Data literacy teaching lab becomes the Cross-Disciplinary Teaching LabConsolidation and continuation of one of the core projects of the DDLitLab with the Hub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS)

2 September 2024

Photo: UHH/Scharfenberg

A new perspective for innovation in studying and teaching at the University of Hamburg: The Data Literacy Teaching Lab becomes the Cross-Disciplinary Teaching Lab (CDTL)! This dynamic innovation is the result of the successful extension of the DDLitLab until the end of 2025 and brings together UHH's largest project to date in the field of digitalisation and digitality in studies and teaching with the Hub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS).

In the past two rounds of the Data Literacy Teaching Lab, a total of 35 projects in 17 departments/faculties were funded by the DDLitLab with 1.412 million euros, reaching around 1800 students across many of the degree programmes and interdisciplinary courses offered at the University of Hamburg. The focus of the teaching lab was on the successive new and further development of elective and compulsory study programmes that address the promotion of basic digital and data skills (‘Digital and Data Literacy’, see University of Hamburg's digital strategy) among students. The aim was also to support the fellows in the funded projects in developing and expanding their ‘Digital University Teaching Literacy’ (DUTy) through targeted didactic advice, support and the provision of additional resources, such as the Teaching Navi.

As part of the DDLitLab, the new CDTLs are now being created for the first time, which are based on existing teaching lab projects and their best practices as well as reflecting the university's disciplinary diversity and will be funded until the end of September 2025 at the latest. In this way, we are creating a creative environment in which interdisciplinary approaches take centre stage and innovative teaching methods can be tested, evaluated and further developed.

Strong support is also coming from the Hamburg Centre for University Teaching and Learning (HUL), which is contributing its expert knowledge to support the CDTLs. We are focussing on the ‘Scholarship of Teaching and Learning’ (SoTL) in order to sensitise lecturers to the sustainable research and evaluation of their own teaching.

We see this step as a key milestone for the long-term impact of the DDLitLab project and are delighted to be able to support our teaching lab fellows once again in this endeavour.