The University of Konstanz is part of EUniWell, a European University Alliance funded by the Erasmus+ programme. To foster collaborative grassroots projects by researchers, students, teachers, and administrative staff across the EUniWell universities, the alliance established its own Seed Funding Programme. Two initiatives involving the University of Konstanz were successful in the last call of this programme: a project to promote open educational resources (OER.Pro) and a reading laboratory against intolerance (LIT-LAB).
The EUniWell Seed Funding Programme aims to catalyse innovative research, teaching, policy development, and student well-being across all member universities – including the University of Konstanz. Implemented collaboratively at all EUniWell partner universities, projects selected for funding address a diverse array of topics, such as mental and physical health, individual and social well-being, quality education, and environmental sustainability –all critical aspects for well-being and quality of life. The OER.Pro and LIT-LAB projects involving the University of Konstanz were both awarded funding.
OER.Pro aims to promote open educational resources (OER) within EUniWell. It encourages teachers and students to open up the teaching process by using and creating OER, and it provides them with useful skills and knowledge on OER from academic practise. The coordinating Team Open Science from the University of Konstanz has succeeded in winning renowned scientists and open education professionals from six other partner universities. Their goal is to increase the number of open educational resources as well as collaborative teaching activities within the alliance. Finally, the project is to promote a more equal and transparent teaching process along with EUniWell’s commitment to open education.
LIT-LAB seeks to build a reading laboratory against transphobia and xenophobia. The University of Murcia along with the University of Konstanz and three other EUniWell partners are studying how literature can promote changes in individual attitudes. Specifically, the group of researchers, doctoral candidates and students explores the potential of literature to reduce prejudices towards groups usually stigmatised in European societies, i.e. those who run a high risk of being discriminated against.
Both projects, OER.Pro and LIT-LAB, are scheduled to start on 1 June 2024.
Contact: Daniela Kromrey, European University Alliance coordinator
Image Caption: University of Konstanz; Photocredit © Frank Nachtwey / University of Konstanz
