CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE DIGITAL LEARNING AND TEACHING FUND 2024/2025

Guidelines and regulations for financial support of digital learning and teaching projects at TUD Dresden University of Technology in 2024/2025

ABOUT THE DIGITAL LEARNING AND TEACHING FUND

Since 2006, TU Dresden has provided centralized financial support for digital learning and teaching methods. Over 150 projects have been sponsored over the past funding periods. Currently, seven projects addressing digital teaching and learning are receiving a total of EUR 97,500 in funding. The focus of this year's call is on the long-term didactic design, organizational implementation and institutional anchoring of (partially) digital teaching and learning settings. Aspects such as innovation, ongoing development, continuity or quality assurance may also be funded.

SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVE OF THE FUNDING

Funding is available for projects that are in line with TU Dresden's teaching mission statement. Support funds (staff and material resources) of up to EUR 90,000 (Amount of the total funding pot) will be available until September 30, 2025 for projects with innovative ideas that are expected to face justified challenges. Reviewers and a jury of university representatives will decide on the funding based on the criteria outlined below in the assessment and decision procedure.

The following GOALS must be pursued via the didactically justified use of digital media in teaching:

Promotion of individuality and interaction (individualization of learning processes),
Teaching support (promotion of digital teaching skills),
Creation or enhancement of a course if possible as open educational resource or practice (OER/OEP) in consideration of diversity and accessibility so that the course can be expanded to include more people.

ELIGIBLE INITIATIVES

Initiatives which primarily strive to achieve the above-mentioned goals through digital teaching and learning will receive funding. Plans with the following focus areas can be implemented:

Five columns, each with a Icon. Each column contains a focus for an eligible initiative. The Icons have no meaning in terms of content.

The following are exemplary ways that the above focus areas can be achieved in practice:

Developing and providing self-learning opportunities as OER or OEP for bolstering self-regulated and informal learning
Developing and implementing or expanding (partially) digital trial and supplementary courses for new students so that they can prepare asynchronously using lasting methods and tools
Developing and testing e-assessment and self-assessment materials tailored for a specific target group
Integrating virtual group work in teaching
Strengthening (partially) digital interactive forms of learning in courses
Training and using e-tutors
Supporting interdisciplinary or international teaching collaborations through digitalization
Entrenching the interdisciplinary topic of digitalization as a subject of teaching

In addition to financial support, the ZiLL will offer continual didactic and organizational advice and networking opportunities with all the funded applicants. Interested applicants should indicate this by writing “didactic advice” below the title of the project. Your choice in this matter will not affect the funding decision in any way.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications must be submitted electronically via email to by April 15, 2024.

APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

PROJECT AND PERSONAL INFORMATION (COVER SHEET):

Project title and duration
Applicant and project coordinator (name, postal address, telephone number, email address)

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT (ANONYMIZED):

Background; reason for and objective of the project,
Motivation for/potential offered by using digital media or (partially) digital methods,
Brief summary of the project incl. execution plan (in terms of technicalities, organizational matters and time frame),
Additional benefit for students (brief classification of the project in TU Dresden’s teaching mission statement),
Outline of quality assurance and sustainability concept,
Timeline and financial calculation (staff and material resources divided into 09-12/2024 and 01-08/2025).

Submissions must not exceed 2,500 words, including annexes. Please use the above breakdown as a guide. If possible, provide project and personal details on a cover sheet only. The description of the project should not allow for any conclusions regarding the faculty or the persons involved. However, this is the responsibility of the applicant. The E-Learning Officer of the faculty, department or School must inspect, approve and sign off on the application prior to submission. Approval is granted on the basis of the development prospects and goals defined in TU Dresden’s teaching mission statement or at the level of the Schools, departments or faculties.

ASSESSMENT AND DECISION PROCEDURE

Each application will be randomly assigned to two experts for peer assessment. If the assessments differ greatly, a third reviewer will be called upon to issue another assessment. Multiple applications may be submitted as long as their central ideas are clearly delineated and do not build on one another. However, applicants may only receive funding for one application.

The following EVALUATION CRITERIA provide the basis for assessment. The first three criteria are each worth three times as much as the others:

Didactic implementation planning and feasibility
Technical implementation planning and feasibility
Novelty of the concepts or implementation as well as relevance, derived from TU Dresden’s teaching mission statement
Longevity planning and feasibility
Consideration of diversity and accessibility, according to the Accessibility Action Plan and TU Dresden’s teaching mission statement
Completeness, proportionality and clarity of the project description
Realistic costs projection and timeline

GRANT CONDITIONS

All teaching staff at TU Dresden who are officially responsible for leading a course are eligible to apply (excluded are members of the Faculty of Medicine).
The funding term will begin on September 1, 2024, and extend through August 31, 2025, pending allocation of the financial resources. Shorter terms with a flexible start date are possible.
Parallel developments to existing centralized IT infrastructure systems and services are not eligible to receive funding.
Personnel and material costs may be claimed. Basic equipment is excluded from funding. The funds may only be used within the proposed time frame and for the purpose defined in the application. The funds are budget funds and must be spent by September 30, 2025. Funds may be re-designated via written application in justified cases.
Subsequent to the conclusion of the project, a summary report and a spreadsheet detailing the application of the funds must be submitted by October 31, 2025, unprompted. The ZiLL will provide the appropriate templates upon request.
The persons responsible for the funded projects are obliged to provide updates on the status of their projects upon request.
Project managers are encouraged to publish their experience and report on their results.
At the beginning of the project period, a joint kick-off event will be held in which all project participants will take part. In addition, each project should take part in at least one networking event and present the project status there (e.g. E-Teaching Day, Teaching Day, Diversity Days).
Portions of the summary report (etc. project information) are documented on TU Dresden’s website as well as the educational portal Bildungsportal Sachsen pending approval. In keeping with the values of Open Education and Open Science, project results should be published under an open license (e.g. CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY 4.0, CC BY-NC or CC 0). In collaboration with the ZiLL, the SLUB offers advising services on the matter, which can be booked at any time via the Knowledge Bar.
There is no legal entitlement to funding.