topic Hightech Strategy

eQualification

Computers and the Internet are becoming everyday tools in our education system. This goes for schools, initial and continuing vocational training and higher education alike. The end of the pioneer phase has been reached in the use of the new media in education. We are now at the beginning of a new normality in the use of media in education. BMBF support plays an important role in this.

Modernizing the education system is of the utmost importance to the Federal Government. The use of computers and the Internet in education institutions has often been a driving force for reforms in the past four years. They are adequate means to develop and broadly use new forms of teaching and learning which live up to future demands. Important educational aims, such as independent, self-guided learning and communicative skills can be promoted particularly well.

With the "New Media in Education" funding programme, the BMBF has furthered the reform process in the education system.

Schools

Within the framework of school projects, different methods of using computers in schools have been tested over the past four years. These methods are envisaged today for all schools within the framework of comprehensive education reform: abandoning the 45-minute rhythm, introduction of cross-curricular teaching, linking teaching in the morning with learning in the afternoon and encouraging self-guided learning. The use of computers in education institutions also had positive effects in terms of quality. Follow-up studies to the PISA study show that pupils who are using the new media intensively also have good or even very good reading skills.

The objective of the BMBF is a transition from school books to multimedia teaching for day-to-day teaching in all subjects and at all levels. Projects of media providers - i.e. publishing houses, but also museums, education providers or research institutions - are being funded. Furthermore, there is the "Teachers Online" service of the association Schools Go Online focussing on broad exchanges of experience with methodological and practical issues of the use of media.

Vocational Education and Training

In the area of vocational education and training, the employability of employees is to be improved by means of demand-oriented initial and continuing vocational training with computers and the Internet. Thus, work and qualification can be combined more easily. Other possible, more efficient and also more cost-efficient forms of in-service qualifications are to be developed consistently and are to be broadly used. Modular education software is therefore to be integrated in initial and continuing vocational training.

In agreement with the social partners, areas are defined which are suited for media-based initial and continuing vocational training and are of particular importance for a positive development of employment.

Institutions of Higher Education

In the area of higher education, the Federal Government pursues the aim of consolidating the use of new media and their possible applications for education at universities and universities of applied sciences. Support is primarily given to the development of content and of overall strategies for media use in higher education.

100 collaborative projects are currently being supported at institutions of higher education under the first priority "Media Content". They include the development, testing and implementation of innovative, multimedia forms of teaching and learning in day-to-day business at institutions of higher education. Thus, and with the development of new forms of teaching and learning, the quality of teaching is to be improved and a better organization of study courses as well as shorter periods of study are to be achieved.

Projects for the development and introduction of an innovative overall concept for the integration of mobile learning everywhere on campus in day-to-day business at institutions of higher education is being funded under the second priority "Notebook University".
The BMBF is funding the lead project "Virtuelle Fachhochschule (VFH)" as a project supporting e-learning in day-to-day business at institutions of higher education.