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About the Conference

AI breakthroughs have made the long-heralded paradigm shift in higher education a current necessity and reality. Future universities must go beyond teaching increasingly rapidly obsolescent knowledge. They need to enable students to thrive in a fast-changing environment, question certainties, and collaborate in a solution-oriented manner on complex current and anticipated challenges. Universities themselves must transform to remain relevant.

The conference brings together German and Jordanian university members to share reform approaches and explore future-oriented models through keynotes, a panel discussion, and interactive workshops that lead to practical outcomes.

Agenda at a Glance

Moderation: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Farah Al-Atrash (Dean SABE, GJU)

• 08:30 Registration & coffee reception
• 09:00 Welcome & opening
• 09:00 National Anthems of Jordan and Germany
• 09:04 Welcome Address - Prof. Dr. Ala'aldeen Al-Halhouli (President, GJU)
• 09:07 Welcome Address - Mr. Martin Lohr (Cultural Attaché, German Embassy Amman)
• 09:10 Introduction to the Topic - Prof. Dr. Ralf Roßkopf (Vice President for International Affairs, GJU)

Session 1: The Future of Higher Education

Moderation: Asst. Prof. Dr. Mayada Daibes (Dean SN, GJU)

• 09:15 Keynote 1: Future Skills - Dr. Anna Sandmeir
• 09:45 Keynote 2: Future Universities - Prof. Dr. Dietmar Wolff (Online)
• 10:15 The GJU Competence Matrix - Prof. Dr. Iyas Khader (Vice President for Academic Excellence, GJU)
• 10:30 The GJU Micro-Credential Strategy - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ziad Abu El-Rub (Dean SAMS, GJU)
• 10:45 The International Network for Future Universal Skills Education (INFUSE) - Prof. Dr. Judith M. Pütter & Prof. Dr. Jessica Stemann (University of Applied Sciences Hamm-Lippstadt)
• 11:00 Panel Discussion: The Future of Universities
• 11:30 Coffee break

Session 2: AI and Future Universities

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Ralf Roßkopf (Vice President for International Affairs, GJU)

• 12:00 Keynote 3: Universities in the Political Economy of Generative AI - Prof. Dr. Christine Huth-Hildebrandt (GJU)
• 12:20 National Approaches for AI Integration in Higher Education - Prof. Dr. Christoph Lattemann (Constructor University Bremen)
• 12:40 AI's Impact on University Management and Administration - Prof. Dr. Jörg Müller-Lietzkow (HafenCity University Hamburg, Online)
• 13:00 AI and Higher Education - The End of Traditional Education and Teaching as We Know It - Prof. Dipl. Des. Julia Schnitzer
• 13:20 Panel Discussion
• 13:50 Introduction and Instructions for the Future University Workshops
• 13:55 Light lunch

Session 3: Future University Workshops

• 14:30 Parallel Workshops (According to Registration)
  • WS1: From Uncertainty to Strategy: Empowering Teaching and Learning through Supportive Guidelines (LEGO® Serious Play®)
  • WS2: Supportive AI Guidelines
  • WS3: AI and Higher Education - Moving Beyond Traditional Models of Teaching and Education
  • WS4: A Local AI-Assisted Marking App for Instructors: Technical Feasibility, Pedagogical and Ethical Soundness

Session 4: Wrap Up of Workshop Outcomes

Moderation: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Farah Al-Atrash (Dean SABE, GJU)

• 16:30 Summaries of Findings (WS1-WS4)
• 16:55 Closure - Prof. Dr. Ralf Roßkopf (Vice President for International Affairs, GJU)
• 17:00 Barbecue

Topics & Guiding Questions

The conference brings together German and Jordanian university members to explore the following questions:

• What are the conditions and developments leading to the paradigm shift in higher education?
• What are the needed future skills?
• How can future skills be taught?
• What role do micro-credentials play?
• What is the future for traditional study programs?
• Will students be able to customize their educational programs across different universities?
• What legal conditions, structures, equipment, processes, networks, standards, and capabilities are required?
• How urgent is the need for reform?

Pioneers of higher education reform in Germany will provide insights, while university representatives from Jordan and Germany will present existing and planned reform measures. Workshops will explore key issues in greater depth, and the results will be summarized in a resolution following the conference.

Workshop Registration

Four parallel workshops will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 14:30 to 16:30. Each participant may attend one workshop.

• WS1: From Uncertainty to Strategy: Empowering Teaching and Learning through Supportive Guidelines
• WS2: Supportive AI Guidelines
• WS3: AI and Higher Education - Moving Beyond Traditional Models of Teaching and Education
• WS4: A Local AI-Assisted Marking App for Instructors

To register for a workshop, please send your name, affiliation, and preferred workshop number (WS1-WS4) to:

Email: Vice.President-IA.Office@gju.edu.jo

Note: Places in WS1 are limited to 12 participants.

For detailed workshop descriptions, please refer to pages 4-8 of the official conference agenda.

Registration (Shared with German Week)

Registration is done via one shared form for German Week 2026 and the Future University Conference. In the form, you can select:

• German Week 2026
• Future University Conference
• Or both

After registration, you will receive confirmation and any relevant instructions by email.

Contact

For inquiries and workshop proposals:
Vice President for International Affairs Office (GJU)
Email: Vice.President-IA.Office@gju.edu.jo