DaF2L: Teaching German - Learning German (Project DaF2L/Freiraum 2023)

The project "DaF2L: Teaching German - Learning German" combines innovative technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration to explore new possibilities in language teaching. The Virtual Reality (VR) application "GuudeVR," developed at the h-da Media Campus by PhD students Andreas Fuchs and Sven Appel under the direction of Prof. Paul Grimm (Faculty of Media/Extended Realities), provided international students with unique learning experiences. With the help of ten Meta Quest 3 VR-headsets, participants immersed themselves in realistic action spaces where they completed communicative tasks, received language feedback, and reflected on their language skills.
In addition, the Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development e. V. (g.a.s.t.) has modernized its learning platform Deutsch-Uni-Online (DUO) and made it more transparent, which allowed it to be implemented as the main resource in three German courses. Exercises with automated feedback (oral or written assignments, forum contributions) and tutoring promote individual learning progress. As part of the project, students attending the seminar "DUO – Online Tutor Qualification" at Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) in the 2024/25 winter semester were able to refine their tutoring skills at an academic level, supplemented by classroom observation in three German courses at h_da. This phase included both an online segment and a three-day visit to h_da in March 2025. International students benefited from individual language-learning support by h_da lecturers and LMU master students, who in turn completed their qualification with this program.

Furthermore, the use of immersive media (e.g. VR headsets or 360-degree cameras) in language teaching was explored. The integration of VR scenarios and data protection challenges were central themes during the January 2025 visit of LMU students and faculty members to the Media Campus in Dieburg. On this occasion, they had the opportunity to discuss the topic of "Virtual Reality in the Field of Languages and Interculturality" with international faculty members and students from the EUT+ Alliance as part of a workshop organized by the h_da Language Center. The "DaF2L" project has thus acquired an interdisciplinary, cross-university character, which is also attracting international attention from the partner universities of the EUT+ Alliance.

A documentary film offers insights into the project's progress and vision. Further films are in preparation to accompany the development on an ongoing basis.