Between AI and Future Skills: Free Training Courses in November
How can colleges and universities prepare students for a workforce that is undergoing fundamental changes due to digitalization and artificial intelligence? The eTeach Network Thuringia’s Future Skills Month in November is dedicated to this question and offers faculty a diverse program featuring free professional development opportunities, practical insights, and new perspectives for their own teaching.
The expectations placed on students are changing. In addition to subject-specific knowledge, skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, reflective thinking, and the confident use of digital technologies are becoming increasingly important. This presents universities with the challenge of not only offering these future-oriented skills as additional course content, but also of systematically integrating them into their academic programs and teaching practices.
Future Skills Month addresses this challenge. In November, the eTeach Network Thuringia is bringing together a variety of professional development opportunities that demonstrate how educators can foster the development of future-oriented skills and adapt their courses accordingly. The program ranges from agile methods and digital resilience to dealing with uncertainty, as well as the fundamentals of AI, AI literacy, and innovative reflection formats.
Targeted Promotion of Future Skills in Academic Programs and Teaching
How can future skills be integrated into courses in practical terms? What teaching approaches help students learn independently, overcome challenges, and further develop their skills? The events during Future Skills Month offer a variety of answers to these questions.
The continuing education program „Competency-Based Teaching—Focus on Future Skills“ centers on the targeted development of future-oriented competencies and their significance for higher education teaching. Other courses are dedicated to agile methods for digital collaboration, strategies for greater digital resilience in everyday university life, and the development of ambiguity competence—that is, the ability to deal with uncertainty and conflicting demands.
A critical examination of artificial intelligence is also a central component of the program. In addition to an introduction to the fundamentals of AI, other courses explore the use of AI in higher education, the design of moving-image instruction using AI, and the promotion of reflective processes.
Two Talks@eTeach sessions offer insights into innovative teaching practices
Two events in the Talks@eTeach initiative—a platform for inspiration and exchange—offer unique insights into the design of future-oriented higher education. Using concrete examples, they demonstrate how future skills and AI competencies can be systematically integrated into academic programs and teaching.
From Graduate Profile to Degree Program: Induced Learning as a Design Principle for Future Skills
On November 5, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tom Tiltmann from the Cologne University of Applied Sciences will present the concept of „induced learning.“ Using the „Mechanical Engineering – Product Engineering and Context“ degree program as an example, he will demonstrate how, based on a graduate profile, learning opportunities can be designed in which students recognize their own learning needs and independently initiate learning processes.
This approach aims to challenge students by presenting them with tasks that push the limits of what they have been able to do so far. This creates a need for learning that serves as motivation for further learning processes. The talk explores the impact of this design principle on assignments, exams, the role of instructors, and the teaching of foundational knowledge—and the role that artificial intelligence plays in this context.
More about the interview with Tom Tiltmann
How Can AI Competence Be Taught? A Look at IU's Job Readiness Framework
On November 19, Prof. Dr. Kamal Bhattacharya from IU International University will examine the question of what skills students need for a workforce increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Using IU’s Job Readiness Framework, he demonstrates how requirements for AI and future skills can be translated into specific learning objectives, assignments, and assessment formats. This also involves examining which skills people need to master on their own, where AI can expand their capabilities, and what challenges this poses for instructors and students.
More about the conversation with Kamal Bhattacharya
Inspiration for Your Own Teaching Practice
Whether it’s new methods for collaboration, addressing digital challenges, or the targeted development of AI skills, Future Skills Month offers educators a wide range of opportunities to broaden their own perspectives and discover new approaches to designing their courses.
All events are free of charge. Those interested can find more information and register for the events of their choice directly on the eTeach Network Thuringia’s training page.
An overview of the entire program:
About the training courses offered by the eTeach Network in Thuringia
Future Skills Month invites us to question the status quo, try out new approaches, and work together to prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow.
