With great dedication, lecturers have developed digital teaching and learning concepts, trialled new methods and tools, and explored innovative ways of imparting knowledge during the pandemic semesters. Students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction levels demonstrate that, in many cases, a combination of face-to-face and digital elements can enrich higher education teaching. These considerations led to the Teaching Award being presented in 2022 under the theme ‘Teaching in and through the pandemic – successfully combining digital and analogue teaching and learning environments’. The winner is Prof. Dr Rolf Becker from the Faculty of Communication and Environment for his entry ‘Credibility and Passion’.
“A good relationship between students and lecturers has a positive effect on learning outcomes. The coronavirus pandemic was very stressful for students, who often could not even visit their families abroad. It was therefore important to me not only to convey the subject matter, but also to create a personal atmosphere. This is not easy to achieve with online learning and video conferences. Today, the question is: how can I apply the concepts that emerged from this experience to a post-pandemic world of teaching and learning?”, reflected Becker, who teaches and conducts research at the university as a professor of physics specialising in sensor technology and mechatronics.
He was nominated for the teaching award by his students, which he found a great honour. The jury, comprising students, internal lecturers and external experts, was also impressed by Professor Becker’s approach: he had “creatively used the various digital tools and learning methods to support the students, whilst also taking their personal circumstances during the pandemic into account”. Furthermore, he is a “very approachable lecturer who goes to great lengths to make things possible for his students”, affirmed Prof. Dr Jörg Petri, Vice-President for Studies, Teaching and Continuing Education, in his laudatory speech.
Among other things, Becker moved away from written exams and switched to project-based work. He also encouraged students to carry out practical exercises at home by sending them electronics kits by post: “Building something yourself fosters a sense of self-efficacy, which is one of my key learning objectives. The act of creating often puts you in a state of flow and boosts confidence in one’s own creative abilities and problem-solving skills,” explains the award winner.
His lessons from the pandemic: “I certainly consider the mix of face-to-face, online and offline phases to be effective. Students want more flexibility in their learning. That is why I record all my sessions and make them available to students. With these ‘learning bites’ always available, students can acquire the necessary theory in a targeted way, which can then be consolidated through practical exercises (in person or, in some cases, even live online). However, we must not do away with face-to-face teaching altogether! The quality of the relationship between students and lecturers is completely different when there is direct interaction. ‘We humans are social beings,’ adds Becker.
This approach has now been recognised with the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences Teaching Award, which was presented at the end of November 2022 during the board and executive committee meeting of the Friends’ Association of the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (Förderverein Hochschule Rhein-Waal e.V.) on the Kamp-Lintfort campus.
Background: Teaching Award
at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences By presenting the Teaching Award, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences demonstrates the high priority it places on the quality of teaching within the university and recognises the commitment of its lecturers. The Teaching Award is presented under a theme that changes annually and now carries a prize of 10,000 euros.
Any professor, as well as all academic staff and lecturers in specialist roles, who taught at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences during the 2021/22 academic year and the summer semester of 2022, and who, during this period, have promoted interaction between students and/or between learners and teaching staff within their teaching and have innovatively integrated this into their teaching approach. A six-member jury decides on the nominations submitted. In 2022, the Teaching Award was presented for the eleventh time.
