This book explores how Digital Gardening can serve as a reflective and innovative teaching practice that fosters the professional development of university educators. Based on qualitative interviews with academics from Germany, Finland, Italy, and the Netherlands, the study identifies key forms and meanings of this digital knowledge practice. The findings show that Digital Gardening goes far beyond technical knowledge management: it promotes creativity, collaborative learning, and critical self-reflection. The study provides practice-oriented recommendations for higher education teaching and contributes to the broader discussion on digital transformation and sustainable professionalisation in academia.

Maik Arnold, Dipl.-Kfm., Dr. rer. soc., MHE, FRSA, is Professor of Social Work Management at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, Germany. His research focuses on social work management, leadership and organisation research, higher education didactics, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, teaching-related personal knowledge management, and intercultural competence and cooperation. The results presented in this book are based on his recent thesis in the master’s programme Higher Education at University of Hamburg.