The Center of Flexible Learning and New Media (ZFL) is an organization that encompasses the entire university, offering both teachers and students services in connection with the learning platform Blackboard.
Innovation and modernisation of teaching and learning should arise from the teachers and students themselves.
This is the slogan of "ZFL – Centre for Flexible Learning and New Media“. Since the ZFL was founded in 2001, it has promoted the continued integration of university-wide eLearning and eTeaching and ensures comprehensive information- , service- and support packages.
Key objectives of ZFL are to make eLearning and eTeaching natural elements of the teaching and learning repertoire(Blended Learning), as well as to stimulatedidactic creativityby means of innovation and expansion of media options, in addition to temporal and local flexibility. The ZFL supports these areas in addition to others by offering continuing education courses within the scope of PE (Personnel Development) and by indication of different application scenarios of new information and communication technologies (IKT) or the learning platform available to all university members (LPF).
Nevertheless, teachers and/or departments determine the extent and form of the LPF application according to their specific needs and demands.
Farsighted Strategy
With foresight in 2001, the Vice Rector of Teaching founded the initiative "Flexible Learning", creating an organisational, technical, service-oriented framework for the application of new information and communication technologies (IKTs) in education extending beyond general organizational developments.
With the introduction of the University Act of 2002 (UG 02), and therefore the new organizational plan, “Blackboard” was already a well established and welcome element of teaching and learning at the University of Salzburg. The new organization chart of the University of Salzburg, developed in the course of the implementation of the University Act (UG 02), places itsmain focus on flexibility and mobility on all levels, as well as on an increase in the appeal of teaching offers and post-graduate education. Regarding the University’s organizational goals of “flexibility” and “mobility” as they were agreed on by the organizational units and the Rector’s Office in 2004, eLearning/eTeaching already plays an important role.
eLearning / eTeaching at an Attendance University
The University of Salzburg is an attendance university. Increasingly, lectures are accompanied by LPF courses, which support the flexibility and mobility of teachers and students alike, as well as stimulate didactic creativity. Additionally, we welcome education offers in which partial to total virtualization takes place; particularly if this means a better learning experience for our students (e.g. because of their place of residence or their professional situation; because of specific content for teachers and students; or as a means to provide better quality teaching and learning for overbooked courses).
Regardless of the extent of use, there are two basic forms of eLearning distinguishable with regard to the didactic scenarios: Learning with self-learning materials and collaborative eLearning. One of the initiative’s key objectives of the 2nd period (2005-2008) is to identify and to convey, on the one hand, reasonable forms of eLearning —- and on the other hand, the appropriate extent of their use within an attendance university.
The objective of the "ZFL - Centre for Flexible Learning and New Media" is to enrich education at the University of Salzburg by supporting a broader spectrum of alternative learning and innovative teaching methods.
Temporal and spatial flexible access for students to multimedia learning materials and web-based teaching, more communication and interaction possibilities, as well as manifold support for teachers who would like to foster flexible learning, should bring more pleasure and quality in the participant’s everyday lives at the University.
Thus, the ZFL makes an important contribution to the University of Salzburg as a future-orientated, innovative education and training facility that is attractive to students from all backgrounds and learning conditions, and furthermore raises the status of the city of Salzburg and region as a centre for education and learning.
... Policy-Statement (in German)
