Three questions for “People With An Agenda”
“That’s why it’s so important for lecturers to share ideas!”
HTA Innovation Professor Dr Christina Schindler
Prof. Dr Christina Schindler
What innovation in Education are you currently developing, and what motivates you?
Christina Schindler: I am involved in the development of hybrid laboratories. This primarily involves internships that can be carried out both online and in person, or which are supplemented by online elements. The spectrum ranges from a webinar for safety training to videos demonstrating how equipment is operated, experiments that can be controlled remotely from home, or even purely virtual experiments for which there is no hardware equivalent at the university.
How can other lecturers benefit from this innovation?
Christina Schindler: We teach and learn at a University of Applied Sciences – so, naturally, there are plenty of laboratories. When it comes to hybrid laboratories, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that works for every experiment and every practical session. That is why collaboration amongst lecturers is so important: not only to introduce students to the subject, but also to develop new ideas and continually improve existing set-ups.
What is it about your innovation that helps students become responsible shapers of the future?
Christina Schindler: Digitalisation is hugely important in later professional life. Our graduates should be equipped to help shape the future within companies and research institutions – this includes being able to use digital tools confidently and having an understanding of how the virtual world and virtual collaboration can be shaped.
The future of teaching at the HM in three words...
Christina Schindler: Personal, innovative, application-oriented.
Prof. Dr Christina Schindler studied electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University. During her doctorate, she conducted research at the Jülich Research Centre in the field of resistive data storage cells. She worked as a development engineer and project manager at Siemens AG within the Corporate Technology division, developing solutions for assembly and interconnection technology for medical technology applications. Since 2012, Schindler has been Professor of Microsystems Technology at HM and is the Supervisor of a cleanroom. Her research focuses on printed electronics, with a particular emphasis on printed data storage cells. Schindler is also Programme Director of the master's degree programme in Micro- and Nanotechnology.