Digital teaching in focus: AI is revolutionizing our future at universities!

Digital teaching in focus: AI is revolutionizing our future at universities!

The discussion about digital transformation in education has gained momentum in the last few weeks. An important turning point was the summer plenary meeting of the Philosophical Faculty Day, which took place at the FernUniversität in Hagen at the end of June. The event, organized by Prof. Dr. Felicitas Schmieder, historian and treasurer of the Faculty Day, focused on the topics of digital teaching and digital forms of examination. Experts discussed the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on education and the need for future forms of examinations.

During the discussion-rich plenary session, experts such as Dr. Sanne Ziethen, Prof. Dr. Annekatrin Bock, Dr. Christian Stein and Prof. Dr. Peter Risthaus shares their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that AI opens up in the education sector. Christian Stein made the point that AI should be understood as a team member, while Annekatrin Bock emphasized that AI not only changes answers, but also raises new questions. The rector of the FernUniversität, Prof. Dr. Stefan Sturmer described the meeting as a “perfect match” and praised the exchange of experiences, which was of great importance for all faculties.

Digital strategies and challenges

The discussion about digital education is not only relevant at the FernUniversität. The Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) presented the “Education in the Digital World” strategy in December 2016. This strategy opens a framework for dealing with the challenges of digital change in Germany's educational institutions. This strategy also includes a recommendation that deepens aspects of digital learning in schools. The quality of teaching and continuous school development are particularly emphasized.

Since the establishment of the “Education in the Digital World” (DigiKom) commission in January 2022, the implementation of the strategy has been pushed forward. DigiKom accompanies the implementation in schools and universities and cooperates with external actors to promote digitalization in the education sector. A progress report is published annually that reports on developments in digital education.

Artificial intelligence as a key technology

The potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionize the education sector is undisputed. The challenge, however, is to use AI strategically, sustainably and in a user-oriented manner. Precisely formulated use cases and concepts must be developed in order to create added value for users. Taking factors such as digital infrastructure and necessary skills into account is central to this process.

BearingPoint, a consulting company, supports educational institutions in the strategic implementation of individual AI solutions. With expertise in analyzing a wide range of application scenarios, the development of data protection-compliant and secure AI assistants for administrative tasks in everyday school life is being advanced. These assistance systems are intended to specifically meet the needs of the state education ministries and make an active contribution to the digitalization of the German educational landscape.

Given the ongoing developments in digital education, it is clear that exchanging experiences and learning from each other are essential. Both the plenary meeting and the KMK strategy show that educational institutions are required to respond actively and creatively to the challenges of digital transformation.