Lecturers at the University of Erfurt have been successful with "Cooperative Impulse Projects"

Sandra Neumann, Professor of Inclusive Educational Processes for Language and Communication Impairments at the University of Erfurt, will be working with Andreas Seidel, Professor of Social Paediatrics at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, to launch the project "ICF! – Inclusion and Collaboration for the Future!", as part of which the two want to develop a digital self-learning concept for the World Health Organisation's (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). This classification describes a person's functional state of health, disability, social impairment and the relevant environmental factors and is becoming increasingly important in rehabilitation, aid planning, therapy and schools in German-speaking countries. However, there is still no attractive multimodal, digital self-learning concept for its practical application in therapy and education. "This means that the ICF often remains on a theoretical level," explains Professor Sandra Neumann. "We now want to develop a multimedia, competence-oriented self-learning concept that can be used in courses for educational and therapeutic degree programmes. The focus is on authentic, participatory case presentations (people with health or participation impairments and their relatives) with a concrete connection to their living environment. The aim is to gain case-orientated knowledge and skills for educational, social and therapeutic practice for students." "ICF! – Inclusion and Collaboration for the Future!" has a modular structure and is designed to address different levels of knowledge: Transdisciplinary basic modules impart basic knowledge of the ICF using practical examples. In profession-specific advanced modules, which focus explicitly on the different target groups of the degree programmes, students can also acquire practical professional skills for counselling, diagnostics/needs assessment and help and support planning. The eTeach network will support the project in the coming year with personnel and material resources.

The project "Immersive Media for Practical and Active Classroom Training" (IMPACT), which was initiated by Ulf Sauerbrey, Professor of Childhood and Youth in Digital Educational Environments at the University of Erfurt, together with Thorsten Ziegler and the research team led by Wolfgang Broll, Professor at the Department of Virtual Worlds and Digital Games at Ilmenau University of Technology, will also be funded by the eTeach Network Thuringia in 2025. The scientists want to develop interactive exercise scenarios for academic teacher training. The aim is to create immersive social VR scenarios for teaching simulations that are as authentic as possible, in which student teachers can interact with virtual pupils in a protected environment and at the same time reflect on their pedagogical actions in the associated courses without being under direct pedagogical pressure to act. "Simulated teaching situations in social VR environments can be valuable additions to text-based case vignettes and video-based lesson recordings of other teachers in teacher training," explains Professor Ulf Sauerbrey. "They not only provide students with a special learning experience, but also offer a protected space in which they can try out and reflect on their own teaching strategies and receive direct feedback." As part of the IMPACT project, social VR environments will be integrated into existing courses and scenarios developed together with student teachers will be trialled. This will also give students an insight into the development of innovative educational technology and expand their digital skills. The virtual rooms on which the exercise scenarios are based are made available on a web-based social VR platform at TU Ilmenau and can be used freely by all interested parties. The eTeach Network Thuringia is supporting this impulse project in the coming year with two half-time positions and additional material resources totalling up to 5,000 euros.