Digitalisation in continuing education
As a university of applied sciences, we aim to convey societally and professionally relevant content to knowledge-thirsty and motivated professionals in an interactive, practice-oriented and academically sound manner. We help qualify professionals for an increasingly digitalised professional world by supporting the acquisition of digital skills and skills for the digital transformation. Digitalisation-related topics are incorporated in our professional development offers. Additionally, HAW Hamburg utilises digitalisation to enable part-time academic study alongside paid work and to facilitate a better balance between employment, family and continuing studies. This is done, for example, through the use of online teaching and study materials, media and tools, as well as the combination of online and on-campus phases.
At HAW Hamburg we focus on the following two dimensions of digitalisation as part of our academic continuing education:
- The 'how' dimension – Digitalisation to improve teaching and study in academic continuing education: Digitalisation is applied as a tool. Digital formats and scenarios are used in teaching and study.
- The 'what' dimension – Qualification for a digitalised work and living environment: Academic continuing education addresses digitalisation-related issues, content and subjects. It supports the acquisition of skills for a digitalised professional world.
To utilise the potential of digitialisation in and for continuing education, HAW Hamburg pursues the following goals:
1. Qualification for a digitalised personal and professional world
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Content and competencies – In its continuing education offers, HAW Hamburg addresses the transmission of knowledge and skills required by the digital transformation on two levels: On the one hand, through the targeted development of content-related offers that provide solutions to the social, economic and cultural challenges the digital transformation brings with it for companies, public institutions, NGOs and individual employees in the Hamburg metropolitan region.
On the other, through academic continuing education, which is increasingly called upon to provide those already in the workforce with new research findings about transformative technologies in order to address the job market's growing gap in university graduates with digital skills. This also closes the skills gap resulting from employers' dynamic requirements and simultaneously enables experienced professionals to actively participate in the digital transformation process by systematically teaching them new skills.
2. Digitalisation to improve teaching and study in academic continuing education
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Teaching and study forms, formats, scenarios and media – HAW Hamburg aims to increasingly expand its digitally supported continuing education offers: shorter and thematically focused offers with recognised certificates and flexible formats such as blended learning supported by mobile study apps make it easier for many students to balance continuing education, career and family. This digital knowledge transmission also enables HAW Hamburg to reach new target groups.
Additionally, the didactic and technical preparation of digital teaching and study materials on digital platforms, both as a service for the instructors and a professional offer for the participants, is a future-oriented task which takes place in close coordination with existing processes at the university. In continuing education, the needs-oriented pairing of a digital continuing education environment and on-campus formats is of particular importance as professional continuing education students particularly value interpersonal exchange with instructors and other students working in similar fields.
