Prof. Dr. Felix Averbeck

• 2022–2025: Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) at the Department of Education at the University of Münster on the topic: “Virtual Reality as a Testing Ground for Social Work—Testing and Promoting the Transfer of Theory to Practice in the Context of the Degree Program Using Vignettes.”
• 2018–2021: Master’s degree in “Social Work and Research” at Münster University of Applied Sciences
• 2014–2018: Bachelor’s degree in “Social Work” at Münster University of Applied Sciences

• 2025: Social worker in child and youth services at Ev. Kinderheim Jugendhilfe Herne & Wanne-Eickel gGmbH
• 2024–2026: Research Assistant for the development of innovative teaching concepts using AI and VR at Fulda University of Applied Sciences
• 2021–2025: Research Assistant and Head of the XR Subproject (VR in Social Work Education) at Münster University of Applied Sciences
• 2019–2021: Social worker in integration services, specializing in the comprehensive planning process for early intervention services at the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe
• 2018–2019: Social worker in child and youth welfare services at Outlaw gGmbH

Winter Semester

• History and Theoretical Foundations of Social Work (GTG)
• Introduction to Academic Writing (EW)
• Methodological Professionalism 2 (MP2)
• Counseling and Communication (BK)
• Practical Reflection (PR)
   

Summer Semester

• Fields of Practice in Social Work 1 (HF1) (Module Coordinator)
• Areas of Practice in Social Work 2 (HF2) (Module Coordinator)
• Participation and Empowerment (PE)
• Sociology (SO)
• Bachelor’s Seminar (BS) (Module Coordinator)

• Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Social Work
• Media Education and Media Literacy in Social Work
• AI and Media Competencies (AI Literacy) Among Professionals and Service Recipients
• Digital Participation and Digital Inequality
• Virtual Reality in Teaching and Social Work
• Hybrid (analog-digital) Living Environments and Living Environment Orientation
• Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Child and Youth Services
• Intergenerational learning in the digital transformation

• Lecture – AI in the Doctoral Process for Supervising Professors – Doctoral Center for Social Work. May 29, 2026
• Workshop – Academic Integrity in the Use of AI – Doctoral Center for Social Work. May 6, 2026
• Workshop – Fundamentals of AI Use in the Doctoral Process – Doctoral Center for Social Work. April 9 & 20, 2026
• Workshop – Academic Editing Using Generative AI – Doctoral Center for Social Work. January 16, 2026
• Symposium on AI and Teaching in Social Work – Fulda University of Applied Sciences. November 27, 2025 [Link].
• Lecture – Time for [EDUCATION] – The Future of Knowledge: How AI Is Changing Higher Education. November 20, 2025 [Link].
• Workshops – Closed-door Conference at Fulda University of Applied Sciences – Exams and Teaching with AI. September 16, 2025.
• Workshop – BASA-online Symposium – Fobizz Tools in Higher Education: Harnessing Opportunities and Potential from K-12 Education. June 26, 2025 [Link].
• Presentation – BASA-online Symposium – AI in the Higher Education Consortium: Results of a Survey on Competency Development, Social Relationships, and Autonomy Among Students and Faculty. With Prof. Judith Ommert, Prof. Jörn Dummann, and Andrea Hahn. June 26, 2025 [Link]
• Lecture Video & Workshop – DiKuLe Symposium – Virtual Reality in Teaching: Success Factors and Future Potential – A Review of Three Years of VR Headset Use with 200 Students. April 3–4, 2025 [Link].
• Workshop – Digitell & Share – The Use of VR and 360° Videos in Higher Education – An Innovative Approach to Promoting the Transfer of Theory to Practice. April 3–4, 2025 [Link].
• Exhibition – Turn Conference – VR Exhibition: Experience Case Studies in Social Work. November 14, 2024 [Link].
• Presentation – Quality Circle of Media Advisors in the Münster Administrative District – VR in Teaching. September 11, 2024.
• Presentation – Closed-door Conference at Fulda University of Applied Sciences – Teaching and Research with AI. July 16, 2024.
• Co-organizer & 3 workshops – XR in Teaching Symposium – Münster University of Applied Sciences. June 13, 2024 [Link].
• Presentation & Video – DiKuLe Symposium – Implementation of 360° Videos in Social Work Education. March 21–22, 2024 [Link]
• Presentation – Media Working Group – Use of VR Headsets in Teaching. February 21, 2024.
• Co-organizer of the “XR in Teaching” Network Fair, Münster University of Applied Sciences. June 15, 2023.
• Presentation – Places Festival – 360° Videos for Teaching Social Work. May 5, 2023 [Link].
• Presentation – Simulation Days – Current Applications of VR Headsets in Teaching. March 17, 2023
• Presentation & Video – DiKuLe Symposium – Use of VR Headsets in Teaching. October 6–7, 2022 [Link].
• Co-organizer of the “XR in Teaching” Network – Exhibition & Exchange, Münster University of Applied Sciences. September 15, 2022.

• Averbeck, F., Müller, K., & Leifeling, S. (2026). Virtual Reality in Teaching: Success Factors and Future Potential. Die Hochschullehre, 12. https://doi.org/10.3278/HSL2613W
• Averbeck, F., & Utesch, T. (2025). Development of three types of vignettes based on selected constitutive antinomies in social work for teaching: A study on the development and comparison of text, video, and VR vignettes. *Frontiers in Education*.
• Averbeck, F., & Utesch, T. (2025). Successful implementation of a 360° video teaching approach to promote immersion and the transfer of theory to practice in social work education. Frontiers in Education.
• Averbeck, F., Müller, K., & Leifeling, S. (2025). New Approaches to Integrating Virtual Reality and VR Headsets into Social Work Education and Teaching. In A. Giercke-Ungermann & M. Wunder (Eds.), Digitalization in Higher Education for Social Work (pp. 191–207). Julius Klinkhardt.
• Averbeck, F., Leifeling, S., & Müller, K. (2025). Implementation of 360° videos in social work education: Experiences and approaches for transfer to other universities. In L. Mrohs, J. Franz, D. Herrmann, K. Lindner, & T. Staake (Eds.), Digital Teaching and Learning at the University (pp. 177–189). transcript.
• Averbeck, F., Leifeling, S., & Müller, K. (2025). H³ Subproject XR: Use of VR Headsets in Teaching. Development of Extended Reality Scenarios. In P. Gromann, M. Alisch, J. Dummann, H. R. Griesehop, F. Hansen, & R. Haderlein (Eds.), Enabling Academic Success: Through Individual Competency Development and Flexible Teaching/Learning Scenarios with Digital Innovations (pp. 149–178). IPH.
• Averbeck, F., Leifeling, S., Müller, K., & Schönfelder, T. (2024). Virtual Reality in Social Work Teaching: Two Approaches to 360° Videos and Collaborative Work. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 22(3), 111–123.
• Averbeck, F., Leifeling, S., Müller, K., & Schönfelder, T. (2023). Strengthening the Transfer of Knowledge to Practice through 360° Videos in Social Work Education. In AVRiL 2023 (pp. 18–25). German Informatics Society.
• Averbeck, F., Leifeling, S., & Müller, K. (2023). Use of VR Headsets in Teaching: Development of Extended Reality Scenarios. In Digitalization in Higher Education: Perspectives and Design Options (pp. 155–171).
• Averbeck, F., Leifeling, S., & Müller, K. (2022). VR Group Work and Case Studies in Social Work Studies. In AVRiL 2022 Competition Volume (pp. 61–68). German Informatics Society.
• Averbeck, F., Babinsky, A., & Beloch, F. (2021). Media Literacy Among Professionals in Residential Child and Youth Welfare. In J. Dummann (Ed.), Reflexive First-Practice: Learning to Research in Social Work (pp. 107–126). Waxmann.

• German Society for Social Work (DGSA)
• German Professional Association for Social Work (DBSH)
• German Society for Higher Education Didactics (dghd)
• Society for Evaluation, Inc. (DeGEval)
• Media Education Network of the City of Augsburg
• Judge – AVRiL Competition – Successful VR/AR