SAiL Grant - Strengthening and Developing International Teaching

TU Braunschweig has set one of its goals to furthering internationalisation in teaching. A carefully planned selection of internationally-oriented instruction in English not only makes the university more attractive for incoming international students and secures our international university partnerships, but also gives all students the chance to optimally prepare themselves for the international job and research markets. For this reason, the development of teaching in English takes centre stage in this round of funding, with a particular focus on the development of English-taught module clusters and the development and expansion of international study programmes.

Line A) Thematic, English-taught module clusters focuses on the bundling of regular, English-language courses into a coherent cluster of courses taking place in a single semester. This enables studying an entire semester (30 ECTS) in English, thus creating a visible and attractive opportunity for study-abroad students. Resources can be shared between departments through interdisciplinary module clusters so that instruction in English can be offered in a manner fitting for the content.

Line B) English-taught study programmes contribute in particular to the development of international competencies of German-speaking students.

The use of the English language as a medium of instruction in conjunction with the digital structures which have already been developed through the project and the learning scenarios and good practices that have already been tested in digital and hybrid spaces give both lines a plethora of new chances and synergies to strengthen internationalisation in teaching.

Funding will go to projects in charge of planning and coordinating measures to develop and expand English-taught module clusters or English-taught study programmes.

The funding period announced here is up to one year, from September 2024 to August 2025.

A deciding feature of projects that will be considered for funding is long-term curricular integration of the project’s results, beyond the end of the funding period. It must be ensured that during the funding period:

• For line A) thematic English-taught module clusters, a coherent range of courses is offered and announced clearly on the website for incoming international students. It must also be ensured that the module cluster will be available long term.
• For line B) English-taught study programmes, in the case of new study programmes, the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs/Department 16 must be notified and preparations for creating a brief application for the MWK [Ministry of Science and Culture] must be made. In case of the extension of already existing study programmes, it must be clearly recognisable that the measures named in the proposal were implemented and defined goals were reached.

Participation in various thematic discussions as well as a networking and idea sharing event in winter 2024 are required aspects of the funding programme. The project’s plans must also be made visible on the respective project website. The measures will be continuously evaluated via accompanying research by the Department of Further Education and Media  at the Institute for Educational Sciences at TU Braunschweig.

All projects funded by ProDiGI must focus on the (further) development of:

1. Thematic English-taught module clusters or
2. English-taught study programmes

The criteria that will be considered when deciding on the eligibility of your project application are as follows:

For line A) thematic English-taught module clusters:

• a comprehensible and convincing description of the goals and planned measures that the module cluster is based on, how the built cluster will be announced on the website for incoming international students and how the long-term availability of the compilation of courses can be ensured.
• a convincing statement outlining plans for the long-term curricular integration and the guaranteed availability of the range of compilation due to their compatibility of the courses.  

For line B) English-language study programmes:

• an announcement of the plans to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs/Department 16,  if the study programme is new.
• a project proposal outlining the potential and benefit to the students that the new study programme would provide and, for example, a field and needs assessment, results from surveys of graduates etc., made in preparation for a brief application for the MWK [Ministry of Science and Culture].
• Concrete descriptions of goals that should be achieved through the extension of the study programme as well as a comprehensible and realistic milestone plan that considers necessary changes in relation to the point of departure.

Moreover, the following applies to both lines:

• The theme or focus of the module cluster or study programme must be justifiable by its relevance and relation to research focuses and interdisciplinary themes at TU Braunschweig.
• Students should be involved in the quality management of the conceptualisation and realisation of the module clusters or study programmes.
• Your process must have the potential to be applied to other subjects at the university.

Projects that involve the following criteria are particularly desirable candidates for funding:

• Recognisable measures that contribute to the internationalisation of curricula, including those which go beyond teaching in English. This applies to all measures and aspects that are used to bring in meaningful intercultural and international dimensions to the curriculum. This could include the systematic inclusion of international academic literature and case studies, service learning with international aspects or collaboration with international partners while teaching. 
• The involvement of existing digital structures (such as the teaching labs in the departments or materials from the Teaching and Learning for Global Competence online course) as well as analogue support services at TU Braunschweig that support English-language and/or bilingual instruction and the internationalisation of curricula. This can take the form of bilingual screencasts, digital teaching collaborations, AI tools, or cooperative and – when applicable – bilingual lecture notes, for example.
• The interdisciplinarity of the key themes and/or cooperation between various departments and/or international partners.  

The funding period is up to one year. The funding can be used for personnel as follows:

1. The creation of a new or increase of an existing employment position (up to 100%, tariff agreement TVL-E13) to carry out the project. A statement outlining the duties of the role is required. The positions in the project proposed should be filled by 1 September 2024.

In addition,

2.   Student assistants (up to 30 hours per month from September to   December 2024) with a statement outlining the roles’ duties.

Funding for materials of up to max. 2500 euros per project is also available. If granted, material funding must be spent in 2024. Travel costs, technical infrastructure and software would fall under this category, for example. Please provide the amount of these costs as accurately as possible in your proposal. Equipment and expendable materials that are a part of the basic provisions of the department, such as office furniture, PCs, Notebooks, normal office software (MS Office etc.), office supplies, etc., cannot be funded. 

If you are selected for funding, you will also receive:

• Consulting and support oriented specifically towards the needs of your plan (for example: workshops on supporting active collaboration or project support from the International Teaching Lab’s staff)
• Access to support structures offered by the International Teaching Lab (online courses, translation service for teaching materials according to availability) and other cooperating labs.
• Support through centralised and decentralised collaboration with other participants in the funding programme.

The selection process is carried out by an internal selection committee – the Project Board – which is led by the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. The committee is composed of one professorial representative from each of the six faculties, two student representatives and two representatives from the non-professorial teaching staff. This committee will review and evaluate the proposals and reach a decision based on the selection criteria named above.

To support implementation, the module packages and study programs developed in the projects will be scientifically evaluated. The surveys address the developers of the module clusters and study programmes as well as the teachers and students at TU Braunschweig. The evaluation is carried out by the Institute of Educational Science at TU Braunschweig, Department of Further Education and Media.

If your project is selected for funding, you must create a cooperation internal order [Kooperationsinnenauftrag] through the digital research announcement [DiFA] once you have received a letter of allocation. By accepting the possible funding, you agree to give the ProDiGI project management SAP reading privileges. If your project is selected for funding, the financial organisation and its related communications with the foundation will take place through close collaboration with the project assistance of the Project House. The funding terms and conditions set out in the Strengthening University Instruction through Digitalisation funding announcement [Förderbekanntmachung „Hochschullehre durch Digitalisierung stärken“ FBM2020] shall apply to funded projects.

A project report is required at the end of the funding period. This report is one of the requirements set out by the foundation providing the funding. You will receive an outline for the project report. The report will serve as an example and starting point for interdisciplinary transfer within TU Braunschweig.  By accepting funding, you agree (when applicable: on behalf of the project staff) to participate in key events (such as a closing event) and programming from the International Teaching Lab.