Day 1: Opening and project presentations
The first day began with the opening by Dr. Merle Emre, MBA on the DIU campus. Henriette Greulich and Prof. Dr. Alexander Lasch presented the virTUos project, which consists of various individual projects. These were presented live on site and online. The projects included programming courses, hybrid teaching concepts, digital skills development and virtual excursions.
Exciting presentations were on the program in the afternoon. Topics included immersive experiences in a center for digital art by Dr. Markus Löffler, the impact of AI on higher education by Sebastian Horndasch and future skills for the university of the future by Prof. Dr. Ulf-Daniel Ehlers.
Day 2: Keynote speeches and conclusion
The second day began with a keynote speech by Dr. Merle Emre, MBA, on the topic of »Learning environment and learning processes«, in which she emphasized that the teacher, the social environment and the learning space are the third decisive factor for learning success.
Henriette Greulich and Prof. Dr. Alexander Lasch then discussed the strategic impact of the virTUos project with the Vice-Rector for Education at TU Dresden, Prof. Dr. Michael Kobel. Particular attention was paid to the HYBRID strategy, which is being developed as part of the project.
Afterwards, the project rooms were visited again and the participants had the opportunity to try out the projects and talk to those involved.
The end of the second day offered further fascinating insights from experts. Dr. Anita Santner and Kay-Michael Würzner from the SLUB Dresden explained the role of academic libraries as flexible places of teaching and learning using examples of how they have been used in the past and how they are used today. Dr. Jörg Zaun presented innovative teaching methods with object-based learning (OBL), while the team from the
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar presented the concept of the hybrid learning workshop. In her presentation, Dr. Claudia Bade emphasized the need to adapt teaching methods to the dynamic requirements of modern university teaching.
Prof. Dr. Schoop Eric concluded the event with an inspiring presentation on microcredentials as a flexible and practice-oriented educational offer. The participants were encouraged to use the findings of the conference and to work together on the further development of teaching and learning environments at universities.
The virTUos symposium not only offered insights into innovative projects, but also stimulated discussions and reflections on how the future of university teaching and its learning spaces can be shaped. We would like to thank all the speakers and event leaders for their inspiring contributions and look forward to putting the knowledge gained into practice.
Further information on the virTUos project can be found at DIU and at TU Dresden.