Online Course: Teaching and Learning for Global Competence
Perhaps you‘ve been in a classroom situation where you‘ve wondered how to accommodate international students with very different levels of knowledge, learning experiences, expectations and goals? Maybe you‘re contemplating including global perspectives in your course or transitioning to English as the language of instruction, but you‘re unsure of where to begin?
This course seeks to empower educators like you to navigate the complexities of diverse classrooms and adapt your teaching strategies accordingly.
Target audience: University teaching staff from all academic disciplines
Format: Blended Learning (Stud.IP), featuring face-to-face group meetings for interdisciplinary reflection
Option for self-study: The whole course or individual modules accessible even without a certificate of attendance
If you choose to take the blended learning version of the course, you can already save the dates for the three face-to-face sessions:
April 29, 2025, 10:0 AM - 01:00 PM
June 3, 2025, 10:0 AM - 01:00 PM
July 1, 2025, 10:0 AM - 01:00 PM
Embark on a journey to enhance your international teaching!
Join us this April!
The deadline to register for the blended learning format is April 18, 2025. If you would like to join but have missed the deadline, please contact us via email.
The self-study option remains open for registration at any time.
The goal is set: By 2025, 30 ECTS of English-taught courses per semester are to be integrated into every degree programme at TU Braunschweig.
Integrating English-taught courses not only enhances the university's attractiveness for incoming students and secures our international partnerships but also provides all our students with optimal preparation for the global job and research market. However, the ways in which English-taught courses can be effectively integrated into a degree programme vary from subject to subject: English-language module clusters, English tracks, international (digital) teaching partnerships, elective or compulsory courses?
In the document FAQ: 30 ECTS of English-language Teaching, you will find a collection of key questions regarding the transition to English-taught courses at TU Braunschweig.
Another focus of the TU Braunschweig is the internationalisation of teaching in the sense of internationalisation at home.
We advise and support you in the internationalisation of your teaching. We work with formats tailored to your needs, such as consultations, coordinated process support or content-related workshops.
Our services cover the following areas
Support in the strategic development of the internationalisation of teaching within your faculty or department
Support in the didactic planning and implementation of existing and new courses, modules, and degree programmes
Development and delivery of English-taught courses
Support in finding and collaborating with international partners
Objective: By 30 September 2025, 30 ECTS of English-language courses should be meaningfully integrated into one semester of each degree programme.
This is a collection of key questions raised during the workshop “30 ECTS English-Language Teaching”. All information is subject to change. This collection of questions is for guidance only and does not replace advice given by the responsible departments at TU Braunschweig. If you have any legal questions, please contact Department 11 (Legal Department).
The aim of this measure is to offer exchange students (Erasmus, ISEP and/or bilateral exchange programmes) a meaningful range of courses during their exchange semester and thus maintain partnerships with other universities, as well as enable TU Braunschweig students to also study at foreign universities. Additionally, an English-language course/programme serves to develop the skills of German-speaking students. Intercultural, social, and foreign language skills are strengthened and qualifications for the international labour and research market are supported.
It is crucial that the English-language courses can be taken together and to ensure that the credits of the courses taken at TU Braunschweig are transferable to the exchange students’ home universities. How these goals can be realised differs from faculty to faculty and from institute to institute. Possible options include:
a (visible) module package within a degree programme, consisting of both compulsory and elective modules that can be taken together in a single semester
a thematically coherent module package, made up of available courses from different departments that can be studied within one semester
an English semester (e.g. in the 5th undergraduate semester) (--> special case, see point 9), which can be combined with the implementation of the mobility window
an English track throughout an entire degree programme (--> see point 6)
pooled English-language courses that offer 30 ECTS in a compulsory elective area divided between degree programmes. (in the summer and winter term, for advanced undergraduate or master's students)
It is preferable to consistently offer English-language courses and to specify the language of instruction at least one year in advance, as international exchange students will already have drawn up their Learning Agreement at this point and are otherwise unlikely to consider the course.
Many partner universities have also asked that the same courses are consistently offered in English, whenever possible, to make planning easier. Even for degree-seeking students who study in German, planning is easier if the teaching language is known at an early stage. However, if the course is specified in the module handbook as being taught in both English and German, the language of instruction can also be determined at short notice, depending on the student group. From a didactic perspective, however, it is not advisable to determine the language of instruction by voting in the first session of the course.
Faculties are required to justify the use of English by means of a general addition to the BPO. A suggested wording for this addition can be found in the TU Braunschweig handout on English-language teaching:
“Courses and examinations are primarily held in German, unless the course, including the examination language and examination modalities, is labelled as an English-language course in the course catalogue and module handbook, and has an English description. Courses and examinations may be held in English, particularly if a significant part of a course’s key literature is in English or if the qualification objectives of the degree programme (e.g. the qualification of students for the international labour market and for international academic activities) require students to gain in-depth knowledge of academic English. Students in English-language courses have the option of submitting an informal application for a German-language examination to the Examination Board by a deadline set by the Examination Board." (Source: English-language teaching. Guidelines for the organisation of English-language courses at TU Braunschweig, 2019).
When scheduling the conversion process, please also consider the review of the BPO by department 11 as well as the committee process. The module handbook should also contain a subject-specific justification for the use of English (e.g. further academic depth through international literature).
Compulsory courses can also be offered in English if a German-language alternative is available; either in the same semester or in the academic year. It must be ensured that students who normally study in German do not suffer any disadvantages, such as an extension of the duration of their studies due to a lack of German-language teaching.
English tracks enable students to study in English throughout a German-language degree programme. They are therefore an interesting option for both international degree-seeking students and exchange students. This option allows students to study a course without prior knowledge of German. Instead, they need to demonstrate a certain level of English language skills. Thus, the admission regulations must be adapted in addition to the BPO. Please contact Department 11, Department 16 and the International Teaching Lab in good time if you are considering this option.
A new accreditation is not required, as the English-language track is a variant within an accredited degree programme. However, the accreditation council considers this change to be a "significant change", which is why the English-language track must be reported to the accreditation council. The report to the accreditation council should be made via Department 16.
It is possible to offer a course bilingually; for example, by using digital support materials such as teaching videos or screencasts, as well as additional slides and learning materials. Please bear in mind that a purely digital English-language course is not very attractive for international students. Especially in bilingual groups, careful didactic planning is essential for both the learning success of all students and group dynamics.
Examinations for electives can legally be held in English if this option is specified in the examination regulations and has been communicated accordingly in the module handbook, as well as in lectures and seminars. For compulsory modules, students in German-language degree programmes must continue to have the opportunity to take their examinations in German. Examinations may be taken in English if an equivalent German-language course is offered. It is generally recommended that the teaching and examination languages are identical. In the case of bilingual courses, students must decide on a teaching language in good time before the examination. It should also be noted that the examination must be equivalent in both languages.
This is a special case in which the admission regulations may have to be adjusted. If you are interested, please contact Department 11, Department 16 and the International Teaching Lab in good time so that this project can be tested as a pilot at TU Braunschweig. A notification to the accreditation council is also necessary.
In terms of competence orientation, a didactically meaningful conversion to English-language teaching is central. The following questions must therefore be considered: What added value is there in offering a specific course in English? Do content and language correspond? What competences should students acquire? How can the course be designed didactically and linguistically in such a way that students of different language levels can successfully participate in the course? Additional support materials, such as glossaries, and the teaching and learning methodology may also need to be adapted.
Strategic and didactic counselling, workshops in the field of international teaching, translation service for teaching materials: International Teaching Lab of the Project House
Translation of Teaching Materials from German to English
Creating and translating teaching materials represents a significant additional effort when transitioning to English-taught courses. Do you need support translating your teaching materials into English? Or would you like to have your translated materials proofread? Our student assistants are fluent in English at a native level and can assist you with translating your teaching materials, creating German-English glossaries, or even recording English-language screencasts. We would be happy to discuss how we can support you with the translation of your materials in a personal consultation.
