Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies

Professor Dr Beatrix Busse

Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies.
Chair of Diachronic English Linguistics
Chief Development Officer of the European University for Well-Being (EUniWell)

The Vice Rector for Teaching and Studies is responsible for the planning, organization and quality assurance of teaching and studies in cooperation with the students, the faculties and the administration. Her areas of responsibility also include research-based teaching and the design of studies and teaching according to the requirements of the 21st century.

Curriculum vitae
Bibliography

Arenas

With the so-called ‘arenas’, Vice-Rector Busse has developed a new collaboration format at universities and implemented it at the University of Cologne. Arenas are interdisciplinary working groups and represent both the university’s commitment to strategic efficiency as well as productive co-creation involving all stakeholders. In her article ‘Willkommen in der Arena’ (in: OrganisationsEntwicklung. Zeitschrift für Unternehmesentwicklung und Change Management, 1(2022)), she presents the arena concept and gives an initial status report on the implementation at the UoC (only available in German).

Under the leadership of Vice-Rector Busse, a comprehensive AI strategy for the University of Cologne that covers all areas of the university is currently being developed. This strategy process has been accompanied by the "Artificial Intelligence at the University of Cologne" arena since November 2024. Members of the university can participate in the arena, regardless of their status group or affiliation. Relevant information is sent via the arena's mailing list.

The arena builds, among others things, directly on the results of the Day of Teaching and Learning 2023. Here, 250 stakeholders from the University of Cologne creatively dealt with the topic ‘Teaching and Learning AI’. They got to know generative AI, discussed advantages and disadvantages and possible applications in research, teaching and learning, and developed aspects for the strategic further development of teaching and learning. You can find the presentations and further information (only available in German) on the event homepage.

Mission Statement Teaching and Studies

The Mission Statement for Teaching and Learning was developed under the leadership of Professor Dr. Beatrix Busse, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Learning, in a co-creative, participatory process in which representatives from all areas of the university and all status groups actively participated. It was unanimously adopted by the Senate of the University of Cologne on 19 January 2022, and it forms the basis for the realisation and further development of learning and teaching at the University of Cologne.

On 21 March 2023, the University of Cologne held a joint event with the Centre for Teacher Education (CTE) at the  University of Cologne and the German U15 of the 8th German U15 Dialogue on the future of university teaching on the topic ‘Zukunft der Lehrkräftebildung an forschungsstarken Universitäten – Schlüssel für die Zukunftsfähigkeit Deutschlands’ (The future of teacher training at universities with a strong focus on research – key to Germany's future viability).

As part of the event, the position paper ‘Empfehlungen für eine zukunftsweisende Lehrkräftebildung März 2023’ (Recommendations for future-oriented teacher training March 2023) of the German U15 was adopted and published.

The conference report ‘Lehrer*innenbildung als Schlüssel für die Zukunftsfähigkeit Deutschlands’ (Teacher training as a key to Germany's future viability) highlights the contributions and results of the conference and shows further perspectives for the future of quality-oriented, research-based teacher education.

In her article ‘Qualitätsvoll gegen die Bildungskrise‘ (Quality as a countermeasure against the education crisis), Vice-Rector Professor Dr Beatrix Busse has also commented on the role of universities and on the necessary changes, objectives and measures in the face of the education crisis.

Dovetailing of research and teaching

"We stand for the unity of excellent research and teaching from the very beginning" (Mission Statement Studies and Teaching of the University of Cologne). The interlocking of research and teaching is as natural as it is complex at the University. Material on the various approaches to shaping this unity and impulses for developing subject-specific possibilities for dovetailing research and teaching can be found in the internal area.