Is e-learning a suitable method of imparting sex-educational information and action competencies? Can didactic abilities be acquired through e-learning products? These are just some of the questions this expert report, commissioned by the Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA), investigates. In addition to researching the literature, a qualitative pilot study interviewed semi-professional individuals and volunteers working in athletics clubs.

The goal of the expert report is to develop basic principles and concept ideas for e-learning projects that deliver sexuality education. Even though e-learning has become a firm fixture in the modern educational field, the number of products designed for social and personal learning, as opposed to factually-oriented learning, is very low.

The expert report explains the terms “e-learning” and “sex-education competency”, analyses and assesses e-learning projects in respect of how they can be implemented and used in sex-education contexts. Sports clubs were used as an example target group for this survey. Coaches, who often have no formal training in education, necessarily deal with the subjects of ‘the body’ and ‘physicality’ in their work with young people. The aim was to determine to what extent a need for e-learning products exists.

The expert report shows that fundamental didactic competencies can only be acquired through e-learning in a rudimentary manner. Nevertheless e-learning can provide the motivation for self-reflexion and for participating in personal-communicative training sessions. Information from the field of sex education that would lead to increasing the confidence of behaviour regarding the educational tasks in various situations relevant to sexuality and health education could easily be passed on through an e-learning programme.