Knowledge multiplies when it is shared - at Landshut University of Applied Sciences, this applies not only to the transfer of knowledge in teaching, but also to the passing on of information and experience to new members of the university. As part of a study project at the Faculty of Computer Science, several students are therefore looking at how knowledge transfer can be supported by digital platforms and how content can be made accessible in a low-threshold and appealing way.
Under the direction of their lecturer Markus Schmidtner, the participating students from the Master's degree programmes in Information Systems and Computer Science, Linda Huber, Georg Klampfl, Robert Scheller, Thomas Schmidmüller and Andrey Sinyuk, are developing a prototype of a learning offer for new university members based on the Moodle learning platform.
Young scientists in the "LA-Proof" project stimulate collaboration
The "LA-Proof " project at HAW Landshut is also concerned with the onboarding and qualification of early career researchers - in the "LAnding" sub-area, the focus is on ways of imparting knowledge that can be used flexibly and with a low threshold in terms of asynchronous communication.
This is why Markus Schmidtner, a lecturer in the study project and also a junior researcher in the "LA-Proof" project, approached Magdalena Bauer, who is responsible for the "LAnding" qualification programme, right at the start of the study project to collaborate. The collaboration was intensified through regular virtual meetings with the students supervised by Schmidtner.
Positive synergy effects through collaboration
The students presented the current status of the development of the online course offering at a joint meeting with the team and the project manager of "LA-Proof", University President Prof Dr Fritz Pörnbacher.
In his welcoming address, Pörnbacher pointed out that the newly established doctoral centres already provide the opportunity to complete a doctorate directly at a university of applied sciences and that the model of the junior professorship tested in "LA-Proof" is now closing the last "gap" on the path from degree to professorship.
Magdalena Bauer then emphasised the positive effects of the collaboration: "For us, the end result is not only the 'product' of the course prototype, which we can then develop further, but also the fact that the Master's students have intensively explored the scientific career path as part of their research. As part of our efforts to recruit young talent, we want to inspire people to work in science at an early stage, and the students' perspective gives us valuable insights."
Lecturer Schmidtner also emphasised the general importance of cross-project collaboration in order to exploit valuable synergy effects.
Networking and community
In their presentation, the students outlined the development process and the motivation behind their project: their experiences during the pandemic have shaped their own time at university and shown how important online information and digital contact options are. They have therefore dedicated one of the three course areas to the topic of "Networking and student community".
Here, new university members are given an overview of the wide range of initiatives and networking opportunities at Landshut University of Applied Sciences that invite them to get involved and network. This section gives an impression of the wide range of offers and opportunities available at the university to enable holistic onboarding into the university community, even beyond one's own field of work.
Student Andrey Sinyuk led a short "tour" through this course area, which offers an informative overview with links to the social media channels used by the initiatives and provides a visually appealing and interactive learning experience with videos and quiz elements.
Cooperation with various organisational units
Another course area deals with the topic of self-marketing. Here, early career researchers are given an overview of which channels are suitable for certain content in order to draw attention to their own work and successes. To this end, the students exchanged ideas with the Science Communication department, doctoral students and professors at the university in order to integrate empirical values and examples of best practice.
Prof Dr Pörnbacher concluded by thanking the students for their engaging and interesting presentation. Presenting new topics in a way that other people can understand is an important skill. He also encouraged the students to showcase their skills confidently and share their successes and achievements with others with a view to their future careers - advice that the students seemed to take to heart immediately when their lecturer then suggested that they submit the results of their project as a student contribution to the virtual CISN conference organised by the Ukrainian Kryvyi Rih National University.
About the "LA-Proof" project:
"LA-Proof" is a project at Landshut University of Applied Sciences that has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts since January 2023. The aim is to recruit young professors. Candidates who are suitable in terms of teaching and subject matter but do not yet fulfil the necessary formal requirements for a professorship are qualified via junior professorships in professional practice or doctoral models and subsequently fulfil all the requirements for a HAW professorship. Since November 2024, six junior professorships have been filled at Landshut University of Applied Sciences. The project helps Landshut University of Applied Sciences to become better known as an employer and shows career options for a HAW professorship. It is supported by the following cooperation partners: BMW Group, Ihre Volksbank eG Neckar Odenwald Main Tauber, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V., xpecto AG, University of Applied Arts Vienna.
