Remote online teaching in modern languages in Germany: responses according to audiences and teaching objectives

Abstract

This chapter reports on the ‘Corona teaching’ in a department of English studies at a German university of technology. It discusses the general frame in the German university system and in this specific department, faculty and university. It focuses on the responses depending on participants and learning objectives. One larger lecture for 1st year Bachelor of Arts (BA) students used Moodle to teach a traditional knowledge transfer course, the ‘History of English language and culture’. One smaller seminar used Big Blue Button (BBB) to teach a more interactive Master of Arts (MA) course on ‘Translation theory and technology’. The overall experience was positive for the good students who managed the challenge well, but it was negative for others who were less privileged in their technical equipment or their resilience. Some losses included more social class activities; opportunities included additional learning in the media and digital contexts – possibly invaluable advantages for further developments for modern foreign language specialists in future.