Distance learning at the DSW University

The closure of schools and universities in the wake of the pandemic was a major challenge for us, but we managed to make a smooth transition from on-site to online classes. Our most important task was to create the conditions for students to be able to continue their studies, take classes, pass examinations and even defend their diploma theses. 

Training the lecturers and staff

We have trained 200 lecturers and administrative staff to facilitate their transition to working remotely. This was all to make sure that the knowledge students acquired in online classes was just as valuable as that acquired traditionally.
It was a very intense time. There were more than 1,000 hours of lectures and online classes at weekend sessions.
We were in contact with students all the time and kept them informed about our activities. We also enabled remote contact with all the school's service departments.

DSW University students

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The activity and initiative of our students amazed us more than once. They were eager to share photos with us showing how they study remotely and cope with the hardships of isolation and who supports them while they learn. They even organised a League of Legends online team tournament on the May bank holiday.
It was a difficult time for many, so our students were able to benefit from psychological support in a special Facebook group. Sometimes you just need to talk yourself out.
In the "Knowledge Inspires Me" Facebook group, we ran free webinars on various topics. During them, participants could, for example, learn about ways to support effective learning and methods for dealing with stress and anxiety during the pandemic, find out what fake news is and how to tackle it, or how the SCRUM method can support remote learning.
The online world is very important, which is why we have joined the Microsoft Cloud Schools network. This network is made up of those schools and universities whose teaching staff are developing their skills in the area of new technologies and putting an emphasis on teaching how this technology can be used by students.

Student survey

We checked whether, also from the student’s perspective, the whole process went smoothly. Almost 600 students took part in a survey in which we asked them to evaluate the academic and administrative services at the University of Lower Silesia. We are very pleased that as many as 82.9% of them are very satisfied or satisfied with the measures taken by DSW University during the coronavirus pandemic. Lectures, practicals, the lecturers' professional preparation and the work of the service departments were all rated highly.