OKWest I

OKWest I - Open Competence Region Western Palatinate, Phase 1

Winning project in the competition "Advancement through education: open universities", 1st funding phase of the 1st round of the competition

Cooperative project of the Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) and the Hochschule Kaiserslautern (HS KL).

The opening of higher education to professionally qualified persons without formal university entrance qualifications and the development of study programmes for people returning to work and people with family responsibilities should be considered the main task of the project. The first phase of the OKWest research and development project pursued three development strategies:

1. From teaching to learning.
2. From teaching content to competences.
3. From institutions to the educational network.

In the first funding phase, the project was able to further develop or newly develop two distance learning Master's programmes:

• Master's distance learning programme Management of Health and Social Institutions (more information on the programme can be found here).
• Master's distance learning programme in Organisation and Communication (more information on the programme can be found here).

Both programmes can be studied while working and are open to people with professional qualifications via an aptitude test. The programmes have been developed along a course-specific competence profile, to which the learning and examination scenarios have been adapted. In addition, the so-called CORE model was used to create and validate a procedure specific to the field of academic continuing education for the development of course-specific competence profiles. Furthermore, the two model study programmes were successfully mapped and modulated in hybrid self-learning scenarios on the OpenOLAT learning platform.

The programmes are accompanied by an online study choice assistant, which gives prospective students a clear and vivid insight into distance learning. Interested parties can find module manuals and examination regulations, a case-based presentation of the access regulations in the programmes and videos of students, scientific directors and the management of the Distance and Independent Studies Center to gain a better insight into the daily study routine.

The cooperative project OKWest also aimed at the sustainable development of a regional education network in the Western Palatinate in cooperation with the economy, the chambers and the employment agencies, which is initiated and maintained by HS KL.

Further information on the project can be found on the project homepage.