How can the opportunities created by digital change enhance higher education - at all levels? How is not just teaching and learning being transformed, but the university as an institutional system? These are the questions posed by the University:Future Festival - Learning and Systems in a Digital Society from 6 to 8 October 2020 in Berlin.
During three days, more than 1,000 people from Germany and around the world will share their perspectives, experiences and practical examples with regards to the future of education in a digital society. In a program that is expected to include more than 150 talks, workshops, discussions and other formats, we will give innovative thinkers a voice and a productive resonance room to the higher education system. Through installations and stands, ideas for tomorrow's higher education will be tangible at the festival.
We are united by a mindset: We are never done, constantly striving for improvements and never afraid of thinking in new ways. We know: There is no such thing as the one solution. We see every progress as a step on which we continue to build. We question existing standards and develop new ideas. We do this together. Because there is at least one thing we know about the future: It brings changes - again and again - in the world of work, in society, in the environment and in our systems. These changes can be shaped. And we want to shape them.
The University:Future Festival brings together all people who share our attitude. People who have the courage to rethink. This courage can be found everywhere. In the small but effective improvement of an existing system. In the great vision. In the critical analysis of your own mistakes.
It is about learning from each other; in terms of content, as a person and methodologically. The festival aims to do nothing less than to take the discourse to a new level. The festival programme reflects this aspiration. It is based on the contributions of our community. There will be all kinds of conceivable and feasible formats - from classical presentations to workshops, from fishbowl discussions to quizzes. We are looking for contributions that reveal surprising insights, that convey applicable knowledge, that are eye-opening and - this is also important - entertaining. We are looking for people who are passionate about their projects and visions.
The programme will primarily be based on an extensive Call for Participation. All interested applicants are invited to submit their ideas, which will then be selected by a programme jury. The call will start in March. We also invite outstanding speakers from academia, politics, industry and civil society. The programme will cover all aspects of the university in the digital transformation. The conference language is German, but at least one English-speaking session will be offered at all times.
The program is accompanied by a marketplace with booths and live demos. Every interested actor will be able to apply for a marketplace stand via a call.
The University:Future Festival will be open; therefore admission is free of charge. Registration should be possible from April 2020.
