The ENGINEXT project follows an agile project management approach with three-month sprints. At the end of each sprint, the project team invites the university community to a review session to present the sprint’s key results and foster discussion within the university about the project and its goals.
The event in early June focused on the results of the second sprint cycle (March through May 2026) of the project, which launched in the fall of 2025. Faculty, students, and representatives from various departments listened with great interest to reports from project participants across four areas of work and learned how ENGINEXT is rethinking teaching at the TUHH. They also provided the team with valuable feedback. These reviews make it possible to incorporate the perspectives of all relevant stakeholders and provide important impetus for future work.
New Programs at ENGINEXT: B.Sc. in Green Technologies and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering
The project has added two new flagship degree programs: Saskia Gildehaus presented the redesign of the B.Sc. in Green Technologies. Going forward, this program will focus on challenge-based learning, compact modules, and real-world labs. Prof. Robert Seifried presented the plans for the restructuring of the M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering: These include, for example, a block-structured specialized laboratory and practice-oriented instruction using heat pumps. The new components of both degree programs aim to better equip students to actively address real-world challenges in their future professional careers in a sustainability-oriented manner.
Campus Walk: Experience the TUHH's Teaching and Research Firsthand
The “Campus Walk” project working group demonstrated how research and practice-oriented teaching can be made visible both physically and digitally in the future—using interactive elements, QR stations, and a mobile web application. The audience provided valuable suggestions that the project team will incorporate during the planning workshop for the Campus Walk at the end of June.
Compact Modules: Ensuring Long-Term Flexibility
Laura Muske from the Department of Academic Affairs provided insight into the work behind the scenes: How can compact modules be sustainably integrated into course scheduling, academic organization, and the examination system? A key to success lies in extensive coordination processes and technical adjustments—supported in part by AI. Jana Schultz, coordinator of the flagship B.Sc. program in Chemical and Bioengineering, explained how compact modules are planned from the faculty’s perspective: She presented key content and findings from the module workshop, which had taken place just a few days earlier for the second time for faculty members of the future compact modules.
The InnoChallenge – and a duck washing machine
A particular highlight was the presentation of the specific module concept for the InnoChallenge by Harold Gamero from the Institute for Organizational Design and Collaboration Engineering (ODCE) and Pascal Kull from the Institute for Smart Development and Machine Elements (ISEM). They explained how students learn in their modules based on real-world requirements from external partners and how the modules can be better integrated with one another through the new compact structure. The example of the duck washing machine built by the students themselves generated enthusiasm among the audience—and vividly demonstrated what innovative, practice-oriented teaching can achieve.
The project team will incorporate the constructive feedback from the review meeting when planning the next project sprint (June through August). The results of this sprint will then be presented at the next university-wide review, scheduled for early September 2026.
