We started with digital exams – and ended with an understanding of democracy.”
At the end of the “Days of Teaching & Learning” (TdLL) at Hof University of Applied Sciences, this sentence summed up what the past few weeks have really been about: not just module handbooks, exams, digital tools or AI, but also the question of how university teaching can be shaped together in the future.
The focus was deliberately on the students’ perspectives. Students were actively involved on campus in the run-up to the event: They shared their experiences, wishes and criticisms of university teaching in several live surveys and via an online survey. Many conversations arose spontaneously between lectures, right where university life takes place.
The collected perspectives then formed the basis for a workshop with students on April 20, 2026, which included discussions on module handbooks, examination design, transparency, feedback culture and the role of students in the further development of university teaching.
The topic of student-centeredness was discussed particularly intensively. Many students expressed the wish not only to be assessed, but also to be heard more and actively involved in teaching and examination processes.
It became clear that students want transparent examinations, comprehensible expectations and more guidance – but also real opportunities to help shape the process.
The results of the workshop were then incorporated into the TdL Dialogue Room on April 27, 2026. There, teachers and students came together in an open exchange to discuss good teaching, future-oriented examinations and the use of digital technologies.
Teaching is changing massively, i.e. we are choosing different ways of imparting and consolidating knowledge in response to students’ needs. (…) We would like to reach more students who want to be involved in how they are educated – we are working on this and discussing it.”
emphasized Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Wolff, Vice President for Teaching and Continuing Education, in his welcome address to the participants.
This afternoon was all about not talking about each other – but with each other. In conversations at eye level, lecturers and students discussed issues that are currently affecting universities everywhere:
- How can examinations become more skills-oriented?
- What role do digital examination formats play?
- How can we create transparency and fairness?
- How can participation go beyond traditional evaluations?
- And how should teaching be designed so that students can actively learn, think and get involved?
It quickly became clear that many of the challenges concern not only didactic but also cultural issues.
What remains?
Both teachers and students emphasized the central importance of:
- Transparency – for example in examinations, requirements and structures,
- effective feedback that visibly leads to change, and
- genuine participation and dialog.
It also became clear that
Examinations should be understandable, plannable at an early stage and even more closely interlinked with teaching. At the same time, many students would like more insight into university processes and opportunities to actively participate in shaping them.
The Teaching & Learning Days were not intended to be a closed event, but rather a starting point for further developments.
The Didactics Center at Hof University of Applied Sciences will continue to support this process in the future:
- as a support and advice center for lecturers,
- as a space for exchange between teachers and students,
- and as an interface between strategic goals and concrete teaching practice.
Among other things, further exchange formats, low-threshold information services for students and the preparation of central topics relating to transparency, examinations and participation are planned.
The TdLL have shown: Good university teaching is created where perspectives come together, discussions are allowed – and students not only learn, but also help to shape them.
The TVO university magazine 4you also reports in detail on the “Days of Teaching & Learning” 2026: To the article
