Open Data Hackathon – Vergleich von in Präsenz und online durchgeführten Projektseminaren

The Covid 19 pandemic has necessitated introducing and using new, fully digital teaching formats and methods in higher education. In particular, more informal, highly interactive courses such as project seminars need to be adapted to the online format. How can the opportunities of digital learning formats be utilized, and potential problems be reduced? In this paper, we contrast the implementation of a project seminar in the form of a hackathon in presence vs. online format. Based on the state of the art of research, we compare the concepts, their execution, and the results of these two modes. The thematic focus of the hackathons was the use of open data in the public sector (Open Data Hackathon). Based on qualitative participant surveys, the course, project results, and participants’ satisfaction are compared. The different conditions (especially regarding task execution and collaboration) and possibilities for supporting social interaction are examined, and suggestions for the implementation of online hackathons are provided.