Policy and practice for innovative teachingDDLitLab @ TURN Conference 2024: Connecting horizons

16 December 2024

Photo: 2024 German U15/ David Ausserhofer

In November 2024, colleagues from the DDLitLab took part in the TURN Conference in Berlin with two of their own contributions. Under the motto ‘Connecting horizons. Policy and Practice for Innovative Teaching’, the conference provided an ideal platform to present our work and gather valuable ideas for future project work.

Short presentation ‘Bridging the Digital and Data Literacy Gap: The balancing act between practice, reflection and key competences’

In their keynote speech, our colleagues Dr Julia Niemann-Lenz (DZHW) and David Jacobs emphasised the need to make the digital literacy pyramid more permeable so that students can progress from basic skills to advanced data science skills. A particular focus was placed on critical data literacy, which enables students to act independently and critically through the reflective handling of data.

The lecture series ‘Data Worlds’ developed in the DDLitLab and the corresponding exercise in the free elective area, which conveys a computer science and social science perspective on data, were presented. The aim is to enable students with no previous experience to understand and analyse data and acquire basic skills in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

In the accompanying exercise, the concept of ‘Literate Programming’ using Jupyter Notebooks is used, which enables the integration of text and code. The concepts presented in the lecture can thus be tried out directly ‘hands-on’. Microcredentials in the form of a comprehensive certificate in the free elective area are planned for the future.

^{David Jacobs and Julia-Niemann-Lenz present the Data Worlds}

Workshop ‘What do students need to know about generative AI for their studies and what new skills do they need?’

As part of the conference, Jennifer Preiß and Nadia Blüthmann (HUL) offered an interactive workshop to take a closer look at the concept of ‘genAI study literacy’. This term describes the skills and knowledge that students need to use generative AI such as ChatGPT responsibly and productively in their studies.

The workshop addressed a highly topical issue: since the introduction of ChatGPT by OpenAI, universities have been confronted with a number of uncertainties. How can generative AI be integrated into teaching and learning in a sensible and ethically acceptable way? What legal and higher education policy issues need to be considered? And what skills do students need in order to optimally utilise the potential of this technology without losing critical reflection?

The workshop centred on the results of our project to date, which collects empirical data as part of accompanying scientific research in order to focus on the needs of the students themselves. This approach deliberately differs from a perspective that focuses exclusively on the requirements of the labour market or external specifications.

The workshop participants had the opportunity to discuss initial findings and practical approaches that we have developed as part of our workshops and self-study materials. It became clear that ‘genAI study literacy’ encompasses more than the purely technical handling of generative AI. It also includes ethical reflection, critical thinking and the ability to use AI tools in a targeted and responsible manner.

An important aspect of the workshop was the joint discussion on the future design of university didactic measures in this area. The participants were able to contribute their own perspectives and reflect on the challenges faced by teachers and students alike.

^{Jennifer Preiß and Mareike Bartels from DDLitLab at TURN 24}

In addition to our own contributions, we took the opportunity to network with other projects in our funding line. The exchange with colleagues from various institutions was extremely enriching and provided numerous suggestions for our further work in the coming year 2025.

We would like to thank the Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre and German U15 for the excellent organisation of the conference and are already looking forward with great anticipation to the next TURN, which will take place at TU Darmstadt in September 2025.