Completed projects

Projektbeschreibung

The WegE II project (Wegweisende Entwicklung in der Lehrerbildung II) is part of the nationwide teacher training quality offensive. The aim of the project is to further develop and raise the profile of teacher training in Bamberg. To this end, the different subjects and subject didactics as well as the phases of teacher training are to be better interlinked. The Vocational Education sub-project (BeBi) works across faculties and is made up of representatives from the two vocational degree programs Business Education and Vocational Education/Social Pedagogy.

The Chair of Business Education is involved in the design and further development of academic and didactic teaching formats as part of the quality offensive. Driven by the digital transformation, business processes and the associated job profiles in traditional education are changing. In order to do justice to the changes, it is necessary to align teaching and learning formats with the requirements of the digital transformation and to rethink them. The focus is on two work packages:

(1) Establishing a subject-specific didactic offer on digital literacy, especially for the commercial-administrative and commercial-technical interface and evaluating it in terms of its effectiveness on students' skills development.

(2) Focus on the heterogeneity of the student body in vocational education with regard to the professional language German. To promote the pedagogical professionalism of prospective teachers, a teaching concept is being developed and implemented for “German as a vocational language”.  

Further information can be found at: /wege/bebi

Selected literature

• Gerholz, K.-H. & Dormann, M. (2017). Digitale Transformation – Konsequenzen für die didaktische Arbeit in der beruflichen Bildung. In: Wirtschaft & Erziehung 6/2017, 163-174.
• Gerholz. K.-H. (2018): Digitale Transformation und Hochschullehre – Konsequenzen für die didaktische und evaluative Gestaltung. In: Harris-Huemmert, S., Pohlenz, P. & Mitterauer, L. (Hrsg.): Digitalisierung in der Hochschullehre. (Waxmann) New York, 41-57. 

Project description

The digital transformation is bringing about changes in all areas of society. In the education sector in particular, it not only affects the digital design of lessons, but also changes to work and organizational processes (e.g. IT infrastructures, working hours and locations). The impact and restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated digitalization enormously, which has shifted teaching and the organization of school operations almost entirely into the virtual space. The special experiences during and after the Covid-19 pandemic have triggered a rethink of the previous school organization and opened up the question of new forms of organization.

The attitudes and motives of teachers and their retrospective experiences from the Covid-19 pandemic are being surveyed in a cross-sectional survey across Germany. The aim of the survey is to identify design potentials and challenges for future work and organizational processes at vocational schools against the backdrop of the digital transformation.

Selected literature

• Gerholz, K.-H.,Gillen, J., Faßhauer, U., Bals, T. & Schlottmann, P. (2022). Digitales Unterrichten und Organisieren im Alltag beruflicher Schulen. Eine deutschlandweite Erhebung bei Lehrkräften an beruflichen Schulen. Bildung & Beruf, 01/2022, 6-13.
• Gerholz, K.-H., Schlottmann, P., Faßhauer, U., Gillen, J. & Bals, T. (2022). Erfahrungen und Perspektiven digitalen Unterrichtens und Entwickelns an beruflichen Schulen. In: Bundesverband der Lehrkräfte für Berufsbildung e.V. (Hrsg.). Berlin. Online: https://www.bvlb.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BvLB_Studie_final_220211_Digital_kompr.pdf

Project description

In 2016, Caritas in the Archdiocese of Bamberg launched a comprehensive three-year leadership development program. As part of the scientific monitoring, the effects of management development on the management culture will be examined as a longitudinal study. On the other hand, the measures will be evaluated in order to make appropriate adjustments to the process. The scientific monitoring will be carried out methodically in the form of a mixed methods approach.

Projektbeschreibung

The objective of the EdUSchool project is to develop a European concept of university schools aimed at strengthening and advancing the integration of theory and practice in teacher education. University schools draw inspiration from the concept of university hospitals in medical education, integrating education, development, and research between academia and professional practice. This integration aims to enhance the quality of educational processes—specifically for future schoolteachers. In European teacher education, institutionalized forms of university school concepts can currently be observed in Germany (Bavaria) and Norway. Additionally, structurally similar forms of cooperation exist in European teacher education, such as partner schools and laboratory schools. The project is organized into four work packages, which involve the conceptual and empirical analysis of existing models. Based on these analyses, a qualification module and a manual will be developed. The project concludes with a multiplier event in Lisbon in September 2020, where the results and a European concept for university schools will be presented.

Further information can be found on the project homepage. www.university-schools.eu

Contact: info(at)university-schools.eu

Selected literature:

• Gerholz, K.-H. (2018). Universitätsschulen als (ein) Kooperationsmodell wirksamer Lehrerbildung. Wirtschaft & Erziehung, 2/2018, 45-50.
• Gerholz, K.-H. & Wilbers, K. (2018). Mehr als Transfer: Universitätsschulen als Kooperationsraum zur Verbindung von Wissenschaft und schulischer Praxis. berufsbildung, Zeitschrift für Praxis und Theorie in Betrieb und Schule, H. 170/2018, 6-9. 

Project description

In the tabletBS.dual project, the use of tablets in recognized training occupations under the Vocational Training Act and the Crafts Code is being tested in Baden-Württemberg. Over 30 vocational schools are participating in three phases. Since September 2018, the Chair of Business Education has been responsible for the scientific monitoring. Following a design research approach, the project integrates the design process with theory development. On one hand, teachers are provided with subject-specific didactic support in developing learning scenarios and complex teaching-learning arrangements. These developments are guided by the LERN model, using tablets in line with changes in professional fields brought about by digital transformation and as a tool to support learning processes. On the other hand, these developments are scientifically evaluated across four design cycles. This evaluation contributes to the development of a theory for digital subject-specific didactics and the identification of effective didactic design parameters for tablet-based teaching in vocational education. Additionally, during the course of the project, organizational success factors for the use of digital media in vocational schools (school development) are being researched.

Selected literature:

• Gerholz, K.-H. & Dormann, M. (2017). Ausbildung 4.0: Didaktische Gestaltung der betrieblich- beruflichen Ausbildung in Zeiten der digitalen Transformation. bwp@ Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik – online, Ausgabe 32, 1-22.
• Gerholz, K.-H. & Dormann, M. (2017). Digitale Transformation – Konsequenzen für die didaktische Arbeit in der beruflichen Bildung. Wirtschaft & Erziehung, 6/2017, 163-174.

Project description

Many millions of people in Europe are engaged in voluntary, unpaid work. Whether as football coaches, in volunteer fire departments, or through direct interaction with others, these activities also lead to skill development for the volunteers. To make these skills valuable for the primary labor market, they first need to be documented—ideally in a way that allows for Europe-wide comparability.

Various online tools have already been developed in different countries for this purpose, though their usage varies and some are no longer in use. This is particularly true given the differing levels of priority placed on recording competencies and potential actions through an online tool. The objective of the ImproVal project, which builds on the preceding project "Destination eValidation," is to evaluate the nature and extent of the use of evaluation tools for recording competencies acquired through voluntary work in various European countries. Partners in this project include organizations from Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Slovakia.

Project description

The professionalization of teacher students is a highly debated topic in many countries. One key area of focus is the implementation of practical elements in teacher education and their impact on student development, a recurring question in teacher education research. However, the traditional 'application-of-theory' model has proven ineffective, while more reflective approaches, such as Schön's concept of the reflective practitioner, appear more promising in examining the role of practical elements—particularly the interplay between practical experiences and their theoretical reflection. In collaboration with Tongji University (Prof. Dr. Jiping Wang, Chinese-German Institute for Vocational Research), we are investigating the connection between theory and practice in vocational teacher education from a comparative and empirical perspective.

Selected literature

• Gerholz, K.-H. (2017). Service Learning als didaktisches Format in der Lehrerbildung. In: Wang, J., Feng, X. & Rützel, J. (Hrsg.). Berufsschullehrerbildung in der Volksrepublik China und in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Professionalisierung – Kompetenzen – Herausforderungen. Tongji University Press, 208-227. 

Project description

The DesTeVa project focuses on the situation of volunteers, whose work should be institutionally recognized and appropriately valued. Many of these dedicated individuals work largely unnoticed and are often unaware of what their volunteering means to them personally or which skills they develop through their activities. The objective of DesTeVa is the documentation and validation of volunteering skills. The project aims to develop an online validation tool for use across Europe.

The development is being carried out in cooperation with partner countries, including Bulgaria, Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Turkey. By the end of the project, an online tool will be available, enabling volunteers in different countries to validate and disseminate their competencies. Furthermore, the tool will be aligned with the respective national qualification frameworks.

Project description

The European Third Sector is a significant economic field, employing approximately 13 million full-time staff and involving an additional 16 million volunteers. The European economy, as well as much of our societal and civic support systems, depends heavily on a healthy sector capable of attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel.

Many employees in the sector have fixed-term contracts, are underpaid, and have limited opportunities for further training. The "Foundation 4 Sector 3" (F4S3) project addresses the importance of reducing staff turnover, burnout, mobility, and unclear career development paths within the sector.

F4S3 provides an onboarding program for individuals entering the Third Sector. This program offers an introduction to the sector, focusing on personal development and sector-specific core competencies. Through the use of digital badges, participants' acquired skills can be validated and subsequently utilized for both personal growth and professional success. To ensure that the materials remain useful beyond the project's completion, a transfer plan will be developed at the end of the project. The program is implemented in all partner countries by local partners in the respective national languages. A blended-learning approach is employed, combining face-to-face teaching with online learning. The training is learner-centered, with a needs analysis conducted before the training sessions.

The project provides three key benefits. First, it will make participants more confident and effective in their roles within Third Sector organizations while equipping them with validated skills that enhance their career prospects. Second, it will support Third Sector organizations by improving the onboarding process for new employees and promoting workplace well-being. Third, the materials produced by F4S3 will be made available across Europe after the project's conclusion.

The "Foundation 4 Sector 3" project (2020–2022) is funded by the Erasmus+ program.

Outputs and Timeline:

• Development of the program pedagogy, content, and skill validation system, along with trainer training (December 2020 to November 2021)
• Program pilots in two iterations (December 2021 to June 2022)
• Drafting of a transfer plan and final report (July to November 2022)

Partners:

• Coordinator: The Wheel, Ireland, www.wheel.ie
• Sivis Study Centre, Finland, www.ok-sivis.fi
• University of Bamberg, Germany, www.uni-bamberg.de
• WCVA, Wales, United Kingdom, www.wcva.cymru