the formation of interest groups. In order to allow German and international students to interact, peer-to-peer measures are being implemented, with tutors acting as intermediaries between international and German students. On the other hand, a matrix-based exchange platform is currently being organized to facilitate getting to know each other before the start of the semester.
In implementation since July 2021.
4. Expansion of digital offerings:
TU Dresden's analog and digital support services will be better linked to allow international students to learn independently. This is intended to give international students (i.) low-threshold access to necessary information (e.g. via forums, wikis, and self-tests on OPAL), as well as (ii.) access to interactive tools where their specific questions and needs can be specifically addressed (e.g. current setup of an interactive Python notebook).
In implementation since summer semester 2021.
5. Development of the intercultural and methodological competence of the teachers:
Another effort is to update and systematize the already existing teaching materials (especially for e-learning) and to supplement them with newly recorded ones. The aspects of interculturality, internationalization and e-learning didactics are to be given special consideration. In addition, the teachers take part in internal and external further education offers: TU Dresden informs about the concrete offer under Career: Continuing Education for Employees ; intercultural continuing education underlies the SprInt Program in particular.
In implementation since March 2021.
6. Linkage with existing offers of the TUD:
The primary goal of EDI:TUD is to create synergies with existing offerings at TU Dresden, which will be implemented in the ILK as a model institute. Currently, networking activities are ongoing, e.g. with the ZiLL, WBZ, TUD-Certificate E-Teaching or the PASST?! program.
In implementation since 03/2021.
Project sponsor and funding
The project EDI:TUD is funded for the period from 01/2021to 12/2023 by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) within the framework of the program STIBET II - Model Projects to Improve the Welcome Culture from the German Foreign Office (AA).
In addition to the project management, which is carried out by the ILK, several other departments of the TU Dresden are involved:
- The accompanying evaluation is carried out by the Center for Quality Analysis (Zentrum für Qualitätsanalyse (ZQA)). In addition, the ZQA is responsible for the scientific support.
- International Office of the Department of Engineering (Büro Internationales)
- International Office (AAA)
- Writing Center of the TUD (SZD)
- PASST?!-Program
- Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (ZILL)
More information/results in:
Schulze-Stocker et al., Successful, digital and integrated studying - a project to increase the study success of international students at the TU Dresden (in press)