Topic outline

  • General

  • The first virtual International Summit - Communication and Media was a great success


    As part of the BWS plus project "Development of an ADaptive DIgital Learning System for the Expansion of Technical communication and the multicultural and multi-medial exchange in Kenya and Germany (ADDI)", the first International Summit 2020 was held on 20th and 21st October 2020 focusing on "Communication and Media". The virtual event was organised by Prof. Sissi Closs and her project team from the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. International guests from nine different nations attended the event. The ADDI project is financed over 3 years within the framework of the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for university students - BWS plus, a program of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung.

    Following the success of the International Spring School 2019 in Karlsruhe and the International Summer School 2019 in Kilifi (Kenya), another International Summer School for the exchange of German and Kenyan students was planned to be held this year. Due to the Corona Pandemic, however, this could not take place in the usual analogue sense. But new challenges demand new ways of thinking: Therefore, the Summer School was held virtually for the first time under the name "International Summit 2020 - Communication and Media". The online event platform Hopin.to was chosen for the implementation because it offers a virtual event environment for exhibition rooms and workshops in addition to the typical streaming offer. The fact that everyone could now take part in the online event with an appropriate end device (laptop or smartphone) regardless of location opened up new possibilities. The International Summit truly lived up to its name: more than 70 people from nine different countries and six different universities took part in the event. The two-day conference focused on intercultural exchange on topics of technical communication.

    The first conference day started with an introduction by the organisation and ADDI project team around Prof. Sissi Closs and a speech by Prof. Dr. Michael Tewes, Dean of the Faculty of Information Management and Media at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. Afterwards, Alexandra Ahmed, project manager at Baden-Württemberg International presented on behalf of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung  the numerous funding opportunities for students and lecturers offered by the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for students and BWS plus. What do students at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences deal with in the Communications and Media Management course? Why is communication so important? These were the questions addressed by Prof. Closs in her presentation in order to familiarise the Kenyan participants in particular with the field of technical communication, which has been largely unknown in Kenya until now. Afterwards the informative lectures "Writing for global" by Birgitta Meex from KU Leuven (Belgium) and "Practice in Technical Communication" by Yvonne Cleary from the University of Limerick in Ireland followed. During the lectures there was a lively exchange in the event chat.

     

    After a lunch break, the preparation for the following workshops were held in the form of exciting impulse lectures on various topics from the field of "Communication and Media", such as storytelling (by Karin Thier), videos on the social network YouTube (by Miriam Yaman), target group-oriented writing ("Is less really more?" by Magdalena Eberlein), basics of visualisation (by Daniel Bartschat), as well as an introduction to website creation (by Martin Schober). In the workshops "Creating my first website" "My first visual illustration" and "My first video on YouTube", own projects on these topics were then implemented in small groups.

     

    The second day of the conference began with an exciting presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Munyaya from Pwani University on the topic of "Communication". Thereafter also exciting presentations by Cristian Mustata from the Politehnica University of Bucharest in Romania on the topic "Role of Media in Communication for Entrepreneurs" and by Joyce Karreman from the University of Twente in the Netherlands on the topic "User-Centered Design" followed. Alexandra Ahmed, again explained the various funding opportunities offered by the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM. In this context, Belinda Oechsler, former student at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, and Paul Mumelo, student at Pwani University, reported on their experiences abroad with the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for students - BWS plus. Both agreed that it was a great opportunity to gain new impressions, get to know new cultures and educational systems and, above all, to grow personally through this.

    The two-day international conference ended with the presentation of the workshop results of the previous day. The first virtual "International Summit 2020 - Communication and Media" was a great success, thanks to the lively participation from nine different countries, who exchanged views during the event via the event chat. All participants were enthusiastic about the organisation and implementation of the virtual Summer School. "From our point of view, this exciting experiment was a great success," Prof. Sissi Closs summarised. 

     

    Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM
    The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM supports the international exchange of students and vocationally qualified people. Since 2001, it has enabled more than 25,000 young people from Baden-Württemberg to gain experience abroad and allowed scholarship holders from other countries to visit Baden-Württemberg. Approximately 1,500 young people receive a Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM each year.

    www.bw-stipendium.de

    Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Students – BWS plus
    With the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Students – BWS plus, the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung supports innovative joint projects between universities from Baden-Württemberg and their international partners. The programme, which is endowed with approximately 1.2 million euros annually, was announced for the first time in 2011. Since then, more than 90 BWS plus projects have been supported at universities in Baden-Württemberg.

    The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung
    advocates a vital Baden-Württemberg with a high quality of life for all its residents. It helps pave the way for advanced technological progress, high quality education, and a responsible relationship with fellow human beings. The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung is one of the major foundations in Germany. It is the only foundation which exclusively and above party lines invests in the future of the state of Baden-Württemberg – and thus in the future of its citizens.

    www.bwstiftung.de


     

    • "Exchange Opportunities" from Alexandra Ahmed, Baden-Württemberg Stiftung

      Alexandra Ahmed, projectmanager and representative of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, introduced the numerous funding opportunities for students and lecturers offered by the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for students and BWS plus.

       

       

      • "Cooperation between PU and HsKA" from Prof. Dr. Rukiya Swaleh, Pwani University

        Prof. Dr. Rukiya Swaleh presented the Pwani University in Kilifi (Kenya) and gave a short introduction into the cooperation between the Pwani University and der University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe.

         

         

        • „What is Communication and Media?" from Prof. Sissi Closs, University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe

          What do students at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (Germany) deal with in the Communications and Media Management programme? Why is communication so important? Prof. Closs addressed these questions in her presentation.

           

           

          • "Writing for global" from Birgitta Meex, KU Leuven

            Birgitta Meex from KU Leuven (Belgium) first presents KU Leuven in this video and then deals with interesting aspects of "Writing for global".

             
             

            • "Communities of Practice in Technical Communication" from Yvonne Cleary, University of Limerick

              Yvonne Cleary from University of Limerick (Ireland) presented the Limerick University and discussed the topic of Communities of Practice in Technical Communication.
               
               

              • "Role of Media in Communication for Entrepreneurs" from Cristian Mustata, Politehnica University of Bucharest

                Christian Mustata presented the Politehnica University in Bucharest (Romania) and discussed the interesting topic "Role of Media and Communication for Entrepreneur".

                 

                 

                • "User-Centered Design" from Joyce Karreman, University of Twente

                  In this talk, Joyce Karreman presented the Twente University (Netherlands) and discussed User-Centered-Design.
                   

                   

                  • "Importance of Communication in Academics" from Dr. Elisabeth Munyaya, Pwani University

                    What is the importance of communication in general and especially in the academics? Dr. Elisabeth Jumwa Munyaya from Pwani University discussed this topic of communication.
                     
                     

                    • "Storytelling" from Karin Thier, Narrata Consult

                      How do I tell a story? In a impulse talk, Karin Thier from Narrata Consult will be dealing with the important topic of "storytelling".

                       

                       

                      • "How to start a YouTube Channel" from Miriam Yaman, University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe

                        How do I create my own YouTube channel and how can I earn money with my videos? In her impulse talk, Miriam Yaman from the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe (Germany) deals with the topic "How to start a YouTube channel".

                         

                         

                        • "Is less really more?" from Magdalena Eberlein, University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe

                          How to write target-group specific and understandable texts? How important is minimalist writing? In her impulse talk, Magdalena Eberlein from University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe (Germany) discussed the question "Is less really more?".

                           

                           

                          • "Basics of Visualization" from Daniel Bartschat, Playful Insights

                            How can you visually illustrate different things using simple shapes? Daniel Bartschat from Playful Insights shows in this video the "Basics of Visualization".

                             

                             

                            • "Introduction into Website Creation" from Martin Schober, University of Applied Science Karlsruhe

                              Building your own website is not that difficult. In his talk Martin Schober from University of Applied Karlsruhe (Germany) gives a short insight into the topic "Introduction into Website Creation".
                               
                               

                              • "My Exchange Experience in Kenya" from Belinda Oechsler, University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe

                                Belinda Oechsler, former Master's student at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, spent an exchange semester at Pwani University in Kilifi in the winter semester 2018. In this video she talks about her experiences during her stay in Kenya.
                                 
                                 

                                • "My German Experience" from Paul Mumelo, Pwani University

                                  In his presentation, Paul Mumelo, student from Pwani University (Kenya),  talks about his experiences as an exchange student at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in Germany. He focuses on the benefits and downsides of student exchange programmes.