As a central initiator we inform, advise and network actors from universities, politics, business and society.
The Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD) is a think tank that orchestrates the discourse on higher education in the digital age. As a central initiator it informs, advises and networks actors from universities, politics, business and society.
The HFD was founded in 2014. It is a joint initiative of CHE Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung, Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (HRK) and the Stifterverband. It is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Digitisation is fundamentally changing higher education. We do not regard it as an unstoppable force of nature, but as a process of transformation that we must shape together. In order to unfold the useful potential of digitisation, all those involved are called upon: actors* from universities, politics, business and society. We offer a framework, create incentives, set topics and provide information to successfully shape this process.
The Hochschulforum Digitalisierung offers a range of different offers and formats for different groups of actors, which, according to our mission statement, can be divided into the following four areas:
Another format is Peer-to-Peer strategy consulting, in which six universities are supported in their digitisation efforts by external experts* every year. In addition, HFDlead is a mentoring programme at university management level that provides intensive support for university management at strategic level.
We would like to create incentives to become designers of digital change ourselves. The HFDcert, for example, rewards and makes visible innovative approaches in digital teaching.
In order to deepen certain current topics in a targeted manner, each year we working groups with renowned experts* who work on these topics for an initial year and make the results available to the public in the form of studies, impulse papers and other publications .
Recently, for example, the Ad-hoc-AG Lernarchitekturen developed recommendations for action with a high practical relevance on learning space development in digital change. Within the framework of the Ad-hoc-AG university education for the digital age we are currently also accompanying the development of discourse on the concept of education in the European context.
Through our work we are in exchange with many participants. If we find that an important topic seems to be neglected in the discussion, we give these topics space: With the Zukunfts-AG #DigitaleChangemaker we encourage students to contribute their voice to the discourse on higher education in the digital age.
In our publications we publish detailed studies and positions on current issues. Our blog publishes several short texts on relevant topics every week. The Digital Learning Map makes good practice examples of digital teaching geographically visible. For the audiophiles among you, we additionally have our ownpodcast-series
The portfolio of the Hochschulforum is large and constantly evolving. Some important topics are visualized in the cloud of words below. For each of these topics you will find all relevant articles and publications in the respective dossier.
Wortwolke Themendossiers
The team consists of more than 20 employees*s full and part-time. Every now and then we are still looking for reinforcement. The Hochschulforum is accompanied by the Stakeholder Dialogue, that connects representatives of institutions that are particularly relevant to our work. Last but not least, the HFD lives from every single member of the community, who (day after day) critically promotes and shapes digitisation in studies and teaching at his or her institution.
Team photo August 2019. photo: Malte Persike
The HFD is everywhere. Our office and the team of the Stifterverband is located in Berlin, the team of the CHE in Gütersloh, the team of the HRK in Bonn. Our own events take place throughout Germany, but mostly in Berlin. We ourselves can be seen at events all over Germany and Europe. The HFD does not only consist of the project staff*, but above all of more than 1,000 community members, who are involved with us and are present in many places.
As the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung, we naturally work digitally. The constant exchange takes place online on the communication platform Mattermost, and interested people regularly meet for HFD hangouts.
On our "Join in"-page you will find an overview of the possibilities to become active yourself, from Call for Students and Call for Experts to write your own blog articles.
