Distance Education in Germany
R. Manfred Delling

General

Distance learning courses at present on offer to the public in Germany can be divided into two groups:

Both groups contain, for example, the overwhelming majority of courses offered by state-run or state-approved universities as well as the courses of the 'Television-based Programmes.'

Both groups contain distance courses which can be considered as 'professional training' in the broadest sense.

Although there are no fundamental differences in theory or practice and while the language used varies and is not standardised, at university level distance studies are often spoken of as below the university level of distance teaching.

Distance study courses at universities

General

Universities as defined in the federal University Framework Law (HRG) are the Universities, the Colleges of Education, the Art Schools, the Technical Universities and the other educational establishments which are universities according to the law of the state (Land). All universities have one thing in common: they are either state-run or state-approved.

In addition to the above, it is always the practice in every day conversation in Germany to distinguish between 'academic' universities and others - without ever specifically describing he 'others' as 'non-academic'.

The indisputably 'academic' universities include the universities, the technological universities, the colleges of technology as well as certain specialised colleges (e.g. theological colleges and, in certain Länder, colleges of education). One feature which they have in common is the award of the doctorate.

There is often, generally speaking , a definite reservation in the universities about distance education for the reason, among others, that their present infrastructure is not really suited to the establishment of distance learning courses.

For this reason one of the main concerns of the 'Federal Länder Commission for Education Planning and Research Development (BLK) ' is to encourage the conventional universities to offer more distance education courses. In this context a funding agency 'Distance Education' was created in 1993 to finance distance learning projects.

The aim is to make distance studies a fully recognised and equal component of the education system. Between the establishment of the funding agency and the end of 1996 a total of 44 grant applications for distance education projects were made. 23 projects were accepted for funding, the amount granted totalling DM 27 million.

Distance study courses at the Academic Universities

General

The providers of these course include the state-run 'Distance University' in Hagen (Westphalia), the private Lahr College of Economics and Sociology for students in employment - state-approved academic University of the AKAD - and certain state-run conventional universities.

To this category also belong the courses of the 'Radio-based programmes', a joint project of various radio stations and the German Institute for the Development of Distance Studies at the University of Tübingen (DIFF). Certificates from the radio courses may be accepted by the universities as credits in foundation studies.

The distance study materials produced by the DIFF are specifically designed for use in courses in this category.

Academic Distance-teaching universities

The Distance University-Comprehensive University in Hagen (Westphalia), which opened in the 1975/76 winter semester, is an academic university in the state (land) of NorthRhine-Westphalia. In the winter semester 1995/96 it had a total of 54,728 students, mainly people in employment studying part-time, viz. 30,593 (55.9%) plus 9,247 (16.9%) auditing students, 8,113 (16.1%) full-time students and 2,129 (5.1%) students enrolled at a conventional university while also studying a subject at the Distance University.

The Lahr College of Economics and Sociology for students in employment (WHL) of the AKAD received official recognition in December 1995; courses in business management and the economic theory are due to start in the summer 1997 semester. Both subjects will be offered at degree level only. Foundation courses will be replaced by the successful completion of a course of study in the relevant faculty of a college of technology, a college of education or a professional training establishment or by gaining a certificate in foundation studies at a university.

Academic Conventional Universities

Academic conventional universities offering distance learning courses include the universities of Berlin (Freie U. and Humboldt-U.), Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Hannover, Hildesheim, Jena, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Koblenz-Landau, Leipzig, Lüneburg, Oldenburg, Rostock and Tübingen, the Technical Universities of Berlin, Chemnitz-Zwickau, Dresden, Freiberg and Ilmenau as well as the Bauhaus University at Weimar.

Basic and higher level courses are offered.

Distance learning courses at Colleges of Technology

General

Courses are offered by both distance-teaching and conventional colleges.

Distance-teaching Colleges

There are as yet no state-run distance-teaching colleges in Germany, only a few state-approved private ones. The longest established are the distance-teaching colleges of the AKAD. These are the Colleges for students in employment in Rendsburg (state-approved in 1984), the South German College for students in employment in Lahr (1991) and the East German College for students in employment in Leipzig (1992).

Further private distance-teaching college projects are:

The Distance teaching college in Darmstadt of the 'German Further education Society (DWG)' (approved by the sate (Land) of Hessen in 1996, with courses in Information Technology planned to start in the summer semester 1997).

The Distance-teaching College in Hamburg (FFH) of the Education Department of the German Public Employees' Union (DAG) in Hamburg (at the planning state, application for recognition already submitted)

The Distance-teaching college of the 'Institute for Teaching Methods(OILS)' in Hamburg (at the planning state, application for their recognition already submitted)

One College, which is not specifically described as a 'Distance-teaching College', the great majority of whose courses are offered as distance learning, is the Kolping-College of Technology - College of Economics state-approved college of the Kolping Academy plc in Riedlingen. It was recognised by the state (Land) of Baden-Württemberg in 1996. The programme was launched in the winter semester 1996/97.

Conventional Colleges of Technology

Conventional colleges of technology at present offering or planning distance learning courses include the colleges in Berlin (TFH and FHTW), Bochum, Brandenburg, Dortmund, Dresden, Furtwangen, Gelsenkirchen, Iserlohn, Jena, Köln, Magdeburg, Merseburg, Mittweida, Mönchengladbach, Potsdam, Wildau, Zittau-Görlitz and Zwickau; the colleges in Anhalt, Lausitz and Rheinland-Pfalz; the export academy of Baden-Wüttemberg in Reutlingen; the Colleges of Music in Dresden and Weimar and the College of Art in Halle.

The above also offer both basic and higher level courses.

It should be mentioned at this point that some colleges have recently decided to cooperate and offer joint distance learning courses.

The Television-based Programme

The television based programme is run by government departments of the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Nordrhein-Westphalia, Rheinland-Platinate and the Saar in conjunction with the regional broadcasting stations. Between 1994 and 1996 a total of 9,500 new enrolments at college level were provided for and recorded.

Distance courses covered by the Distance Education legislation

The official statistics of the ZFU for the year 1995 give a total of 142,054 students on distance learning courses. 50,729 of these are preparing for public or state-run examinations. As the statistic refers to voluntary statements, the ZFU estimates that the figure is more likely to be 150,000.

The official register of all state-approved courses ranges from the 'Abitur' to 'Relaxation Techniques', the registered courses for leisure and hobbies from 'Astrological anthropology' to 'Women's Classes'. It lists the addresses of 186 providers.

51 providers are currently members of the German Distance Studies Union (DFV).