Innovation in Lecturer Foundation funds two "Freiraum" projects at the University of Erfurt

The aim of the project “SchriftEXPRESS am Schulanfang” is to strengthen the integration of theory and practice and research-oriented learning in key areas of written language acquisition. As part of project seminars, primary school teacher training students are to visit cooperating primary schools once a week and support beginner readers and writers in written language acquisition by conducting reading and writing-related activities with them in small groups for one semester. The starting point is the examination of current picture books, because stories and shared immersion in literary worlds play a central role in written language acquisition.

The project “Creating Prototypes for Global Health” addresses current challenges in global healthcare. In this project, students of the M.Sc. Health Communication (University of Erfurt) and the M.Sc. Photonics (FSU Jena) will test a highly interdisciplinary teaching concept and, in two consecutive courses, develop user-centred prototypes and target group-oriented communication measures for real challenges in the Global South. The starting point is specific challenges presented by the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), such as the development of cost-effective diagnostic systems for infectious diseases or technical solutions for water quality monitoring. In a second phase, the best prototypes will be tested and further developed on site with users. The teaching format thus combines problem-oriented learning, methodological competence and a high degree of practical relevance, and for the first time consistently integrates implementation research into academic education in the field of global health.

"It is very important to us to continuously improve the quality of our teaching in the constantly changing educational landscape and to promote innovative teaching methods. This is the only way we can best prepare our students for their future appointments," says Professor Julia Knop, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Erfurt. "I am therefore particularly pleased that two Erfurt projects have once again been selected for 'Freiraum' funding. And it encourages us to continue on our chosen path."