RPTU is a member of the "University Network Education through Responsibility e.V."
The RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) is a new member of the "Hochschulnetzwerk Bildung durch Verantwortung e.V." (HBdV). The aim of the network is to promote partnerships between civil society organizations and universities and to facilitate a mutual transfer of knowledge.
In view of the fundamental societal challenges in ecological, political, social and economic terms, it is also becoming increasingly important for universities to take responsibility and look beyond disciplinary boundaries. Social responsibility is therefore firmly anchored in the canon of values at RPTU and includes critically questioning the consequences of our own actions in a rapidly changing world. "We see it as our task to educate students comprehensively in order to contribute to solving the challenges facing society as a whole. In a complex and rapidly changing world, we provide them with the necessary skills to take on responsibility in business, society and science," states the mission statement at RPTU.
In a process of merging two locations and different subject cultures - as is currently taking place at RPTU - intra-university exchange in conjunction with an interlocking of partnership contacts and professional discourse in the network "University Network Education through Responsibility" can fuel new qualities of social commitment.
At RPTU, this means that students have the opportunity to get involved in charitable organizations and associations as part of their courses and help solve real problems. The service learning teaching format used here combines social engagement and university learning, e.g. when students get involved as mentors in learning tandems or in a language café within a seminar - and support newly arrived or refugee mentees in learning German and in school and training.
"Over the past year and a half, the 'ServiceLearning@rptu' project has enabled us to make existing experiences at both campuses of our university more visible and to bring committed teaching staff together across campuses. We are therefore all the more pleased to continue this exchange in the future as part of the 'Education through Responsibility' university network and thus further strengthen the transfer of successful formats and joint reflection on good teaching in social responsibility across universities," says Professor Mandy Schiefner-Rohs, designated Vice President for Teaching at RPTU.
More about the ServiceLearning@rptu project at:
Service Learning - RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau
About the university network Bildung durch Verantwortung e.V.:
Bildung durch Verantwortung e.V. was founded in 2009 and is the largest German-speaking university network after the German Rectors' Conference (HRK). As a competence and exchange platform for the promotion of innovative formats in the areas of teaching and learning, transfer and research, the network aims to strengthen the civic engagement and transfer activities of students, teachers and university staff. Further information: netzwerk-bdv.de