Open Lecture Hall: Brain Teasers Instead of Crossword Puzzles

When Gaby Blume turned around in the lecture, she couldn’t have been more surprised: sitting behind her was a former student. “She took religion with me—and now we’re sitting together at the university,” smiles the retired teacher. Together with her husband, Peter Blume, she attends lectures through the “Open Lecture Hall” guest student program. “Here we’re sitting right in the middle of the students - that’s exactly what makes it so appealing. It’s a fountain of youth.”

Both are retired teachers. Just a few years ago, Gaby Blume was still administering religion exams at her high school. Last semester, they attended a lecture on the history of Christianity together - a win-win for both of them. “I’m a math dunce,” says former principal Peter Blume with a wink. “The lecture helped me fill in some gaps in my history knowledge.”

Yet learning is just one of their many hobbies. They play tennis, ski, enjoy going to musicals, and spend a lot of time with family and friends. “There’s hardly any time left for anything else,” says Gaby Blume with a laugh. “That makes it all the more convenient that we can select specific days and times in the course catalog.” Signing up for the Open Lecture Hall took only a few minutes this year.

Technologically, too, both are up to date. They receive the lecture slides digitally and take notes directly on their tablets. “Students showed us how it works,” says Gaby Blume. In return, they give the younger students insights into their former daily work as teachers.

In addition to religious studies, they also attended a course on everyday psychology. “We learned a lot about sales psychology, such as the so-called ‘anchoring’ technique, and watched role-playing exercises on the topic of lying,” they report. Next, they plan to attend a lecture on the history of the people of Israel: “The Middle East is in the news every day - we’d like to better understand the background.”

After every lecture, Peter Blume invites his wife to lunch at Klippo. There, they also regularly meet up with other guest students for a get-together. For both of them, one thing is certain: “Especially as you get older, you should keep your mind active. Attending a lecture is more exciting than any crossword puzzle.”

The “Open Lecture Hall” guest student program is open to anyone interested. There are no admission requirements—everyone is welcome, regardless of age, educational background, or professional experience. The fee for up to four semester hours (SWS) is 125.00 euros per semester. Those who wish to take more than four SWS pay 185.00 euros.

Guest students attend courses from the regular curriculum of bachelor’s and master’s programs that have been approved by the instructors. “Leuphana deliberately does not have a separate program exclusively for guest students. We want to offer the opportunity to become part of the academic community and learn alongside young people,” explains Nadine Theinert, who is responsible for the “Open Lecture Hall” at the Leuphana Professional School.
Visiting students thus participate directly in campus life. In addition, there is a supporting program featuring campus tours and a biweekly get-together.