The Educational Advisory Board of Sparkasse Schwarzwald-Baar and representatives of Furtwangen University exchanged ideas on the topic of school partnerships. They want to break new ground together to make the transition to university easier for school students. Photo: Furtwangen University
Networking meeting at Furtwangen University - new ideas for schools
An exchange organized by Furtwangen University (HFU) and attended by the Educational Advisory Board of Sparkasse Schwarzwald-Baar focused on opportunities for cooperation, particularly in relation to schools. The Educational Advisory Board of Sparkasse Schwarzwald-Baar comprises the principals of 14 schools in the Schwarzwald-Baar district and is chaired by Susanne Cotinovis-Piel, head of the Donaueschingen State Education Authority. HFU Head of Administration Andrea Linke welcomed the guests warmly and gave a short presentation on the university and its departments. “The experiences that young people have had, for example, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, are different from those in previous years. We also notice this among our first-year students. That's why I'm delighted about this exchange, which will help to ensure a smooth transition from school to university,” said Andrea Linke.
During a tour of several laboratories on the Furtwangen campus, participants gained an insight into the diversity of topics covered at HFU. In the robotics laboratory, where autonomous beverage vending machines are being developed, among other things, the participants considered school playgrounds as a possible area of application for the robots. In the media labs, they gained an impression of the “green screen,” motion capturing, and film and sound recordings used in the media world. In the Safety and Hazardous Materials Lab, they were shown some experiments that are part of the HFU's Taster Programme during the Autumn and Whitsun holidays. "During the Exp
“During the experiments, we considered how we could better tailor the existing school workshop programme to individual school types, from elementary school to high school,” says Saskia Wartenberg, who is responsible for school cooperation at the university. The tour ended with the health sciences laboratories, which also include the practice delivery room. “We attach great importance to the connection between research and teaching. In the practice delivery room, realistic case situations can be simulated. In addition, all of our study programmes have a very high practical component,” explains Andrea Linke. “In addition to programmes for high school students, we also consider continuing education, e.g., for teachers, to be important. This creates added value for everyone involved, as the latest scientific findings can also be conveyed to schools in this way. Here, too, we already have very popular programmes for teachers, such as continuing education in the field of cybersecurity, and we are happy to continue to tailor these to their needs.”
“During our discussions, we have already identified initial starting points for further cooperation between schools and our university. For example, seminar papers could be a useful addition to the existing programme. We are already planning to repeat the meeting,” summarises Wartenberg. “Cooperation with schools is important and enriching, so I am always delighted when teachers, staff, or school administrators approach me so that we can work together to find or develop the right programme.”
Further information about school partnerships is available on the university's website: https://www.hs-furtwangen.de/info-pool/schulen.
About the Educational Advisory Board: The committee's task is to advise Sparkasse Schwarzwald-Baar, represented by Florian Klausmann, Deputy Chairman of the Board, on fulfilling its legal mandate for economic education. Two of the three annual meetings of the advisory board are used to visit a regional company or institution in order to give school administrators the opportunity to exchange ideas with the respective training managers and to establish partnerships.