HNU Vice President for Studies, Teaching and Sustainability, Prof. Dr Julia Kormann, welcomed the guests and presented the mission statement for teaching and learning, which the professors at HNU have been working on together since the kick-off workshop in February 2024. According to Prof. Dr Julia Kormann, this newly developed concept is her personal highlight in 16 years at HNU: "HNU is characterised by incredible innovative strength. I am impressed by the meticulousness with which teaching at HNU is being further developed - whether in the lecture theatre or online, with or without AI. Thank you for allowing me to be part of these incredible developments."
This was followed by a special highlight, the keynote speech by Dr Patrick Albus from Ulm University, who spoke on the topic of "AI in higher education: Hype or game changer?". Participants then had the opportunity to chat with the speaker during a coffee and networking break and take part in a guided tour of the Innovation Space with Lab Manager Niklas Müller.
Interactive sessions and live recording of the podcast Lehrgeflüster
In two consecutive session blocks coordinated by Martin Schwabegger-Schäufele and Anne Belflower, the guests had the opportunity to spread out over various topic tables and talk about different teaching concepts in short discussion rounds. There was a choice of three themed tables each on "Innovations in Teaching and Examination", "Future Skills" and "Gamification and Immersion". Beforehand, the professors presented their teaching concepts in short pitches. After ten minutes in each case, the participants changed topic tables.
Another option was to attend the live recording of the "Lehrgeflüster" podcast. In the seventh episode of the podcast series produced and published by the ZDL, Dr Patrick Albus was a guest and delved deeper into the topic of "AI in higher education" from his keynote speech. The episode will soon be available on Spotify and elsewhere.
Award of the prize for innovative teaching
The University Prize for Innovative Teaching, awarded by the Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences Sponsors' Association, added another highlight to the varied programme. The prize, endowed with 1000 euros, recognises innovative teaching and learning concepts that focus on the student learning process. Eight concepts qualified for the award. Prof. Dr Martin Stirzel from the Faculty of Information Management was honoured for his concept entitled "Immersive teaching for intensive learning and acquisition of skills". In addition to a certificate, the award winner also received a trophy 3D-printed at HNU. The concept is used in the Digital Enterprise Management and Information Management Automotive degree programmes and aims to enable students to acquire international sales partners by independently going through phases such as strategy, selection, initiation, negotiation and closing. Through immersive learning, supported by point-of-view videos and interactive materials on Moodle and Mural, students experience realistic scenarios and reflect on their experiences in quizzes and portfolio exams.
All proposed concepts were assessed by a jury consisting of members of the Förderverein, the Vice President for Studies and Teaching, Prof. Dr Julia Kormann, and the Head of the Centre for Digital Teaching, Tobias Ademmer, and evaluated in terms of degree of innovation, participation and diversity of activating methods as well as coordination of teaching and examination methods.
