Newsletter Uni Tübingen aktuell No. 3/2024: Study and Teaching

Fruitful discussions, new perspectives, various formats

Why teachers get involved in blended intensive programs

Student standing in front of a display case presenting an exhibltion on diversity — Student presenting an exhibltion on diversity that was created in the BIP on museum work.

Blended Intensive Programs, or BIPs for short, have become a popular format in the CIVIS Alliance. BIPs combine online courses with a five-day study week on campus (blended), during which the participants deal with a topic in depth (intensive). CIVIS partners offered 36 BIPs in the current academic year; almost 80 students from Tübingen have completed a stay abroad within this framework, while at the same time more than 250 students from all over Europe have taken part in a total of eight Tübingen BIPs. BIPs are a good opportunity for students to gain international experience – whether through the stay abroad or the intensive contact with international guests at their home university.

What attracts teachers to this format? The prerequisite for a BIP is that lecturers from at least three CIVIS universities come together; such collaborations do not always already exist. With the introduction of the BIPs, there have been thematic meetings to find like-minded people, says Professor Dr. Thomas Thiemeyer from Historical and Cultural Anthropology. Dr. Oliver Feeney confirms the benefits of these meetings. The researcher from the Institute of Ethics and History of Medicine has also used the partner universities’ websites to search for additional expertise on individual topics – he believes a database with contacts of interested colleagues could make this easier.

Student diversity as an asset

Group photo of a class — Oliver Feeney (left) likes the different perspectives that the students bring to discussions.

The fact that Thiemeyer and Feeney have offered BIPs for the third time shows that the format is also worthwhile for lecturers. Professor Dr. Gabriele Alex (Cultural Anthropology) and Dr. Rolf Frankenberger (Political Science) have also been involved for some time. All four appreciate the fact that the BIPs bring together international, often interdisciplinary groups of students from different cultural backgrounds, resulting in fruitful discussions and new perspectives – also for the academics themselves. The virtual part of the BIPs is also an advantage here, says Oliver Feeney: it means that people can participate for whom a face-to-face meeting would not be an option; in his case, representatives of patient organizations, for example. In future, he also plans to involve African partners of the CIVIS Alliance in his BIP on medical ethics.

Cultural Anthropologist Gabi Alex likes the fact that she can organize her teaching in a more unconventional way: "The BIP allows for different formats, interactions and practical exercises compared to a weekly seminar," she says. In terms of subject matter, BIPs are usually research-inspired or committed to research-based learning, Rolf Frankenberger explains. The focus is often on specific objects or case studies that students use to work on research questions: Frankenberger's BIPs involved field research on flood protection and social housing, while in Thiemeyer's events on museum work, participants worked on small exhibitions. After the BIP, Oliver Feeney's students can try their hand at working on a scientific article – often their first publication.

Networking and potential for joint research

Photo of a multi-storey building — Case study in the BIP "Co-creating Urban Futures" by Rolf Frankenberger: Social housing projects are run in the Spin Time Labs, former office buildings now occupied by squatters in Rome.

The BIPs also provide added value for research above and beyond any publications. According to Professor Alex, the participating academics benefited from the intensive exchange and discussion of theories as part of the joint teaching. Thomas Thiemeyer found the insights into museums abroad helpful. Everyone agrees that BIPs contribute to networking and therefore offer potential for joint research projects.

However, as a format with EU funding, the BIPs are also associated with red tape. There is work involved, from reviewing the applications to accounting for travel. "You have to make an effort for every euro you receive," says Thiemeyer, but points out that there is also administrative support. The mobility grant for students often does not cover the costs: "Funding was the big thing: the relatively modest funding in a relatively expensive place," says Feeney of the situation in Tübingen, where affordable accommodation is not easy to find. Although the students have to take care of this themselves, the local organizers get questions about it.

The challenge of differences between CIVIS partners

Group photo of for teachers — Thomas Thiemeyer (right) und the BIP teaching team 2024 at Tübingen Castle: Judith Dehail, Anna Leshchenko and Marlen Mouliou (from left)

European cooperation also presents obstacles. Rolf Frankenberger points to the various academic calendars with different semester and examination times, which make it difficult to schedule the BIPs conveniently. Another challenge is the differences in teaching and learning traditions, which range from "strongly schooled to openly reflective", he explains. Last but not least, Professor Alex says that the participants' different language skills must be taken into account, even though most BIPs require B2-level English skills.

Oliver Feeney, however, is often impressed by how confidently and nuanced many students use the foreign language. For him, the BIPs are above all “fun, a break away from the norm” – he would recommend other teachers to get involved in a BIP: "It's fun, it's enlightening and it's insightful." A BIP can be carried out on any topic that fits in with the five CIVIS hubs. Whether you offer a course repeatedly and improve the concept from year to year, as Feeney did with his BIP on human genome editing, or try out something new: All that is needed to apply – in addition to the association of three partners – is a brief outline of the program and its learning objectives. This then goes to individual CIVIS committees for approval. The funding rate is high; the CIVIS Alliance is also considering introducing a fast-track approval procedure for proven BIPs that have been successfully implemented several times.

With the establishment of BIPs in studies and teaching, a step has been taken towards cooperation within the alliance, which forms a solid basis for further projects. Thomas Thiemeyer dares to look to the future: "I believe that a lot will develop within the structures of CIVIS – these structures should be used."

Tina Schäfer