The 2nd Regional “Digital Skills to Succeed” (DS2S) Network Conference, held from September 2–5, 2025 in Leipzig (Germany), brought together more than 160 delegates from many universities, international organizations and leading technology companies to discuss the future of education in the digital age.
The program focused on three main pillars: networking, university-industry cooperation and innovation in teaching and learning methods. The conference was organized by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) in collaboration with the University of Leipzig, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
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VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-USSH) is one of 06 universities in Vietnam attending this Conference. Representing the Ministry of Education and Training was Mr. Dang Van Huan, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education. Representing the University of Social Sciences and Humanities attending the conference were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thanh Nam, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the University Council; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Van Hung - Head of the Faculty of Information and Library.
During the discussion session, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Nam affirmed that VNU-USSH is committed to accompanying the DS2S network to promote digital capacity, innovate teaching and learning methods, and enhance university-enterprise cooperation, thereby preparing human resources to adapt to the future labor market.
The opening day marked the “Future Ready Talent” panel discussion with industry leaders from HP, IBM, CISCO on co-designing training programs based on market needs and signing strategic cooperation agreements. This was followed by the “Microcredentials for Labour Market, Education and Training in a Digital World” session with a speech by an OECD expert, emphasizing flexible lifelong learning as a tool to close the skills gap.
The second working day focused on the university-industry cooperation model with a keynote on the “German Innovation System” and a “Success in Action” series introducing practical projects; in addition, there were parallel discussions on hackathons, service-learning, and Living Labs as co-creation spaces between universities and businesses.
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The highlight of the final day with the theme “Innovative Teaching and Learning” was the presentation by VNU-USSH representative, Associate Professor, Dr. Do Van Hung with the topic “Innovation in Applying AI into Teaching”. Associate Professor, Dr. Do Van Hung introduced the framework for implementing AI training at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities based on humanistic thinking and digital citizenship, including the pillars: understanding AI & data; ethics - responsibility; human-centered; using AI in the work context; evaluating AI products; and the ability to design and develop AI systems at an appropriate level. This model comes with components of training lecturers on AI literacy, lesson design - evaluation strategies, supporting international research and publication, and participating in policy consulting at both the national and educational levels.
In particular, in the DS2S project, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is currently developing the FDP4 course - AI for Teaching and Research, a pioneering micro-credential program for university lecturers. The course consists of four modules: (1) Overview and effective application of AI; (2) Application of AI in teaching; (3) Application of AI in research; and (4) Responsible and ethical use of AI in education. The content covers the entire academic cycle - from designing digital lectures, building multimedia learning materials, organizing activities and assessing with AI, to using AI in research stages such as problem identification, data analysis, writing and scientific publication. The highlight of the course is the practical project, where lecturers implement a teaching or research initiative that integrates AI and are assessed to receive the "AI-Competent Lecturer" certificate. The program will be implemented by VNU-USSH not only in Vietnam but also introduced to India, Bangladesh and Germany within the framework of DS2S, contributing to affirming the school's pioneering role in digital transformation of higher education.
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Along with the presentations, the conference also organized many experiential workshops such as developing OER using LiaScript combined with AI, designing gamified learning materials based on design thinking, or exploiting generative AI tools in classroom management and LMS systems. These activities help lecturers approach modern digital pedagogical methods, aiming for engaging, effective and humane learning experiences.
With the participation and experience sharing from USSH, the 2nd DS2S Conference highlighted the role of Vietnamese universities in the international education network, while opening up new cooperation opportunities in training digital human resources and researching AI applications in practice, especially developing digital capacity in teaching, learning, research and entrepreneurship.
