On the 28th and 29th November 2024, the project leaders and coordinators of the Centres of Excellence met for a two-day training session. The aim was to expand skills in using the DIGI-FACE platform tools and to work together on strategies for the sustainable and future-oriented development of their projects.
An overview of the programme
The training began with an exchange between the Centres of Excellence and the DIGI-FACE team – a valuable opportunity to meet face-to-face away from the screens. The focus was on technical skills. Participants gained practical insights into the management of the DIGI-FACE Learning Management System (Moodle) and Content Management System (WordPress).
Topics covered in the training
Platform Rights and Permissions: Prof Eisenberg and Elisa Adams began by sharing the team’s efforts to move towards decentralised platform management, with centres playing a key role. The DIGI-FACE team relies on Centre Admins from each Centre to populate the platform with content, approve users from their Centre and thus contribute to a vibrant community.
Generic Courses: Prof Paul Webb and Karlien Potgieter gave an overview of the interdisciplinary generic courses developed by DIGI-FACE as Open Educational Resources (OER). The courses can be used and adapted by any centre according to their needs, the rights of use are explained here.
Publications Area: Former librarian Maretha Allwright shared important points to consider when uploading a publication to the Publication Area. She also highlighted the importance of ORCID.
Events Tool and Alumni Area: Hannes Köninger highlighted the new Event Tool. Centres are invited to use it for major events of their centre and for events of common interest. In the Alumni Area, the alumni associations of WAC-SRT, CERM-ESA, CCAM and CEGLA Bamako present themselves and their activities. All centres and their associations are welcome to post their information. The DIGI-FACE team will create a web presence for them.
Support: How-to-Guides and Ticketing Tool: The DIGI-FACE team invites you to use the how-to-guides and the ticketing tool. Logging a support call will direct your questions to the responsible person, ensuring a quick and effective answer.
Managing Moodle: Koshala Terblanche, Moodle responsible at NMU, and Andrew Thuo gave a lively session on managing Moodle. Different methods of course enrolment, quizzes and roles on moodle: Moodle manager, course coordinator/lecturer, facilitators and participants were explained.
A Moodle course with the content of the training is available for all participants. Anyone interested in the workshop content who could not attend is welcome to visit digiface@hs-kehl.de.
A strong network is the key to success
In addition to the content-related focus, the training was a valuable opportunity to strengthen the network between the centres. The atmosphere was characterised by an open exchange and a strong sense of community. Many participants emphasised the importance of personal contact for learning from each other and making progress together. The diversity of perspectives and the dialogue about different approaches were a real enrichment for everyone involved.
Results and outlook
The two-day meeting ended with a summary of the results and a motivating outlook on the next steps. The participants returned to their centres with concrete ideas and a clear vision, where they will incorporate the new impressions into their work and continue to advance the digitalisation of their curricula. Special thanks to the dedicated participants who enriched the training with their questions, comments and contributions. The active participation enabled a mutual learning process for the DIGI-FACE team.
We look forward to implementing some of your ideas and contributing to this digital learning and teaching community.
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Congratulations
This is an incredible opportunity. I would love to participate. I am Abebe Hegano, a PhD fellow in soil and water engineering at Jomo-Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with the support of DAAD IC-IR scholarship 2024. My research interest is modeling the impact of climate change on water resources and optimizing resilience solutions. Thank you, DIG-FACE. I am proud of being in connection.