The Hamburg University of Technology (TU Hamburg) welcomed Professor Ren Yi, Pro Vice-Chancellor International at the Australian University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ). The TU Hamburg International Affairs team, led by Dr. Wang Yi and Nicole Frei, organized the meeting. The purpose of the visit was to exchange ideas on digitalization topics and possible collaborations between UniSQ and TU Hamburg, particularly in the research fields of aviation and agriculture. For this purpose, Prof. Ren met with Prof. Jan Dege (Institute of Production Management and Technology), Prof. Bodo Fiedler (Institute of Polymers and Composites), and Prof. Nima Shokri (Institute of Geo-Hydroinformatics) to discuss potential research projects. Following this, a joint lunch with TU President Prof. Andreas Timm-Giel provided further opportunities for exchange.
Digital First
In addition to initiating future collaborations, Prof. Ren gave a lecture on UniSQ’s Digital First philosophy. He not only highlighted the high level of digitalization in administrative processes - where all services for students and staff are consolidated on a single digital platform - but also the largely digitalized teaching methods. In particular, the Hyflex model, which allows students to decide whether to study online or in-person, alone or with instructors, attracted great interest from the TU staff. At the same time, Prof. Ren pointed out that the focus on digital teaching presents ongoing challenges for educators. Therefore, it is important to assess the necessary digital competencies already during the application process and to deepen them during the onboarding of new staff with the support of experienced colleagues.
