Over the past four years we have developed and coordinated seven DAAD Projects within three distinct funding programs; namely „LEARN[IN]" https://learn-in.eu focusing on developing and fostering international partnerships in different academic formats such as conferences, labs and workshops taking place in Germany, Italy and Portugal, "Neckar Now Summer School“ https://www.srh-hochschule-heidelberg.de/en/projects/school-of-engineering-and-architecture/summer-school-neckar-now/ giving the opportunity to international students to travel and get an insight of studying and living in Germany, and „ITEMS+“ https://design-built-environment.org/items/ with the aim of co-creation, co-teaching, as well as (student) collaboration within an joint course between two universities in Portugal and Germany.
Due to the COVID-Pandemic (between 2020 and 2022), all programs were implemented either completely virtually or in a hybrid fashion. This forced digitalization shift allowed us to test various digital platforms and environments with our participants. While some may believe that the pandemic has forced our hand but opened up new educational opportunities and fields, others believe that this is a fleeting phase and that everything will return to "normal" as before.
Based on our experience, we consider that digital learning at home (purely virtual formats and remote learning) will not be the "education of the future"; we view the adoption of digital formats as more of a complement to face-to-face settings. Digital technologies are a great asset to the education sector, but we must view them as an addition to the face-to-face experience. Nevertheless, returning to "the way things were" would be a waste of the opportunities and insights gained during the pandemic.
The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate the benefits and limitations of digital technologies in an international educational context, based on our research and taking use of the unprecedented growth in digital settings.