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)
General Forum Chair of ForEU4All

Curriculum vitae
Chronological CV (PDF)
Publications (PDF)

The Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies plans, organizes, and quality assures teaching and studies at the University of Cologne. Her work ensures that learning is research-based, and studies and teaching are designed to meet - and even surpass - the requirements of the 21st century. The Vice-Rector works in constant cooperation with the students, the faculty members, and the university administration.

Professor Beatrix Busse aims at innovatively and future-orientedly developing education and studies, teaching and learning at the University of Cologne. At the heart of the UoC’s Teaching and Learning lies the unity of excellent research and education, with the goal of empowering all learners with the scientific habitus and future-relevant competences (e.g. AI) to take responsibility and to shape the future of our society and planet. Under the Vice-Rector’s leadership, this goal is further developed in the key strategies and concepts, realized thanks to newly designed and recently established participatory structures, tested in future-oriented, experimental projects and continuously explored in co-creative events.

Strategy Processes and Concepts

Competence-Oriented Educational Approach

AI-Strategy

Mission Statement Teaching and Learning

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.

In 2025, Professor Busse published the book „KI in der Hochschulbildung“ (Pearson) together with Ingo Kleiber.

Co-Creation

The European University for Well-Being (EUniWell)

The Quality System Teaching and Learning Q3UoC

The Teacher Education Hub

Arenas

Vive-Rector Busse aims at establishing future-oriented structures, that realize co-creation and enable all engaged and interested actors and stakeholders to participate in relevant processes and shape the future of the organisation. Therefore, she conceptualized two central structures:

With the ‘arenas’, Professor Busse has developed a new collaboration format at universities and implemented it at the University of Cologne. Arenas are interdisciplinary working groups, networks and think tanks, 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’, she presents the arena concept and gives an initial status report on the implementation at the UoC.

Platforms are joint, dynamic and agile organisations for interdisciplinary cooperation that bring together all stakeholders and institutions, perspectives and resources actively working to further develop a specific area (of studies and teaching).