An era in the digital age: 25 years of the Virtual University of Bavaria

The strong higher education network has written a success story

BAMBERG/MUNICH. The Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb) celebrated its 25th anniversary on 15 May: 25 years of networking and innovation in digital teaching. As a pioneer in online teaching, the vhb has written a success story and has continued to develop: ‘The Future of Teaching is Now’. What began in 2000 with a cross-university digital course offering for students in Bavaria has now reached people interested in continuing education worldwide. With its 36 member universities, the vhb has shaped the educational landscape far beyond university boundaries and far beyond Bavaria. It remains a unique model throughout Europe.

In a video message for the vhb's digital commemorative publication, Science Minister Markus Blume offered his congratulations in advance and emphasised: "25 years in the digital age is an era. The vhb has shown that a virtual campus can be combined with excellent teaching. It has always been a true pioneer in terms of the quality and scope of its courses. Just as teaching is changing and new technologies are emerging, so too is the vhb. With the vhb, we are excellently positioned in Bavaria. But it is not only important to look back, but also to look ahead: we, as the Free State of Bavaria, will continue to actively support the vhb and lead this unique network of higher education institutions into a bright future, in the interests of our students in Bavaria."

At the ceremony in the AULA of the University of Bamberg, Ministerial Director Stephanie Jacobs, the new head of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, conveyed the congratulations of the state government at her first appointment and summed up: "Twenty-five years ago, the digital world was in its infancy. Bavarian higher education institutions took the bold step of rethinking teaching and learning and established their joint virtual campus, the vhb." The concept has been a success, as the vhb's usage figures show. While there were around 2,000 course enrolments by students in 2000, there are now around 200,000 per year, with a total of more than 2.7 million since its foundation. Jacobs went on to say: "The vhb stands for new impetus and new approaches to higher education. It is equally successful with its open course offerings for all interested parties. Today, OPEN vhb reaches learners in 139 countries. The vhb is a global figurehead and trendsetter, constantly expanding and optimising its offerings. It is a driver of innovation in the higher education landscape. Our investments in teaching are investments in the future."

Professor Godehard Ruppert, President of the Virtual University of Bavaria for more than 20 years, offered a look back and a look ahead in his speech. He said that Bavaria's higher education institutions and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts had jointly seized the historic opportunity to found the vhb. ‘Since the vhb was not intended as a start-up aid for the digitisation of university teaching, but was designed as a permanent institution, it still exists today.’ The vhb's success factors include consistent quality assurance with regular evaluations of the courses on offer and the entire organisation, continuous further development – whether in terms of the portfolio of courses, the technical infrastructure or the course content with the use and teaching of new technologies such as AI.

Another highlight was the award ceremony for teachers for special assessments. More than 600 teachers are involved in the vhb, developing and delivering online courses for all students in Bavaria or open courses for anyone interested. It is to them that the vhb owes much of its success, because they have impressed with creative teaching approaches, interactive learning formats and high-quality digital teaching since the vhb was founded. During the ceremony, three awards were presented in each of the three categories ‘Outstanding Support’ – CLASSIC vhb (courses that can be credited towards a university degree), ‘Outstanding Media Didactics’ - OPEN vhb (open courses for anyone interested) and ‘Outstanding Overall Concept/Integration into Teaching’ - SMART vhb (digital learning units).

Photos of the event are available for free download at https://www.vhb.org/ueber-uns/25-Jahre/bilder.

A digital commemorative publication and impressions of the ceremony can be found at https://www.vhb.org/25-jahre/.

Photo credit: Matthias Hoch

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