Future Skills Week 2026 for teaching, counselling and university development - well-founded and practice-oriented
9 - 13 March 2026 | Online & presence Future skills | Generative AI | Working world 4.0
The Future Skills Week invites you to spend a week exploring compact qualification formats focused on key future skills such as resilience, digital competencies, and AI literacy.
Whether in your daily work or in higher education, the goal is to develop new ideas for your own practice and find concrete answers to the question: what skills do we need today for the future?
Register now!
To help us plan the sessions an get a overview of participation, we kindly ask you to register in advance for the respective events. Registration takes place via a central form. Multiple participation is expressly permitted.
Future Skills Week is aimed at university staff from all universities in Brandenburg and is also open to colleagues from universities throughout Germany, in particular with its online offerings. Everyone is invited who is involved with future skills in teaching, counselling and university development and who not only wants to support studies and teaching, but also actively shape them.
Whether in teaching, student guidance and counselling, quality development or higher education didactics: The Future Skills Week offers space for exchange, new perspectives and joint further thinking.
Students are expressly welcome in all formats. They contribute valuable perspectives. After all, it is precisely where different roles, experiences and perspectives come together that the most lively and insightful exchange takes place.
The Future Skills Week brings together speeches, workshops and discussion on central topics of everyday university life. Among other things, the focus is on
- Generative AI in everyday office life, teaching and examinations
- Promotion of self-regulation and resilience
- Development of scientific thinking
- creative methods such as LEGO® Serious Play®
- Technologies such as 3D printing or drones in teaching
What you will take away:
- Orientation in the future skills discourse and its significance for universities
- Suggestions and methods for university teaching and counselling
- Exchange and networking with colleagues from different university contexts
- Creditable work units for the WandelBAR certificate and a Future Skills qualification certificate.
The Future Skills Week programme combines inputs, workshops and exchange formats on three main topics: Future Skills in Focus, Generative AI and Working World 4.0 in the university context.
Monday, 9 March 2026
| 9:00-9:15 | Opening Future Skills Week(online, Room 1) | Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt (Vice-President for Academic Affairs) | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 9:15-10:00 | Keynote Future Skills for future-oriented work at universities(online, room 1) | Prof . Dr Ulf-Daniel Ehlers | DHBW Karlsruhe |
| 10:30-12:00 | Future skills and university - what does that have to do with me? (online, room 1) | Prof . Dr Tobias Seidl | HS der Medien Stuttgart |
| 11:00-15:00 | Workshop AI in scientific and professional practice(main campus Cottbus, Zwischenbau VI, room 7) |Henry Herkula | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 13:00-15:00 | Self-study time - your two hours for AI (online, room 1) | Tanja Jeschke | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 14:00-16:00 | Workshop Design Thinking meets AI: Co-creatively shaping the future (online, room 3) | Samuel Tschepe | HPI d-school |
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
| 09:00-09:45 | Future Skills meets Daily - Your 45 minutes for focus & skills development (online, room 2)| Tanja Jeschke | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 09:00-10:00 | Input AI-more resilient examination formats(online, room 1)| Christine Meier zu Farwig | Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences |
| 10:00-12:00 | Workshop WandelBAR: Future Skills Basis Compass Part 1 - Understanding and specifically developing future skills (main campus Cottbus, IKMZ, 7th floor) | Andrea Bölke, Marlen Dubrau | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 12:15-12:45 | Input How pronounced are future skills among BTU graduates?(online, room 1) | Dr René Krempkow | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 13:00-14:30 | Promoting future skills in university teaching - results of a professor survey and their implications for curriculum development(online, room 1) | Dr Nina Horstmann | CHE Centre for Higher Education Development |
| 13:00-14:30 | Workshop AI Workshop: Introductory course part 1(online, room 2) | Marlen Dubrau, Marie Theres Augsten | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 14:30-16:00 | Workshop (eco-feminist) garden tour - A method for communication and reflection of many perspectives(main campus Cottbus, IKMZ, 7th floor, room 7.18) | Lina Hansen | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 14:45-16:15 | Workshop Scientific writing with AI and the WISAR(online, room 3) | Dr Andrea Klein | Lecturer, coach and author for scientific work |
| 15:00-16:00 | Discourse on occupational fields in the future skills debate(online, room 1) | Heike Bartholomäus, Vivien Schwedt-Binkowski, Eva-Maria König | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
| 09:00-09:45 | Future Skills meets Daily - Your 45 minutes for focus & skills development (online, room 2)| Tanja Jeschke | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 09:00-10:00 | Input New work, old me? Why agility needs introspection"(online, room 1) | Dr Jadranka Halilović | Bridge builder for New Work & Agility |
| 10:00-11:30 | Workshop From data chaos to structure. Using AI critically in RDM(online, room 2) | Dr Katarzyna Biernacka | Expert for Research Training & Capacity Building |
| 10:00-12:00 | Workshop Resilience - Cultivating inner strength in times of change(main campus Cottbus, IKMZ, 7th floor) | Dr Tina Böhme (Limited number of participants) |
| 10:00-14:00 | Workshop Finding solutions through play with LEGO® Serious Play®(main campus Cottbus, Zwischenbau VI, room 7) | Eva-Maria König | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 11:30-13:00 | Anchoring future skills in the curriculum - What influence do students, teachers and the labour market have? (online, room 1) |Dr Vera Gehrs | Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences |
| 13:00-14:00 | Input Sustainability Skills for Non-Sustainability Jobs (English)(online, room 2) | Olga Pashulia | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 13:30-14:00 | Input Which (future) skills are needed in the professional field of science management?(online, room 1) | Dr René Krempkow | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 14:00-15:30 | Workshop Teaching Democracy, Living Democracy - Shaping Future Skills in Teaching (online, room 3) | Wibke Matthes | Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel |
| 14:00-16:00 | Workshop All you always wanted to know about DRONES (main campus Cottbus, Zwischenbau VI, room 8) | Bartosz Lysakowski | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
Thursday, 12 March 2026
| 09:00-09:45 | Future Skills meets Daily - Your 45 minutes for focus & skills development (online, room 2)| Tanja Jeschke | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 9:00-10:00 | Input Critical aspects of AI deep learning methods (main campus Cottbus, IKMZ, 7th floor) | Prof. Dr Ingo Schmitt | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 10:00-11:00 | Input AI and transformative learning in university teaching: A stocktaking(online, room 1) | Franziska Weidle-McClure, PhD | Change Agent |
| 10:00-12:00 | Workshop Raus aus Stress und Reaktivität - Mehr Stabilität, Klarheit und Handlungsspielraum durch Selbstregulation(main campus Cottbus, IKMZ, 7th floor) | Dr Tina Böhme | Psychologist & Holistic Coach (limited number of participants) |
| 11:00-12:00 | Input Tranieren Reflection Competence(online, room 2) | Prof. Dr Sophia Frank | HS Coburg |
| 12:00-16:00 | Workshop 3D-print your world - hands on(main campus Cottbus, Zwischenbau VI/ room 8) | Bartosz Lysakowski | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg (limited number of participants) |
| 13:00-15:00 | Workshop Funding scientific thinking among students in teaching(Campus Senftenberg, Building 2, Room 2.311) | Katrin Jäser | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 14:00-16:00 | Workshop to fund students' independence and self-organisation (online, room 1) | Sarah Hostmann | Trainering für Lehr- und Beratungskompetenz |
Friday, 13 March 2026
| 09:00-09:45 | Future Skills meets Daily - Your 45 minutes for focus & skills development (online, room 2)| Tanja Jeschke | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 09:00-09:45 | Input From dropout to academic success: Needs-oriented AI coaching for future skills (online, room 1) | Dr Claudia Loitsch | TU Dresden, Research Group Leader Needs-oriented Coaching for Students (NAIC) |
| 09:00-11:00 | Workshop Designing Branched Learning Paths - Creating Branching Scenarios with H5P(main campus Cottbus, IKMZ, 7th floor) | Matthias Kernig | Medical University of Lausitz Carl-Thiem (limited number of participants) |
| 10:00-11:00 | Workshop WandelBAR: Future Skills Basis Compass Part 1 - Understanding and specifically developing future skills (online, Room 1) | Marlen Dubrau | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 10:00-13:00 | Workshop Future Skills Bootcamp: Agility for teachers and consultants(Cottbus main campus, IKMZ, 7th floor) | Dr Jadranka Halilović | Bridge builder for New Work & Agility |
| 11:00-13:00 | Self-learning time - Your two hours for a changing world of work (online, room 2) | Tanja Jeschke | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 11:00-12:00 | Opportunities of AI for society(online, room 1) | Henry Herkula | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
| 13:00-14:00 | End of the week: Future Skills at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg (online, room 1) | FSR(at)BB-Team | BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg |
University employees and students can gain specific further qualifications as part of Future Skills Week and receive two different certificates, depending on their level of participation.
Future Skills qualification certificate (12 work units)
You can put together your own personal weekly programme and select specific events that suit your work or study context.
If you take part in
- the opening keynote,
- two workshops and
- two further events
you will receive the Future Skills qualification certificate (12 work units).
This certificate documents your active participation in the Future Skills Week and your engagement with key future topics. It serves as proof of participation and competence for your personal further training.
WandelBAR certificate (from 30 work units)
The Future Skills Week events can also be credited towards the university's internal continuing education programme WandelBAR.
If you complete 30 work units or more, you can obtain the WandelBAR certificate. This is more comprehensive and documents an in-depth examination of topics relating to sustainable teaching, counselling and university development.
The Future Skills Week can therefore be an starting point on the way to the WandelBAR certificate.
Your entry to the WandelBAR certificate Future Skills Basic Compass - Part 1
The WandelBAR Compass: Part 1 is the central workshop to the qualification programme WandelBAR - Shaping Teaching & Advice for the Future and will be offered several times as part of Future Skills Week .
Teaching and counselling are changing rapidly: AI, new learning formats, increasing complexity in everyday student life. The "Compass" helps you to orientate yourself, clarify your own development needs and identify suitable further training paths. Participants get to know the structure and logic of the WandelBAR programme, take an initial systematic look at key future skills in the university context and take time for self-assessment and exchange.
Participation in the Basic Compass is a prerequisite for crediting of additional courses in the programme towards the WandelBAR certificate.
The Future Skills Week is part of the Future Skill Readiness project for university staff in Brandenburg and is embedded in the WandelBAR qualification programme. It is therefore not intended as an individual event, but as a concentrated component in a longer-term cross-university qualification strategy.