From project to dialog and back: this was the 2025 dialog workshop
On 19 June 2025, digitization experts came together for the fourth time in a row at the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena., Thuringia's higher education landscape and interested lecturers came together for a dialog workshop to discuss digitally enriched university teaching.
Kick-off and welcome
After an initial arrival over coffee and conversation, the Vice President for Studies, Teaching and Continuing Education at the EAH Jena, Prof. Dr. Mario Brandtner, and Prof. Dr. Cordula Borbe, Vice President for Studies and Teaching at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, officially welcomed the participants and looked forward to the upcoming project pitches of the currently funded, digitally enriched teaching projects.
The event was moderated by Wiebke Degler (eTeach contact point, University of Erfurt) and Salma Pethö-Zayed (Qualification & Networking Office), who led through the program with an open, appreciative tone.
Project pitches and poster walk
The workshop focused on the teaching projects funded by the "Fellowships for Innovation in University Teaching" program of the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (TMBWK) and the Stifterverband as well as those funded by the cooperative impulse projects and the eTeach open spaces. In short, concise pitches, the sponsors presented their projects - from AI-supported learning aids to new examination formats, robot-based teaching applications and innovative concepts for participatory teaching. Here is an overview of all the posters: >>> Dialog-Workshop 2025 - eTeach-Network Thuringia
Afterwards, the Poster Walk The opportunity to get to know the projects in detail, ask questions and enter into a direct exchange with the developers.
Islands of exchange
A central element of the day was the Theme islandswhich were offered in two rounds. The participants worked in small groups on seven current digital teaching topics - the use of artificial intelligence, the further development of examination formats, new topics in Moodle, the promotion of future skills, the participation of students in university teaching and university policy, the further development of these funding formats and the visibility of good practice projects. The work on the islands had a clear workshop character: challenges were discussed together, knowledge was shared and new ideas were developed. Some groups also used the exchange platform to specifically initiate future collaborations.
Talks@eTeach: Interactive LLM tutor for students of the EAH Jena
In the afternoon, Richard Klein from the EAH Jena presented a concrete practical example of the use of generative AI in teaching at Talks@eTeach. Under the title "Interactive LLM tutor for students", Mr. Klein presented a chatbot as a learning assistant for students of medical technology and biotechnology. The lecture was broadcast as a hybrid and offered space for questions and discussions beyond the auditorium. You can access the recording of the lecture here: >>> Talks@eTeach - eTeach Network Thuringia
Final round and outlook
At the end, all participants gathered for a joint summary of the topic islands and Dr. Simon Frisch, Vice President for Studies and Teaching at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, summarized the key findings of the day in his closing speech. It became clear that the dialog workshop not only created visibility for outstanding digital teaching projects, but also facilitated many new approaches and contacts. Mr. Frisch emphasized how important the exchange is for innovative teaching concepts, because permanent exchange also means permanent development.
The Dialog-Workshop 2025 impressively demonstrated how much innovative strength, commitment and inventiveness there is in the Thuringian university landscape. It provided space for genuine dialog, new impetus and networking - in keeping with the spirit of the eTeach initiative.
