Syllabus: Future Skills for Engineers
TU Berlin Winter School
Course Instructor: Ulrike Zillmer-Tantan, TU Berlin teaching fellow
Location: January 2 – 5, 2024: Room 2.12 in Hardenbergstraße (HBS),
Hardenbergstraße 16-18, 10623 Berlin
January 8 – 10 + 12, 2024: Room H 2037 in the Main Building (H), Straße des
17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin
January 11, 2024: Room 550 in the Mathematics Building (MA), Straße des
17. Juni 136, 10623 Berlin
https://www.tu.berlin/en/studying/university-life/campus-map
Key to Learning Formats
Orientation or Cultural
Lecture Practical Excursion Assessment
Program Session*
*The cultural program timetable will be emailed to you shortly before your course starts. For more
information about the cultural program, and for examples of previous schedules, check out our website:
https://www.tu.berlin/international/summer-school/cultural-program
Week 1: January 2 - 5
Date Session Information Details
Tuesday, Welcome and Introduction Welcome to the TU Berlin, overview of the Winter
January 2 TU Berlin Winter School Team School program, distribution of the welcome pack and
introduction.
Time CET: 10:30am -12:30pm
Lunch
Time CET: 12:30 -1:00pm
Campus Tour with Winter
School staff
Time CET: 1:00 -1:45pm
Introduction and Orientation Presentation of trainer & participants
U. Zillmer-Tantan Overview on course structure & contents
Establishing seminar culture
Time CET: 1:45 -3:45pm Information on examination
Format: Lecture
Wednesday, Future trends Challenges of a VUCA world
January 3 U. Zillmer-Tantan Megatrends in Global Society
Impact and implications for the workplace
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: lecture
Future skills models Future job profiles
U. Zillmer-Tantan Exploring different approaches to future skills
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: exercise
Cultural Program
Start Time CET: 1:30pm
Thursday, Game session Card game on future skills
January 4 U. Zillmer-Tantan Choosing teams & topics for your presentations
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: exercise
Walking Lecture on Futures Guided tour by Dr. Christian Engelbrecht,
Literacy Futurium Berlin
Futurium Berlin Moment of Reflection
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: excursion
Mini-Workshop on Future Future Scenarios: utopia & dystopia
Scenarios Postcards from Future
Futurium Berlin (lab)
Time CET: 1:30 -3:30pm
Format: excursion
Friday, Futures Storytelling, part I Life in 2050: Training Creativity, Collaboration and
January 5 U. Zillmer-Tantan Presentation skills using Scenona Cards
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: exercise
Futures Storytelling, part II The moon village challenge
U. Zillmer-Tantan Debriefing the exercises
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: exercise
Moral courage & Ethics Ethical decision-making under extreme
U. Zillmer-Tantan circumstances: The bunker dilemma
Looking back on week one
Time CET: 1:30 -3:30pm
Format: exercise
Cultural Program
Start Time CET: 4:00pm
Sunday, Individual Assignment Personal reflection on your own future skills,
January 7 maximum length 2 A4 pages.
Deadline CEST: 11:59pm Extra-task winter school: Personal reflection on the
“The bunker dilemma.” exercise (about 1 A4 page)
and peer-review.
Week 2: January 8 - 12
Date Session Information Details
Monday, Thinking outside the box Cognitive Flexibility & Critical Thinking or “Are you a
January 8 U. Zillmer-Tantan good detective?”
“How normal am I?”
Time CET: 9:00am -10:30pm
Format: exercises
AI & diversity issues Cognitive biases, logical fallacies and the role of AI
Dr. Marco Wedel (guest
lecturer)
Time CET: 11:00 -12:30am
Format: lecture
The Danger of a Single Story WEIRDness
U. Zillmer-Tantan TED talk and discussion
Time CET: 1:30 -3:30pm
Format: lecture
Cultural Program
Start Time CET: 4:00pm
Tuesday, (Co-)Creative problem solving Generation Z, six hats and many heroes
January 9 U. Zillmer-Tantan
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: exercise
Design your Future Trying to find your ikigai in life via the design
U. Zillmer-Tantan thinking approach
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: exercise
Coaching with presentation Discussing the intermediate status of the group
teams assignment (ca. 20 min per group)
U. Zillmer-Tantan
Time CET: 1:30 -3:30pm
Format: coaching
Wednesday, The future is emotional, right? What emotional intelligence is and why it matters.
January 10 U. Zillmer-Tantan
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: lecture
Vulnerability, shame and Lessons from Dare to Lead by B. Brown: Sympathy
empathy vs. Empathy, empathy misses
U. Zillmer-Tantan
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: lecture
Thursday, Resilience Reflecting values, belief systems and inner drivers
January 11 U. Zillmer-Tantan Lessons from Kintsugi
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: exercises
Patience and Gratitude Time spent study
U. Zillmer-Tantan Lessons from Braiding sweetgrass by R.W.
Kimmerer
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: lecture
Non-violent communication Lessons from five chairs: Practicing observation,
U. Zillmer-Tantan feelings, needs and requests
Practicing active listening
Time CET: 1:30 -3:30pm
Format: exercises
Friday, Student presentations Presentations of teams (30 min each), incl.
January 12 U. Zillmer-Tantan interactive parts (10 min each)
discussion and peer-feedback
Time CET: 9:00 -10:30am
Format: assessment
Student presentations Presentations of teams (30 min each), incl.
U. Zillmer-Tantan interactive parts (10 min each)
discussion and peer-feedback
Time CET: 11:00am -12:30pm
Format: assessment
Student presentations (Presentations, if needed, see above)
& Wrap Up Personal take-aways and evaluation of the course
U. Zillmer-Tantan
Time CET: 1:30 -3:30pm
Format: assessment
Certificate Ceremony
Start Time CET: 4:00pm
Student Learning Outcomes
The following overview provides information on the key topics to be covered each week and how they
relate to the learning goals in your course.
Learning Goals for both weeks
Students will
gain an overview about key changes and trends in society impacting our lives and future challenges
at the workplace
increase their self-awareness by assessing their own future skills, analyzing their potentials and
exploring how to train them
understand their own values, communication style and thought patterns
learn to better deal with complexities, adapt to uncertain situations and thus be equipped for the
workplace of the future
Week 1
Topics and Activities:
introduction to the research field of future skills
excursion to Futurium
focus on training specific future skills such as
o future literacy
o joy of learning, curiosity and experimentation
o communication and collaboration
o creativity, improvisation and co-creation
o moral courage & ethics
o embracing change
Week 2
Topics and Activities:
focus on training specific future skills such as
o critical thinking and cognitive flexibility
o multiperspectivity, systemic thinking, problem solving
o emotional intelligence, empathy
o resilience
exploring wisdom from non-western contexts
students‘ perspectives on future skills (presentations)
Assessment information
You will be assessed in the following ways (see yellow sessions in schedule, if applicable):
o Participation and contributions during sessions (such as topic-related and constructive
contributions to our discussions as well as collaboration and reflection on the exercises)
o Personal reflection, assignment due on 7.1.2024
o Group presentation, on 12.1.2024
Your assessments will be weighted as follows:
20%: Participation and contributions during sessions
40%: Personal reflections
40%: Group presentation incl. interactive element
Please note that all participants must attend at least 80% of their classes in order to be eligible to pass
the course. Failure to attend 80% of classes without an adequate reason will result in an automatic fail.
Grading information
All participants will receive a grade under the German grading system. The following table provides an
overview of the grading system and equivalent scores for international credit transfers:
Total mark German grade English description
Greater than or equal to 95 1,0 Excellent
Greater than or equal to 90 1,3 Very good
Greater than or equal to 85 1,7 Good
Greater than or equal to 80 2,0 Good
Greater than or equal to 75 2,3 Good
Greater than or equal to 70 2,7 Satisfactory
Greater than or equal to 65 3,0 Satisfactory
Greater than or equal to 60 3,3 Satisfactory
Greater than or equal to 55 3,7 Sufficient
Greater than or equal to 50 4,0 Sufficient
Less than 50 5,0 Fail
Credit Points
ECTS is a point system and European standard developed by the Commission of the European Community
and refers to the European Credit Transfer System. The aim of the system is to provide common
procedures and guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad. The credit system is based on student
workload. All lectures, homework and group assignments count towards the workload. One point is
awarded for the equivalent of 25-30 hours of workload.
Allocation of workload and ECTS
Orientation + cultural program 10 hours
Lectures 23 hours
Practical 22 hours
Self-study/ Homework 13 hours
Final exam/ Project presentation 07 hours
Total 75 hours
25 weekly semester hours ≙ 1 Credit 3 Credits
Reading list
Following is a list of reading materials which will be used or referred to during the course. You are not
required to read these in advance, unless otherwise advised. These materials are provided for your
information and reference.
All sources below are available either open source, in the TU Berlin library, or will be provided to you
directly by your lecturers, during the course.
To search resources available in the TU Berlin library, check here: https://www.ub.tu-
berlin.de/en/searching-for-resources/
Marr, Bernard (2022): Future Skills: The 20 Skills and Competencies Everyone Needs to Succeed in a
Digital World. Wiley; 1. Edition.
Prince, Emma-Sue (2019): 7 Skills for the Future, Pearson Business; 2. Edition.
Pölönen, Perttu (2021): Future Skills, Viva Editions.
