Since early 2025, Markus Weil, Head of the Department of University Didactics and Adult Education, has been coordinating the DIZH’s educational support programme at the PH Zurich (BiFö). The programme serves as an incubator for innovative teaching projects in digital transformation and promotes cross-disciplinary, interdisciplinary collaboration.
In a bottom-up process, three strategic areas were identified, which are now being addressed by various project groups. Existing cross-disciplinary initiatives are being incorporated and the strategic priorities of the PHZH are being taken into account. ‘The aim of BiFö is to connect people who want to work on the same topics,’ explains Markus Weil. ‘We share a commitment to joint experimentation and joyful organisational learning.’
Current topics
AI & Assessment
Language models such as ChatGPT pose new challenges for university teaching, particularly in terms of assignments and exam formats. The project ‘AI-supported and AI-critical lesson planning’ investigates the reflective use of AI by students. The ‘FALKE-AI’ project is developing a didactic design that enables lecturers to provide AI-supported formative feedback.
Open Educational Resources
The OER projects pursue a strategic approach to establishing common structures and quality standards. Networking various initiatives creates synergies between departments, strengthens university-wide cooperation and ensures connectivity with DIZH universities.
Program for Development Laboratory
The laboratory is a university-wide experimental space for programme development. It tests digital solutions for strengthening individual professionalisation processes within the network and for student-centred navigation through the programme. As an open community of practice, it creates space for joint development and evaluation.
Exchange and collaboration
‘We operate according to the principle of rapid prototyping,’ says Markus Weil. Involving different support groups promotes exchange, enables decisions to be made jointly and builds bridges between different areas of work. The successes are made visible throughout the university, beyond the specific case. The first implementations will be presented at the next Teaching Day at the PHZH. All employees of the PH Zurich are invited to participate.
Contact
Markus Weil, Coordinator Education Program at PHZH