A view of a brightly lit university lecture theatre in Stuttgart filled with students, overlaid with a futuristic, three-dimensional graphic. The graphic depicts luminous, modular cubes (micromodules) representing various disciplines. ©

Micro-modules

Connecting knowledge in a flexible way. We develop compact, combinable learning units that seamlessly integrate fundamental and discipline-specific knowledge from different disciplines.

The concept:

Study modules are the central building blocks of today's degree programs. A module bundles together a thematically and temporally self-contained teaching unit that is assessed as a whole and, depending on the workload involved, is credited with a certain number of credit points (ECTS credits).

Study modules are currently designed predominantly by a single discipline, which means that foundational knowledge from other disciplines is often taught in isolation and without a direct link to its application. As a result, students often learn important fundamentals several semesters before they are actually needed in a subject-specific context.

Micro-modules offer a new approach here: they are compact learning units with a workload of approximately 20 to 40 hours (about 1 ECTS). Each micro-module covers a clearly defined area of knowledge (e.g. fundamentals, applications, or advanced topics) and can be flexibly integrated into existing study modules or combined into new, standalone study modules.

Micro-modules thus enable a close interlocking of fundamentals and their subject-specific application and foster interdisciplinary thinking across disciplinary boundaries.

 
Schematic overview of how micro-modules can be used in higher education: micro-modules can be combined (stacked) to create new "tailor-made" study modules for use within a discipline or for export to other degree programmes, and individual micro-modules can be integrated into existing study modules (host modules).
Schematic overview of how micro-modules can be used in higher education: micro-modules can be combined (stacked) to create new "tailor-made" study modules for use within a discipline or for export to other degree programmes, and individual micro-modules can be integrated into existing study modules (host modules).

Micro-modules in teaching – our current offerings:

Elective module: Soft Condensed Matter

The added value at a glance:

 
  • Linking theory and application: Foundational knowledge can be taught precisely where it is needed for subject-specific application. This embeds theoretical content directly into the disciplinary context. It makes it easier for students to understand the learning content, increases motivation to learn, and makes the relevance of what has been learned immediately visible.

  • Adaptability: Micromodules can be assembled to suit specific subjects and tailored to the respective requirements of different degree programs. This allows teaching offerings to be designed flexibly and transferred to various contexts.

  • Efficient use of teaching offerings: Once developed, micromodules can be used across different study modules, thereby reducing the effort required to develop comparable teaching content. At the same time, their flexible deployment options enable broader integration into various degree programs and help give a larger number of students access to interdisciplinary learning.

  • Perspectives for lifelong learning: Thanks to their high combinability, micromodules are suitable not only for higher education teaching but also facilitate use in lifelong learning. They thus create the basis for a sustainable transfer of knowledge between the university, professional practice, and society.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Skills students acquire
  • Transfer skills and interdisciplinary thinking: Students not only become familiar with theoretical fundamentals but apply them directly in disciplinary contexts. This strengthens their ability to connect knowledge and methods from different fields and to transfer them to new cross-disciplinary questions.
  • Application-oriented understanding: Through the close link between foundational knowledge and its application, students engage more deeply with the learning content and develop a deeper understanding of its significance and practical use.
  • Problem-solving skills: Because foundational knowledge is not taught in isolation, students learn to approach complex problems analytically and in a solution-oriented way.

Your contacts

This image showsFrank Gießelmann

Frank Gießelmann

Prof. Dr.
This image showsStella Varytimiadou

Stella Varytimiadou

 

PhD Student

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