The University of Bremen is pleased: The successful project “konstruktiv”, which offers flexible study programs for working people, prospective students with family responsibilities, returnees and academics with foreign university degrees, is to receive continued funding. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is financing the further development of the project with a further 1.9 million euro. The framework is the federal and state competition “Advancement through Education: Open Universities”.

Dovetailing studying and further training

“In today’s knowledge society, it is the task of the universities to provide academic education to specialists with varied educational biographies and in different phases of life – even after completing their first academic degree,” explains project manager Dr. Ing. Petra Boxler from the Academy for Continuing Education at the University of Bremen. “In 'konstruktiv' we take this particular bull by the horns. Undergraduate studies and further education must in future be more closely interlinked.”

This is because innovation cycles are getting increasingly shorter; and because not only the individual benefits from part-time studies, but also the employer. With this in mind, “konstruktiv” developed the modular course of studies called LIFE, which has been undergoing empirical testing since the fall of 2017. LIFE makes it possible for people interested in further education to take part in modules from the fields of computer science & digital media, production engineering as well as health & nursing. They can take exams and earn credit points. The modules can be individually documented or combined to further education certificates. In the second funding phase of "konstruktiv" it is planned to extend this offer to possibly include studying for a master's degree.

Flexible curricula for professionals

The main focus of work in the “konstruktiv” project is on the development of flexible curricula that reflect the further education requirements of working people in the best possible way. In order to improve the compatibility of studying with work and family commitments, part of the curriculum should be flexible in terms of both location and time windows. Such an approach requires that classroom attendance can be replaced by e-learning or self-guided learning.

An extensive offer of counseling and support for students in further education facilitates entry and the individual design of studies. The aim of the second funding phase is also to create structures that sustainably embed the modular studies LIFE in the University together with the approaches developed in “konstruktiv”.

The trial phase of LIFE will be continued in the summer semester of 2018. Prospective students can register for selected modules until March 15, 2018. Detailed information on the project “konstruktiv” can be found under www.uni-bremen.de/konstruktiv and on the study offers under www.uni-bremen.de/life.

If you would like to have more information on this topic, feel free to contact:

Dr. Petra Boxler (project leader)
University of Bremen
Academy for Continuing Education
Phone: 0421 / 218-61600
Email: konstruktivprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de