Learning spaces with room for curiosity and appreciation
The room in the university library in Siegen is well filled. Marcus Berger, an expert in university learning workshops, asks the audience to take a conscious look around and reflect on their surroundings. "What does the room do to you?" Berger is a speaker at the Day of Learning Cultures at the University of Siegen. He brings an outside perspective, as he is a research assistant for higher education didactics qualifications and support for teaching staff at the University of Erfurt. But he quickly makes the connections to the general perspectives on teaching and learning and how innovative learning spaces can be designed, whether in University of Siegen or Erfurt, whether at universities or in schools.
Under the motto "Enabling Spaces", interactive workshops and diverse formats were on the program on the Day of Learning Cultures. Participants had the opportunity to experience innovative learning cultures at first hand: from the design of participatory methods and creative room concepts to a trade fair for digital teaching scenarios. Guided tours of the University of Siegen's special learning spaces were also offered - from learning workshops to specialist laboratories that promote the development of new teaching formats and the integration of digital tools.
The University of Siegen is committed to developing a learning culture that promotes openness, curiosity and mutual appreciation. In the opening speech, Prof. Hans Merzendorfer, Prorector for Studies, Teaching and Quality Management, and Dr. Barbara Müller-Naendrup, Prorector for Teacher Training, Further Education and Sustainability, emphasized that the university has already anchored this vision of an open, future-oriented learning culture in its mission statement. The mission statement was and is being developed in the format of a "living document" in a joint process with students, teaching staff and employees and describes the university's values and goals in the area of teaching. The focus is on a culture of lifelong learning that promotes critical thinking and responsible action and thus makes an active contribution to the further development of society.
A special moment on the Day of Learning Cultures was the presentation of the University of Siegen 2025 Teaching Award to Dr. Marcel Hartwig and Nadine Sucharda, who run the "Desperate Thespians" theater group and whose creative approach and innovative teaching methods are an outstanding example of a format that inspires students, supports their development and is formative for their time at university.
A total of 20 suggestions were made by the students for the teaching prize, which is endowed with 5,000 euros. "We were very pleased about this and it shows how many outstanding examples of good teaching there are at our university and how much the students appreciate the courses on offer and the lecturers for their work," emphasized Dr. Barbara Müller-Naendrup.
Marcus Berger from the University of Erfurt then showed how important it is to design physical, virtual and mental spaces to enable a sustainable learning culture in his presentation "Opening up learning spaces - between networking, reflecting and redesigning". His contribution encouraged the participants to think about the development of learning spaces that are not just a place to impart knowledge and perhaps promote collaboration, but also offer real space for reflection and innovation.
The Day of Learning Cultures 2025 offered numerous suggestions on how the university of the future can be designed - as a place where learning, research and collaborative action are in harmony. The Learning Cultures Day is to be held annually in future and the teaching prize will also be awarded each year.
