Excellent university didactics
Teachers at the HSZG receive the HDS certificate from the Saxon University Didactics Center.
Good teaching is one of the hallmarks of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. This is reflected in innovative teaching concepts and the student-centered refinement of proven approaches, as well as in the so-called “shift from teaching to learning.”
The Saxon Higher Education Didactics Certificate Program offered by the Saxon Center for Higher Education Didactics (HDS) provides the framework for this. It consists of three modules and totals 240 work units. The program’s goal is to raise the level of professionalism in Saxony’s teaching practices by enabling participants to expand their individual teaching competencies in the areas of knowledge, professional values, and practical skills, while simultaneously implementing a shift in perspective in their teaching.
Between May 2020 and May 2021, the following faculty members at HSZG completed the certificate program:
Ms. Daniela Ahrens, M.A. Faculty of Social Sciences, Instructor in the Social Work degree programme As part of the HDS certificate program, Ms. Ahrens worked on a teaching project titled: “The Stumbling Block of Semester Breaks – Preparing and Supporting Students’ Self-Directed Learning During the Break as Part of the Project Work in the Social Work degree programme at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.”
”As part of their BA in Social Work program at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, students work on a one-year study project of their own choosing. To promote, in particular, the students’ decision-making skills, arrangements for self-directed, collaborative, and reflective learning were developed, implemented, and evaluated in the project work “between semesters.”
Ms. Ahrens has also completed the HDS-plus certificate (330 AE). This is an extension of the HDS certificate. The goal of the expanded certificate program is to further increase the level of professionalism in Saxony’s teaching practices. The program focuses on measures in the areas of continuity, exchange, and transfer.
Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Herrmann Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department: Technical Thermodynamics As part of the HDS certificate program, Dr. Herrmann worked on a didactic project entitled: "Interactive calculation exercise for self-directed learning process support in the subject of technical thermodynamics".
”As part of HDS module 3, an innovative didactic concept was developed and tested for the class / course Technical Thermodynamics (basic module in STEM studies). The focus of the class / course is primarily on the development and expansion of application-related skills with regard to various thermodynamic relationships as well as the use of formulas and material value tables to determine specific characteristic values. Based on the Thermopr@ctice system, which was awarded the Saxon Teaching Prize 2018, the further development of this system for use in OPAL and using ONYX was tested, didactically interlinked in a meaningful way and the quality and breadth of the offerings increased.
Mr. Daniel Winkler, M.A. Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management As part of the HDS certificate program, Mr. Winkler worked on a teaching project titled “Teaching and Learning with Multimedia Course Materials.”
”Daniel Winkler developed a teaching-and-learning concept for the Manufacturing Management module in which instructional materials for lectures and seminars are provided on a weekly basis. Each set of instructional materials concludes with assignments designed to assess understanding and develop skills. The answers are sent to the instructor via email. The instructor grades them and provides the student with constructive feedback. At the end of the semester, the students compiled these solutions into a learning portfolio as part of the examination component to document and reflect on their learning.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Lässig Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science', Department of Computer Science As part of the HDS certificate program, Prof. Lässig worked on a didactic project entitled: "Communicating quantum computing in an understandable way".
”For more information about the HDS and HDS-plus certificates, please visit the website.
The new continuing education program is now online! Registration is open immediately.
Seeking out and testing new approaches to teaching—while always keeping active engagement with students in mind and taking into account the role of digitalization in higher education—presents instructors with new and exciting challenges. It is therefore a source of great joy to me and the entire University Executive Board that, once again, faculty members at the University of Zittau/Görlitz have been awarded the HDS certificate in recognition of their commitment. “Their valuable insights and new perspectives contribute to the continuous improvement of teaching quality,” says Rector Alexander Kratzsch, recognizing the dedication of the HDS-certified faculty members.
”Text: Ronny Freudenreich
Photos: Jens Freudenberg
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