HR masters students at Pforzheim
It is fun to teach a bit.
I’ve been teaching a course on HR Tech and AI for about 3 years now at the Pforzheim University of Applied Science. It has a highly rated business school, and is especially strong in HR. Stephan Fischer leads the faculty. In the summer semester I teach bachelors students and in the winter, masters students.
I use 3 full days, partly over a weekend. The course isn’t examined, and I usually have around a dozen students. After experimenting a bit, I’ve come up with a formula that seems to work well. Running it over a weekend does help select the students that are genuinely interested in the topic.
For part of the time, I actually get them using modern HR technology. We have used Arist with several cohorts, as it is a great example of how AI can be practically applied to learning. It is also fun for me to see how rapidly the product advances. Within a couple of hours, students are building meaningful courses and consuming them via Whatsapp.
I apply a bit of what I learned on the Oxford Business of AI Diploma, but most of what we cover is focused on the practical use technology in HR.
Because I don’t want the students to have to listen to my ramblings for 3 days, I have arranged several guest speakers to participate. We are looking to do a couple of things.
Expose them to modern HR tech start ups. There is more to HR tech than the mega-vendors. (Other modules cover SAP, Workday etc).
How is HR tech used in large enterprises today?
What is HR like in modern fast growing startups?
How is and how will AI impact HR and work more generally?
Is HR being transformed? If so, how?
What does a venture capitalist do?
How can you have meaningful career with HR tech?
This semester I’m thrilled to have
Anna Ott VP HR at HV Capital. Anna Ott
Manuela Cupic Senior Director of IT at Adidas.
Giancarlo Pala Global Head of HR Technology at Nestle
Erika Rasch SVP HR at Bosch
Jessie Schofer Stakkd founder
Dr Steve Hunt I/O psychology and HR tech expert.
And several Acadian portfolio company founders.
My question for you, my lovely readers. What would you suggest as pre-reading, watching or listening for the course? I’ll also be looking for additional speakers for future semesters. If you were studying HR today, what would you want to learn about?
As I usually do, here is a song for you. This time it is from Sea Power. I keep finding great songs from them. My friends will know I like to ride my bicycle. This song reminds me to get out a bit more, even if it is turning chilly.
I would really love to have the next generation of HR leaders more equipped on how to think in terms of what the CEO and board need from them vs. what they want to achieve based on what they have learned of their own function.
Thank you for the referral to Arist, Thomas Otter! Wow, looks amazing. I am wondering how they can provide confidentiality (I have worked in Pharma a lot) regarding confidential, proprietary data and still create full coursework ("closed loop"?). I have had to sign/negotiate some substantial NDAs for my work with Pharma leaders. They don't take this lightly, so Arist's use case on their website is notable. For your curriculum, I would really want you to find someone who can teach ethical standards as AI is applied more routinely to every aspect of HR, including vetting, hiring, and developing employees. For instance, all of this will be algorithm-dependent, so how to structure the AI models to not be biased or prejudiced. Thank you for your posts.