During the COVID 19 pandemic, a great deal of effort was put into expanding the technical infrastructure and developing ad hoc digital teaching and learning formats at the TU Dortmund. In order to pick up on these efforts, strategically continue and expand them, and specifically promote key digital competencies for all students, the Hybrid Learning Center (HyLeC) is being established. A wide range of technical resources and media represent an essential element of this.

The offerings of the HyLeC are aimed at all students of the TU Dortmund University, regardless of their course of study and progress or their theoretical and practical previous experience. The aim is to give all students the opportunity to learn about, with and on technology and to develop key digital skills. In this context, the following characteristics represent the understanding of an open and creative approach to technology that applies at HyLeC:

Avoid barriers

At HyLeC, technology is made accessible to all and largely free of barriers. We enable low-threshold access and support students in the use of technology, tools and media based on their personal abilities and skills. In doing so, we take individual needs into account and design the usage scenarios and possibilities together with students. Technology at HyLeC is there to be touched, tried out and used and should be used as freely, creatively and without fear or hesitation as possible. No matter if it is the first steps in the VR world or the first podcast, in the HyLeC individual needs are taken into account and suitable support is offered in all areas.

Exploiting possibilities

At HyLeC, students should be able to experience the possibilities and potential that technology offers. The focus is on the students' strengths and abilities when dealing with technology. They should work and learn with the technologies, tools and media as independently as possible and without restrictions. To make this possible, assistive technologies are also made available and own solutions are developed, implemented and adapted together with the students according to their individual needs. In particular, the opportunities arising from mutual support in the use of technology and the joint development of innovative ideas in the sense of the community idea are to be used. Thanks to forward-looking technologies and the networking of technology, it is possible, for example, to independently plan and execute the entire process chain from the 3D scan to the CAD model to the additively manufactured component. Technology can be experienced and the focus is on multidisciplinary aspects from the fields of technology, development, manufacturing and programming.

Providing safety

In HyLeC, students learn how to use technology safely. Consciously dealing with possible hazards is just as important as feeling safe when using technology, tools and media. We provide assistance and "watch out", but we also make sure that students don't have to be afraid of breaking anything. When equipping the HyLeC, we make sure that the technology is as easy and safe to use as possible and robust enough for everyone to try out. Students can discover new technologies as "makers" and simply dare to try something out. The HyLeC provides an environment to test different solutions, make mistakes and learn from mistakes. In this way, even a laser cutter quickly loses its terror, despite the light and smoke.

Do it yourself

HyLeC is all about students using technology themselves and realizing their own projects. The active use and design of technology and media is the core of the concept. HyLeC's offerings are intended to be "enablers" for the most competent and independent use of technology possible and to make students aware of their creative possibilities when dealing with technology. At HyLeC, you can have a lot of things shown and explained to you, but you can't "have" anything done. Here, it's all about doing it yourself - and we are happy to support, accompany and advise you in this. We welcome students who recognize challenges in a new way, think about problems in a new way and find solutions in a new way.

Being open

At HyLeC, we offer technology to openly get to know, try out and use, and are always open to students' ideas and requests. The physical and virtual doors of HyLeC are open to everyone, whether nerd or newbie or anyone in between. At HyLeC, technology can also be tried out "just like that" in an open and creative way, without concrete tasks and work assignments in the course of studies. We want technology, tools and media to be openly accessible to everyone. For this purpose, we rely on open source as far as possible and also make our results and concepts available as Open Educational Resources.