Dear colleagues,
I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the first week of online lectures.
I wish to thank all members of teaching staff for devoting much time and energy in order to facilitate online learning formats. I would also like to thank all students for taking on new learning formats with such determination and curiosity. Furthermore, I wish to thank all members of administrative staff for their unwavering and highly committed support as well as for adjusting and expanding technological resources repeatedly.
In short, we have succeeded in spite of some difficulties! Approximately 22,500 students and 2,000 members of teaching staff have accessed our systems since Sunday. As many exercises start next week, these figures will increase significantly over time. Members of teaching staff have already prepared more than 2,000 videos; approximately 1,000 courses take place via our video platform Flowcasts. Overall, more than 2,000 courses have incorporated digital media.
In spite of the difficulties mentioned earlier, I am delighted about this impressive outcome, of which we can all be proud.
It goes without saying that there are certainly a number of areas that we need to adjust. For example, we are currently in the process of upgrading specific hardware that is difficult to procure due to the coronavirus pandemic, but will arrive shortly. I would strongly advise that teaching staff use their office at the university for teaching activities, if a stable or fast internet connection proves problematic when working from home. Connecting to the internet via LAN rather than a wireless connection will make working with online formats easier for both you and the students. In addition, please use the advisory services provided by the Academic Teaching department regarding e-learning in order to try out and implement innovative formats. It is our aim and obligation to improve online teaching and provide problem-free learning. This is a learning curve for us all.
Further information can be found on our website at https://www.uni-hannover.de/en/universitaet/aktuelles/corona/onlinelehre/
The university is currently in the process of analysing feedback on difficulties in order to determine where support is needed. If you have any feedback, please send this to vpl@uni-hannover.de.
With the support of various administrative units, the Presidential Board will analyse and process the feedback. I would like to thank the students'' union (AStA), which has been gathering feedback from the student body.
I am certain that together we will make the summer semester successful for everyone involved!
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Volker Epping
President
