Project Description
TiDE aims to gain insights into distance learning at non-state universities by conducting an organisational comparison with Germany's only state distance learning university. The central research question we addressed is the extent to which differences can be identified in the student experiences between state and non-state distance learning universities.
TiDE focuses on the orientation phase of entering university, which is considered critical for the overall course of studies and academic success (Coertjens et al., 2017; Egger & Hummel, 2020). Successful studying becomes possible when students develop the necessary study skills while navigating the challenges posed by this initial phase (Trautwein & Bosse, 2017). Additionally, TiDE operates under the assumption that digitalisation will significantly impact the academic education and professional training market in the future. However, research has yet to clarify how students navigate the space of experience of asynchronous and media-mediated distance learning, particularly at non-state universities (Schaper, 2022). Therefore, TiDE centres its research on distance learning students themselves, who are predominantly non-traditional due to their age and life circumstances, and investigates how they acclimatise to the orientation phase of their studies, including the critical challenges they face due to the specific conditions of their distance learning programmes.
With the involvement of Germany's two largest distance learning universities, TiDE offers access to a broad field of inquiry and aims to contribute to (inter-)national discourse on non-traditional students. Specifically, it seeks to expand the perspective on entry into distance learning in Germany, which is predominantly offered at non-state universities.
Images from the conference
Tide Team
Tide presentation
Tide Workshop
June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2026
Further Information
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space
Research Focus: Scientific and University Research
Funding Guideline: Research on Non-State Universities
Fernuniversität in Hagen (FeU - Distance Learning University)
TiDE Symposium 2026: Entering Distance Education
On 23 February 2026, the TiDE symposium “Entering Distance Education – Challenges, Perspectives and Success Factors” was held in a hybrid format at the IU Campus in Cologne. The aim of the event was to examine the transition into distance education from both academic and higher-education practice perspectives and to discuss key challenges as well as approaches to shaping this transition.
Across a range of session formats, researchers, higher-education practitioners, programme leads and higher-education development stakeholders came together. The focus was on the initial phase of study as a critical stage in the student journey, where students, teaching staff and institutional/organisational conditions intersect, and where important foundations are laid for the course of study.
In terms of content, presentations and discussions addressed, among other topics, questions of belonging in distance education, structural and organisational barriers, existing and further support structures, and the institutional responsibility for designing entry processes into higher education. Findings from the TiDE project and other projects were presented and discussed, and linked with experiences from higher-education practice.
We received a great deal of positive feedback from participants. Over 90 per cent reported being (very) satisfied and highlighted in particular the added value of cross-institutional exchange in the field of distance education. We would like to thank everyone who enriched the event through presentations, workshops and contributions to discussions, or who made the event possible through organisational support.
Overall, the symposium underscored the importance of the entry phase into distance education as a complex, multi-perspective process that should continue to be addressed systematically in both research and higher-education practice.
Documentation of the symposium will be made available on the symposium's website (TiDE-Fachtagung 2026 | IU Forschung ).
Members of the TiDE (Transition into Distance Education) Research Project Covene for the Third Network Meeting in Bremen
As part of the TiDE research project, researchers from IU International University met with colleagues from the FernUniversität in Hagen for the third network meeting in Bremen from May 21 to 22, 2025. Representing the FernUniversität in Hagen were Dr. Sabrina Schaper as part project leader and Jennifer Lange as a research associate. From IU, attendees included Prof. Dr. Caroline Trautwein as consortium leader, Prof. Dr. Michael Hast as deputy part project leader, and Dr. Stefanie Habermann as a research associate. The meeting focused on evaluating the status of data collection, as well as presenting and discussing the first results from focus groups and further analysis possibilities. Next year, a collective volume is planned to be published under the direction of staff from the FernUniversität in Hagen, and staff at IU International University are organizing a project conference.
In conclusion, we look forward to another year full of exciting discoveries and fruitful collaboration!
Since June 2023, researchers from the IU Internationale Hochschule (IU) and the Fernuniversität in Hagen (FeU) have been working together as part of the TiDE (Transition into Distance Education) research project. The aim of the project is to examine the transition to distance learning at the two largest distance learning universities in Germany. The employees of the project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research met for the second joint meeting - Prof. Dr. Caroline Trautwein (IU), Prof. Dr. Michael Hast (IU), Dr. Roxana Schweighart (IU), Dr. Sabrina Schaper (FeU) and Jennifer Lange (FeU) - on June 3rd and 4th, 2024 at the Open University in Hagen to inform each other about the current status of the two sub-projects, discuss interim results and plan the next steps. Two literature reviews carried out in the respective sub-project are currently in the final phase. Based on these results, a total of eight focus groups will be held this year with distance learning students from both universities in close cooperation between those involved. They are intended to provide insights into student experiences of transitioning to distance learning at a private and public university. The second personal network meeting was also beneficial for the collaboration of the sub-projects involved and thus contributed to the success of the research project.
Upcoming Conference Presentations
The results of the “Transition into Distance Education” research project will be presented at the following upcoming conferences:
„Der Eingang ins Fernstudium – Herausforderungen, Perspektiven und Gelingensfaktoren. Arbeitstagung des TiDE-Projekts am 23.02.2026 in Köln.“
„13. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), 16.–18.03.2026, München, Germany.“
Members of the TiDE (Transition into Distance Education) Research Project Convene for First Network Meeting in Hamburg
As part of the TiDE (Transition into Distance Education) research project, the transition to distance learning at Germany’s two largest distance learning universities is being empirically examined. Researchers from IU Internationale Hochschule and Fernuniversität in Hagen have collaborated on this joint project, which aims to provide significant insights into the orientation phase of distance learning over the next three years. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under its priority for science and university research, specifically focusing on non-state universities.
Following a digital kick-off meeting in July, members of the respective sub-projects from both universities convened for their first in-person meeting on October 11-12, 2023, at the IU campus in Hamburg. The Fernuniversität in Hagen was represented by Dr. Sabrina Schaper, the sub-project manager, and Jennifer Lange, a research assistant. From IU, Prof. Dr. Caroline Trautwein served as the group leader, Prof. Dr. Michael Hast acted as the deputy sub-project manager, and Dr. Roxana Schweighart participated as a research assistant. The IU student assistants, Anna Maria Pampel and Julian Rebien, joined the meeting digitally.
The primary objectives of this initial meeting were to establish a foundation for future constructive and interdisciplinary collaboration and to coordinate the next steps. The initial plan includes conducting literature reviews within both sub-projects. In the following year, data collection will commence through group discussions with distance learning students. Effective implementation of the project plan will require collaboration among all members of the joint project. The network meeting successfully set the stage for ongoing cooperation.
Press release
Preventing students from dropping out: IU and FernUniversität in Hagen (FeU) research the critical initial phase of distance learning
First-ever comparison of state and private distance learning programmes from the student perspective – with specific recommendations for action for universities. The results of the TiDE project will be presented at this conference on 23 February.
To the press release
Articles
Schweighart, R.; Hast, M.; Pampel, A.M.; Rebien, J.A.; Trautwein, C. Transition into Distance Education: A Scoping Review. Educ. Sci. 2024, 14, 1130. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101130
Schweighart, R., Hast, M. & Trautwein, C. (2024). Transition into distance education: A scoping review protocol. (PDF)
Schaper, S. & Lange, J. (2025). "Beyond labels: the complexities of defining non-traditional students in higher education." Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 27(2), 60-80. https://doi.org/10.5456/WPLL.27.2.60.
Lange, J., & Schaper, S. (2025). Nicht-traditionelle Studierende: Begriffe, Diskurse und Empirie. Ein systematisches Literaturreview (Report Mediendidaktik, 4). FernUniversität in Hagen. https://ub-deposit.fernuni-hagen.de/receive/mir_mods_00002225
Schaper, Sabrina & Lange, Jennifer (2025). Between Flexibility and Exclusion: Rethinking Digital Higher Education through the Lens of Non-Traditional Students. I-HE2025 Conference. 08.10.2025 (Hagen).
Trautwein, C., Bettinger, R., Rebien, J. A., Pampel, A. M., & Hast, M. (2026). Distance learning as the higher education format of the future? The importance of the study entrance phase. Beiträge zur Hochschulforschung, 48(1), 84-105. https://doi.org/10.58069/bzh.2026.1.85
Hast, M., Bettinger, R., & Trautwein, C. (2026). Soziale Praktiken im Übergang in den digitalen Raum des Fernstudiums. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung, 21(1), 341-362. https://doi.org/10.21240/zfhe/21-1/17
Hast, M., Habermann, S., & Trautwein, C. (2026). Negotiating belonging in distance education: A qualitative study of students' transition experiences. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-01-2026-0088
Conferences
Hast, M., Schweighart, R., Trautwein, C. (2024, 26. April). Wie erleben Studierende den Übergang ins Fernstudium? Erkenntnisse für eine fundierte Beratung von Fernstudieninteressierten [Poster]. Fachtagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berufsbildungsforschungsnetz, Bonn. (PDF)
Hast, M., Schweighart, R., Trautwein, C., Rebien, J., Pampel, A. M. (2024, 19. Juni). Bedarfe von Studierenden im Übergang ins Fernstudium: Ergebnisse eines Scoping Reviews [Präsentation]. Jahrestagung des Forschungsclusters Wissenschafts- und Hochschulforschung, Hamburg.
Hast, M., Schweighart, R., Rebien, J. A., Pampel, A. M., & Trautwein, C. (2024, 28. August). Transition into distance education: Results of a scoping review [Poster]. ECER 2024, Nicosia. (PDF)
Trautwein, C., Schweighart, R., Rebien, J. A., Pampel, A. M., & Hast, M. (2024, September 24). Lernen und Lehren im Übergang ins Fernstudium: Ergebnisse eines Scoping Reviews [Präsentation]. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hochschulforschung. Hagen, Germany.
Trautwein, C., Schweighart, R., Rebien, J. A., Pampel, A. M., & Hast, M. (2024, September 25). Students’ Challenges in the Transition to Distance Higher Education – a Scoping Review [Präsentation]. Earli-SIG04& 17 Conference, Utrecht
Hast, M., Trautwein, C., Habermann, S., Schweighart, R., Rebien, J., Pampel, A. M. (2025, 29. Januar). "Übergang ins Fernstudium erfolgreich meistern: Chancen nutzen und Herausforderungen bewältigen" [Präsentation]. Beitrag im Symposium "Emerging Pathways: Gelingendes Studieren in Fernstudiengängen". 12. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), Mannheim, Germany.
Schaper, S., Lange, J. (2025, 29. Januar). "Eingangsphase des Fernstudiums: Unterstützungsangebote und Perspektiven" [Präsentation]. Beitrag im Symposium "Emerging Pathways: Gelingendes Studieren in Fernstudiengängen". 12. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), Mannheim, Germany. https://www.gebf-ev.de/app/download/9457835576/Programm_GEBF25_digital-1.pdf?t=1741097939
Schaper, S., Lange, J. (2024, 15. September). "Nicht-traditionelle Studierende: Diskursive und empirische Vereinfachungen von studentischer Heterogenität" [Präsentation]. 19. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Hochschulforschung (GfHf), Hagen, Germany.
Trautwein, C., Habermann, S., Hast, M., R. (2025, August 29). Transition into Distance Education: Navigating initial challenges to unlock educational potential [Präsentation]. Earli 18 Conference, Graz.
Habermann, S. & Trautwein, C. (2025, September 11). Der Studieneingang ins Fernstudium als kritische Phase für gelingendes Studieren [Präsentation]. Tagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hochschulforschung. Heilbronn, Germany.
https://www.gebf-ev.de/app/download/9457835576/Programm_GEBF25_digital-1.pdf?t=1741097939
Hast, M., Habermann, S., Rebien, J. A., Le, K., Hoffmann, R., & Trautwein, C. (2026, 16. März). Die Studieneingangsphase im Fernstudium: Chancen und Herausforderungen zwischen technologischem Zugang und sozialer Zugehörigkeit [Poster]. 13. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für empirische Bildungsforschung (GEBF), München, Germany.
Other
Caroline, C. Hast, M., Schweighart, R. (2024). Einstieg in den digitalen Raum des Fernstudiums – Erste Einblicke aus dem Forschungsprojekt TiDE (Transition into Distance Education). (Link)
Prof. Dr. Caroline Trautwein, Group Leader, Professorship in Business Psychology
Prof. Dr. Michael Hast, Professorship in Psychology