Digital studies at TUM with BMW

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has started its summer semester, which will take place primarily online due to the coronavirus pandemic. At very short notice, TUM has drastically expanded its digital curriculum so that all students can continue their learning activities without interruption. TUM Partners of Excellence and private individuals are supporting TUM in the ongoing development of digital teaching and testing formats as well as in speeding the creation of virtual laboratories.

The first day of the summer semester saw TUM students access more than 60,000 teaching videos. As part of the university’s “TUM Digital First” strategy, lecturers have applied great effort and creativity in producing these videos in recent weeks, mostly working from home. In order to master the didactic challenges associated with this migration to online teaching, they received comprehensive support from TUM experts in university didactics in the form of numerous webinars, online courses, didactic concepts and format examples. At the same time TUM has modified its IT infrastructure to accommodate the enormous challenges, for example holding lectures where teachers interact with 1,000 students worldwide. Students alike are making a tremendous effort, too: Approximately 400 student aids have been trained as “e-scouts” to support instructors with processing videos, holding online tutorials and accompanying discussion forums and chats.

Socially responsible role models

This undertaking of historical magnitude has been strongly supported by numerous university partners and patrons who have made donations to the TUM University Foundation or shared their expertise as important impetus for digitalisation. The largest contribution came from the BMW Group. “TUM and BMW Group have been associated as partners for many decades,” says BMW’s Chairman of the Board of Management Oliver Zipse. “In this exceptional situation it is crucial for TUM to be able to stream lectures and seminars and to give a rapid boost to the capacities required. This is essential in ensuring that young talented individuals can continue to be effectively prepared to launch their careers. The BMW Group is donating one million euros to support the major task of fundamentally digitalizing 170 degree programs, which is highly relevant to Germany as a technology hub.” TUM President Thomas F. Hofmann thanks BMW “for its visionary and generous contribution. The BMW Group is setting a socially responsible example by helping create a secure future for generations to come.”

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Source: “The future of digital studies has arrived”, Technical University of Munich