Three Weeks of Innovation and Strategy
While students across the globe are eager to participate in physical exchange mobility again, some programmes are destined to be taught in a virtual space – such as the HWR Berlin Winter School 2022.
This year’s Winter School Programme on Innovation and Platform Strategies in the Service Industry was taught in a virtual space. The HWR Berlin was happy to welcome students from universities in the U.S., Singapore, Australia and Poland. With more than eight different nationalities coming together in the course, the virtual classroom stage was set for intercultural experiences enriched by diverse perspectives.
An experiential learning concept
A team of three HWR Berlin professors, Prof. Matthias Tomenendal, Prof. Caroline Rudzinska and Prof. Gert Bruche, guided the group through these three weeks of intensive learning. Next to attending classes and studying the latest concepts of strategy and innovation, Prof. Tomenendal invited students to „have fun, engage in team work and tackle real, practical challenges“.
Indeed, “Learning by Doing” was the motto of this extensive programme as students worked on a real case challenge from a Berlin-based business, culminating in innovation pitches to the CEO. Students also virtually toured the Smart City Berlin, gaining first-hand insights on challenges and opportunities of innovation projects.
From Singapore to New York
Real world conditions were also represented by the different locations of the course participants. Being spread out across the globe, the international virtual working environment not only required students to coordinate time-zones but also to foster intercultural understanding and learning.
Throughout the programme, the focus was on the host city, Berlin. Participants were able to explore and discover the city from different angles: As a business location and city of innovation as well as a capital rich in history and culture. A virtual appetizer of Berlin and German culture was dished up by two HWR Berlin students who took the participants on a virtual Berlin trip through time and space.
Loysius Lai, a participant from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, summed up the programme perfectly: „We really enjoyed learning from the lessons conducted by the professors and appreciate the virtual time together. Wunderbar! :-)“
A definite advantage of the virtual programme delivery was that it facilitated the inclusion of full-time working students who would not have been able to participate in an on-site course.
Nevertheless, we look forward to welcoming international HWR Berlin Summer and Winter School students on campus in Berlin soon again!
This might also be of interest:
- International Focus
- HWR Berlin Summer & Winter School