Research and teaching belong together at the HSZG

When classes are out of session at Zittau/Görlitz University in August and September, many professors and staff members aren’t just sitting idly on the couch.

One of them is Daniel Schwertfeger. He completed his master’s degree in sociology at Freie Universität Berlin in 2014. Immediately afterward, he was hired as a research assistant for the “Trust in Assistive Technologies for the Inclusion” of Older Adults (VATI) research project at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. In the VATI project, he was tasked with preparing, conducting, and analyzing a survey of people aged 60 and older in the Görlitz district.

At the same time, his interest in collaborating more closely with students grew.

No sooner said than done: Through teaching assignments, he was able to share his experience in empirical social research with students in various Master's degree programmes in the Faculties of Managerial and Cultural Studies as well as Social Sciences. Direct interaction with students regarding the content and research methods of his field has always been a key priority for Daniel in his seminars: “It’s a wonderful experience that not only do students learn something in my class / course, but I, too, continually learn new things from them.”

Then came the time to reflect more deeply on good teaching and to engage more closely with competency development and methodology.

The HSZG brochure “Impulse for Good Teaching” served as a source of inspiration. And one idea was to participate in the continuing education program leading to the Saxon University Didactics Certificate. After a colleague also shared his good experiences with completing the certificate program, Daniel’s decision was made.

“I’m now in Module 1 and am currently exploring various methods and assignment designs that I can apply in my seminars. In addition, the module is helping me develop a deeper understanding of knowledge acquisition and learning processes—and how I can foster these as an instructor.” No specific academic background is required to participate in the program offered by the Saxon Center for Higher Education Didactics. What Daniel particularly likes about the continuing education program is that the participants come from various academic disciplines: “Whether I’m talking to a psychologist, an engineer, or a computer scientist in Module 1, we share many experiences from our teaching work.”

Learning a variety of teaching methods, developing one’s own teaching skills, and exchanging ideas with other educators—all of this is made possible by the Saxon Higher Education Didactics Certificate.

Starting this summer, this Saxon certificate program will be offered in new format starting this summer.

https://www.hszgstage1.de/typo3/#_msocom_1The structure into three modules remains the same. The content of Module 2 has changed, and the recognition of specific active teaching methods is a brand-new feature.

In the context of the certificate program, active teaching means:

- active participation in degree programme and curriculum development,

- continuous participation in formal professional development (workshops, short courses, etc.),

- the sharing of one’s own teaching experience (conference presentations, best practice sharing, etc.).

Join the participants of this special certificate program and enjoy the exchange with faculty members from other universities and other academic disciplines!

We’d be happy to advise you on this!

Authors: Daniel Schwertfeger and Robert Viertel