How can international and interdisciplinary collaboration, digital teaching formats, and practical orientation be integrated in supply chain management? The Master's program in Supply Chain Management at the Department of Management and Communication (MuK) of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) demonstrates, through a teaching concept, how this integration can be successfully implemented.
In the winter semester of 2025/26, students worked together with Estonian students from the Institute of Logistics at TTK University of Applied Sciences in Tallinn for several weeks as part of a “Collaborative Online International Learning” (COIL) format to analyze key issues in supply chain management from an international perspective using a practical example and to jointly develop solutions.
Students from different modules with varying thematic focuses collaborated on the project, resulting in an interdisciplinary collaboration alongside the international one. The students then presented and discussed their findings in the virtual space of the German-Estonian project teams. "This format not only allows for the application of subject-specific content in an intercultural context, but also places high demands on digital collaboration, communication, and self-organization – skills that are essential for working in globally networked value creation systems," emphasized Prof. Dr. Leif Fornauf, who, together with Róisín Russ, coordinated and supervised the event on behalf of THM .
Furthermore, some of the Music and Communication Studies students had the opportunity to participate in an excursion to Tallinn led by Prof. Fornauf. This allowed for a personal meeting with the international project partners and deepened the collaboration.
The highlight of the excursion was participation in the logistics congress "Without Mistakes," organized by students from the Institute of Logistics at TTK. The congress served as a practical platform for exchange between academia and industry, offering insights into current challenges, trends, and solutions in supply chain management. The excursion was complemented by further program elements: A visit to the e-Estonia Briefing Centre highlighted the consistent digitalization of governmental and economic processes in Estonia. Furthermore, at Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG Estonia, the students gained insights into key aspects of modern port logistics and its integration into European transport networks.
The combination of interdisciplinary project work in the COIL format and supplementary international practical experience demonstrates how modern teaching in supply chain management can be designed to be future-oriented and effective. "Students not only benefit professionally, but also develop intercultural and interdisciplinary skills as well as a deeper understanding of global interrelationships," emphasized Prof. Fornauf. Furthermore, the format underscores the strategic importance of the German-Estonian partnership between the participating Departments at THM and TTK, which has been continuously expanded and structurally strengthened in recent years.