Teaching Futures 2025 - Programme

Room
Rektorenzimmer + Hallway (1 ^st Floor)

In the Immersive Showroom, you can explore selected university projects that focus on the use of immersive technologies. Discover how Virtual Reality and 360° technology are applied in different contexts and try out the applications on-site. This is also a great opportunity to connect with project representatives and teams, exchange ideas, and network. Take advantage of this chance to get inspired, make new connections, and gain exciting insights into innovative technologies.

Immersive Learning Area Medicine
The aim of the Learning Area is to create an infrastructure that enables medical teachers and students to use Mixed Reality technologies. To this end, the Immersive Learning Area in Medicine primarily provides the necessary equipment and technical support for implementation in order to digitise and modernise medical teaching.

with Viet Duc Vu (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Pets goes digital - Anatomy - Virtual Reality meets Anatomy
The VR project in veterinary medicine aims to help students in the skills lab better understand and visualize the complex structures of skull anatomy and learn them with the help of game elements.

with Daria Hennrichs (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Making Voice and Presence Virtually Realistic
A virtual classroom with noisy child avatars was developed for teaching students. Practicing in this environment proved to be a great learning success for the students, as it enabled a professional transfer to a realistic teaching situation.

with Dr Ulrike Nespital & Gerald Czerney (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Phoenix VR
In this VR project, the historical plaster cast collection of JLU, which was destroyed during World War II and once played a significant role in academic teaching, will be virtually brought back to life at its original location in the university's main building.

with Dr Michaela Stark (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Virtual Stage – Real Skills. Presentation Training with the VR Speech Trainer
With the VR Speech Trainer, it is possible to practice presentation situations in advance. The immersive effect of VR creates a highly realistic simulation of the presentation environment. Thanks to the software’s comprehensive evaluation, speaking style can be improved, and speech anxiety reduced.

with Daniel Erl (University of Applied Sciences Middle Hesse)

Virtual Process Development / Factory Planning and Collaboration
In this showcase, we demonstrate how virtual process development can support the efficient planning, testing, and optimization of production and workflow processes. The focus is on interdisciplinary collaboration.

with Prof Dr Rafael Greszczynski & Agron Bajraktari (University of Applied Sciences Middle Hesse)

Collaborative Learning with Virtual Reality - Implementation of a VR-Supported Seminar
In the winter semester 2024/25, a seminar on "Collaborative Learning in Virtual Reality" was conducted. The goal was to integrate Virtual Reality not just selectively but as a continuous element throughout the entire semester in an educational science seminar.

with Hannah Rahel Jäckel & Ramin Siegmund (Philipps-University Marburg)

The Virtual Consultation Room – Students Train Social Skills in VR
Get an insight into the VR-Hybrid research project and experience how Virtual Reality is used to develop social skills and discuss the added value of VR for teaching scenarios in higher education.

with Dr Miriam Mulders (University Duisburg-Essen)

Authentic Insights into Nobel Laureates' Laboratories - Potential of a 360° Application for Promoting Scientific Understanding
With the research on this 360° laboratory environment, we aim to explore how students reflect on science through an authentic learning environment and how it can be utilized to enhance scientific understanding.
_{Part of the collaborative project "Teaching Spirit 2.0" (Institute for Biology Education at JLU & Chemistry Education at Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen), funded by the Siemens Stiftung and Vector Stiftung in cooperation with the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.}

with Sophie Kurschildgen (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Digital Excursions to Sites of Extractivism in Latin America
With VR headsets, users can visit sites of extractivism in Latin America, including gold, silver, and coal mining as well as wind energy production. The bilingual texts (Spanish/English) provide information on the extensive extraction of raw materials since colonial times, the topography, and the local impacts.

with Prof Dr Verena Dolle & Maria Isabel Gaviria Echavarria(Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Augmented Reality on Mobile Devices
With tablets, we use camera-based technology to vividly perceive and interact with additional content on the screen. In education, Augmented Reality offers the possibility to virtually project content into the current environment, for example, with "Zeitzeugen 1945 – Trümmerjahre in AR".

with Albrecht Metzler (Philipps-University Marburg)

Room
Aula
In this participatory format, lecturers and students discuss the opportunities and challenges of student participation in everyday university life. Before the discussion begins, there will be a short discussion between Prof Dr Alexander Goesmann, JLU Vice President for Studies and Teaching, and Lara Zieß, Student Vice President of Philipps-Universität Marburg. JLU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will moderate the fishbowl format, accompany the exchange and be represented by its own students.

with Dr Charlotte Kitzinger & Sarah Homberger (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Room
Gustav-Krüger-Saal (1 ^st Floor)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we learn, teach, and work. From automated writing tools to adaptive learning systems and new exam formats – the opportunities and challenges that AI brings are manifold. But how do we deal with this in education and research? What ethical questions need to be considered, which tools are truly helpful, and how can educators and students meaningfully integrate AI into their daily routines?
Dr. Joss von Hadeln and Dr. Sebastian Busse introduce the format of topic tables, where you have the opportunity to actively engage with these questions. Each table is dedicated to a specific aspect of AI and invites discussion, reflection, and exchange of experiences. It's not just about challenges but also opportunities and innovative solutions. Whether it’s exams and plagiarism, ethical questions, practical AI tools, didactic concepts, or the role of AI in writing consultations – here you will find exciting impulses for the future of teaching and research.
Take the opportunity to inform yourself, share your own experiences, and develop new perspectives together with others. We look forward to stimulating conversations and inspiring exchanges!

Topic Table 1 - Examinations & Plagiarism in the Field of Teaching and Research
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents educational institutions with new challenges, especially in exam design and plagiarism control. Human achievements are increasingly merging with the digital possibilities of our time. This process has never been as evident as in the current debate about the use of AI in education. Proving whether AI was used to solve a task cannot be reliably achieved in most cases.
But how can exams be designed fairly and validly in a learning environment shaped by AI? Is it already plagiarism if an AI produces texts based on existing content? What responsibilities do learners, educators, and researchers have, and what rules are necessary? Clear answers to these questions are (still) lacking—making it all the more important to discuss these issues together. At this themed table, the focus is on identifying challenges, exploring possible strategies and perspectives, and developing approaches for the responsible and transparent use of AI in the context of examinations and research.

with Dr Joss von Hadeln & Frank Waldschmidt-Dietz (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Topic Table 2 - AI Ethics: What Does AI Do to My Thinking and Work?
High expectations, sometimes very high ones, are placed on the use of generative AI. At the same time, skepticism about its potential and fears concerning its use and consequences are also increasing. To what extent does AI affect our understanding of individual achievement, knowledge acquisition, and critical thinking? If generative AI optimizes phrasing or structures content, is there still enough room for personal reflection and intellectual engagement? Does our understanding of creativity change? How can learners experience self-efficacy when the output seems to be of such high quality? How can we address bias and other factors in teaching design that significantly influence the output of AI?
These open questions are at the forefront of this table. What competencies can be enhanced through the use of generative AI, and which ones are changing? The discussion will focus on how we can reflect on the impact of AI on our thinking and work, and which guidelines can be developed for a conscious and responsible use of this technology.

with Sophia Hercher & Verena Schmidt (Philipps-University Marburg)

Topic Table 3 - Local Businesses and AI Tools: Market Overview Within and Outside the University
The variety of AI-supported tools is continuously growing—from writing and text assistance to automatic translations, data-based analysis tools, scientific literature research, and coding, specialized AI models (Large Language Models, LLM) are increasingly providing support. Together, we discuss how helpful such applications can generally be and explore specific use cases in study and teaching. Beyond the practical use of these tools, we examine their fundamental functionalities and technical particularities, while reflecting on opportunities and risks. A special focus is placed on the kiChat service offered by the Computer Center of JLU Gießen, which is available to all university members. We consider the various models available there, discussing their functionalities and potential limitations. Moreover, we take a look at the broader spectrum of commercial AI models, comparing their performance and examining aspects such as costs, suitable areas of application, and specific limitations.

with Steffen Karcher & Dr Sebastian Busse (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Topic Table 4 - Methodology & Didactics: How Can I Use AI?
AI-supported chatbots are increasingly being integrated into higher education teaching—but how can they be used didactically in a meaningful way? This themed table invites participants to explore the possible applications, what has already been tried, and where the challenges lie. The focus is on productive application scenarios for everyday teaching: from supporting teaching preparation and using chatbots as co-tutors to providing automated feedback. Which methods are particularly suitable? What experiences have been made? And where are the limitations? In an open discussion, we gather proven strategies, reflect on didactic potentials, and exchange thoughts on additional questions.

with Sten Seegel & Juliane Sommer (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)

Topic Table 5 - AI Writing Consultation and AI from a Student's Perspective
Many students use AI to support their writing of academic papers—to varying degrees. But where are the limits when using ChatGPT and similar tools? How much AI use is permissible and sensible in terms of academic integrity? And how do we balance the development of valuable personal writing skills with a reflective, forward-looking use of AI? Writing consultation can be a possible approach to support students in their writing processes, with or without AI. This table invites discussions on the role of AI in the writing process and encourages the exchange of experiences from the perspectives of both students and educators.

with Helena Grünebaum & Bedinur Dag (Justus-Liebig-University Giessen)