The university of applied sciences for management and communication awarded prizes for successful integrated courses and the effective embedding of the SDGs into teaching.
Vienna, November 12, 2024 – FHWien der WKW honors outstanding didactic projects with the Award for Innovative Teaching, thus underlining the high value of teaching at the university of applied sciences for management and communication. On Thursday, November 7, 2024, this year’s award winners were honored.
With a total of 37 high-quality teaching projects, there was a record number of submissions this year. FHWien der WKW’s internal didactics working group, led by Beate Huber, Chair of the Academic Board, and university didactics expert Olivia Vrabl, reviewed all the entries and made the following decision:
Recipes for success for integrated courses
The teaching award in the category “Recipes for Success for Integrated Courses” goes to Christina Schweiger and Sigrid Maxl-Studler from the Human Resources & Organization study programs at FHWien der WKW. In their course “Learning and Development Theories” in the Bachelor’s program in Human Resources Management, they have ignited a “learning fire” through the methods of self-organized learning. They achieved this through the precise formulation of learning outcomes, the coordinated use of a variety of teaching methods, the integration of AI and the clever division between asynchronous and synchronous learning phases. They consider the formulation of work assignments to be the central starting point for self-organized learning. It is also important to them to locate the main statements in theory after each chapter and to clarify their practical relevance. The learning process is made visible through the use of advance organizers, reflecting teams and learning diaries.
Integrating sustainable development into teaching
Hannah Gratzer was delighted to receive the teaching award in the category “Sustainable Development Goals in Teaching”. In her course “Responsible Corporate Management” in the Bachelor’s program in Management & Entrepreneurship, students acquire skills to understand the connections between social, ecological and economic sustainability and to act proactively and fact-based as future decision-makers. On the basis of in-depth analyses (deep dives), they develop realistic sustainable business models in small groups, which are then presented at the SDG Day and evaluated by external experts. Hannah Gratzer cites the personal relationship with the students and working on an equal footing as a key factor in the success of her course.
Appreciation awards for four teaching projects
The large number of submissions prompted the jury to award prizes of appreciation for further outstanding projects:
Evelyn Fränzl has developed asynchronous learning paths with various media formats such as videos, interactive quizzes and exercises as well as many positive and negative examples for her course “Fundamentals of Scientific Working Techniques” in the Bachelor’s program in Marketing & Sales, thus creating time for in-depth study of the content during the attendance phases.
Gerald Kolar, Gabriele Schöberl and Bettina Eibler dealt with the importance of work-life balance and mental health in their course “Self-Management” in the Bachelor’s program in Corporate Communication. Individual development was promoted with the help of thematic self-tests, many exercises and exchanges of discussion and reflection.
Martina Portele has prepared economic content in her “Economics” course in the Bachelor’s program in Tourism Management in such a way that all students are involved and gain a sound knowledge of economic policy. She uses slides, videos, journal and newspaper articles, check-up questions, Moodle tests, crossword puzzles and more.
Catherine Prewett-Schrempf, Linda Slattery, Andrew Pullen, Matthew Urmston and Yiaoming Zhu work with students in their course “English for Professional Purposes 1” in the Bachelor’s programs to develop effective and efficient writing of business documents with the help of AI tools.
The award-winning projects were presented and discussed with colleagues at the teaching award ceremony.
Photos:
The recipients of the FHWien der WKW Innovative Teaching Awards 2024 with College Director Beate Huber (5th from left) and Senior Advisor Academic Teaching Michael Mair (3rd from right).
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Copyright: Markus Hechenberger
Beate Huber and Michael Mair with Christina Schweiger and Sigrid Maxl-Studler (from left), the winners of the teaching award in the category “Recipes for success for integrated courses”.
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Copyright: Markus Hechenberger
FHWien der WKW – University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication
FHWien der WKW is Austria’s leading university of applied sciences for management & communication. Its Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs offer more than 2,800 students a practice-oriented academic education. Around 900 people are completing a continuing education program at FHWien. Two thirds of the lecturers come directly from the business world. The close cooperation with local companies in teaching and research optimally prepares students for their careers. Since its foundation in 1994, FHWien der WKW has already produced over 15,100 graduates.
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