The seminar requires students to develop a topic and go into depth while researching this topic. In doing so, the subject matter is not prepared and presented by the teacher but by the students who prepare the contents of the course and present these in the form of oral reports.
Following the oral report, a discussion takes place that allows for reflection and constructive criticism. Further, students are normally expected to turn in a term paper on the results of their research.
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Teachers of seminars have the role as advisors and moderators. As specialists in the field of the specific topic, they advise the students on their independent work. As moderators, they lead the discussion and, if necessary, provide background information. Seminars are offered primarily in the humanities, the number of participants often limited.
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By implementing digital media components, characteristics of a seminar can be supported. Various aspects of the categories Contents, Communication, and Organisation should be kept in mind when incorporating digital media assistance into a seminar. More information on this may be found in depth in the subsections.
The
Philipps-Universität Marburg
offers a
hybrid course on the topic qualitative text analysis.
This consists of only a few in-class periods and lots of independent study alone or also in groups. In the process, one has the opportunity to analyse a text and its contents in a practical way and to exchange ideas in chat and forums.
Another example of a virtual seminar from the year 2002 on the topic of art history can be found at the University of Zürich:
http://www.mnemosyne.unizh.ch/.
