The University as a Driver of Change

What makes a university special? When, in addition to awarding prizes for outstanding academic achievement, faculty members are also recognized with awards for their exceptional dedication and outstanding achievements in teaching.

The 2019 Teaching Award goes to a group of faculty members from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science consisting of Dipl.-Ing. M.A. Patrick Hornung, Dipl.-Ing. Kersten Kühne, and Dipl.-Ing. Volker Brade. During the joint meeting of the University Council and the HSZG Senate on October 30, 2020, they were presented with the award, which was sponsored by the Friends of Zittau/Görlitz University Association (Förderverein der Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz e.V.).

What makes their teaching unique? The class / course “Fundamentals of Control and Safety Engineering (LST)” is an innovative teaching and learning concept—unique to the university—that closely integrates e-learning elements with internships in traditional technology —at the Zittau Süd signal box—and modern technology in the laboratory, as well as the teaching of fundamentals through lectures.

One major challenge that was successfully overcome was accommodating the needs of various partner universities across Germany that train the next generation of specialists for DB-Netz AG. Thanks to the blended learning approach, the integration of the program into their curricula was good, so the LST qualification is now offered exclusively in Zittau.

The Vice President for Education and International Affairs, Prof. Sophia Keil, is delighted: “This teaching concept contributes enormously to the reputation of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. By incorporating the concept into the core curriculum of seven universities and colleges and through the resulting collaborations in six federal states, the teaching award winners have not only made a major contribution to securing a skilled workforce, but have also impressively demonstrated—particularly in the area of blended learning—the innovative paths the HSZG is taking and how it is adapting traditional course content for the future.”

The Teaching Award is presented every two years. The unique nature of the award winners' teaching concepts was also highly praised by the university's Rector, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch.

The further development of teaching at HSZG was also the focus of the joint meeting of the University Council and the HSZG Senate that preceded the award ceremony. In his presentation, the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Bellair, impressively demonstrated what new digital educational offerings at HSZG could look like, enabling the university not only to accompany structural change but also to help shape it in a sustainable way.

This active participation is also the stated goal of the university’s student body, as Lucas Wünsche from the Student Council emphasized afterward. In his presentation, he not only highlighted the good collaboration between the Student Council and the University Executive Board—especially during the challenges of the pandemic—but also conveyed the perceived need and desire among the students he represents for interdisciplinary, project-oriented educational concepts.

Viewing structural change as an opportunity, to turn apparent disadvantages related to size and location into advantages, and to elevate interdisciplinary and practical teaching to a new level—thereby creating a competitive vision for a future-oriented university and a new self-image for the institution—should be the university’s stated goal. “For only in this way can the university be a driving force for change,” the student emphasized.

Text: Cornelia Rothe