Thomas Siedler is a regular visitor to the public library. Together with his young daughter, he roams the children’s section in search of exciting stories, but also non-fiction books. What is regularly missing are books that deal with economic topics. “I wanted to change that and at the same time facilitate more knowledge transfer,” says the professor of economics, specializing in economic policy. “In my course, the students were therefore given the task of presenting economic concepts in such a way that they are accessible even to children as young as ten.” The participants were free to choose their own topics, ranging from inequality in Germany and discrimination on the housing market to the meaning of inflation and child poverty. After a more traditional exploration of the topic through a seminar paper, the students were to work in teams to develop ideas for a children’s book. For practical guidance, Prof. Siedler invited two guests who are familiar with the content and form of children’s literature: author Gabi Neumayer and graphic designer Tiiu Kitsik, who not only explained how non-fiction books for children should be structured but also provided valuable feedback on the developing projects throughout the seminar. “For economics students, this is a great opportunity to think differently and be creative,” the researcher says with satisfaction. “A special team spirit developed within the group because I told them openly that we’re trying something new here without knowing how it will ultimately work out.”
Dr. Philipp Stoffers also focuses on practical applications; together with Prof. Ariel Dora Stern and Linea Schmidt, he offers the seminar “Igniting Need-Driven Innovation in Healthcare.” “In cooperation with Vivantes, we enable students to experience the entire spectrum of medicine up close at the hospital,” says the lecturer. “For two weeks, students learn to identify needs – that is, areas where there is a problem and a solution is urgently required.” Stoffers, a physician himself, worked in hospitals for many years and explains the motivation: “Behind this was the desire to avoid so-called ‘push innovations’, i.e., developments that miss the actual demands and that nobody really needs.” But the students themselves also repeatedly express a desire to bridge the gap to practice: “Many want more practical experience and understand how much entrepreneurial potential lies in their theses.” That’s why creativity and ingenuity are required after the practical phase: In small teams, students are to develop solutions – ideally from the pitch to the finished prototype. “A remarkable project developed by the first group, for example, was the ‘talking cat,’ designed to help patients avoid slipping into delirium. It was impressive that the students had the courage and creativity to pursue such a concept,” Stoffers says. These giant leaps are made possible by the Hasso Plattner Institute’s “Maker Universe,” which provides students with extensive resources. Stoffers also considers it essential that the participants come from a wide variety of disciplines: “Their various perspectives and the broad spectrum of professional input foster a deep understanding of ‘value-based healthcare’, that is, the value that innovative solutions can have in the healthcare sector.” And perhaps, the researcher hopes, one or two of the students’ ideas will make their way back into clinical practice: “It would be particularly gratifying if a team were so enthusiastic and convinced of their idea that they would take the plunge and start a business.”
Heiko Etzold was also inspired by his own professional experience when he decided to offer his seminar “Students Become Authors of Math Textbooks”. “I have been an author for quite some time and, more recently, also an editor of textbooks,” says the mathematics educator, “and I wanted to clarify for myself and the students what is important for designing good textbooks.” The focus of the seminar, of course, was less on how to write and print a book and more on the conceptual and subject-specific didactic basics. Because it is precisely these that are all too often missing in teacher-training programs. Etzold also invited experts: a professor from Paderborn who has been researching math textbooks for over 15 years, and a high school teacher from Werder who provided candid insights into her daily work with textbooks. Building on this foundation of research and practice, Etzold wanted to give his students the opportunity to develop their own research questions regarding textbooks, for example on how digital tools are integrated or how textbooks can contribute to motivation and skills development in mathematics teaching. While he had to abandon the bold plan of rewriting an entire chapter, deeming it too ambitious, practical work in the form of revising existing textbook sections will become an essential part of the second edition of the seminar. In fact, his vision goes far beyond the seminar. “If some of the students later feel inspired to write textbooks themselves and have gained helpful theoretical and practical experience in my seminar to do so, then I have achieved my goal.”
Creative Space: Mission Statement Becomes Teaching
With “Creative Space: Mission Statement Becomes Teaching,” the University of Potsdam supports the further development of teaching as well as university-wide exchange on teaching quality and teaching innovations. The projects described in the text, along with many others, are among those funded in 2025.
More information on the project: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/zfq/innovative-lehrprojekte/projektuebersicht-2025 (German)
This article appeared in the university magazine Portal - Eins 2026 „Inklusion“.