19 Dec 2022
The “Fund for the Promotion of Teaching of LMU Munich” supports forward-looking concepts for teaching – 500,000 euros have already been awarded for this purpose since the beginning of the winter semester.
“Excellence in research and teaching” – this is the LMU motto. The coronavirus pandemic has given a powerful fillip to digital learning methods. By establishing a “Fund for the Promotion of Teaching of LMU Munich,” LMU Munich is capturing this momentum with the goal of developing innovative learning platforms, learning videos, and hybrid teaching models. In this way, LMU wants to further develop new forms of in-person and digital teaching and integrate them with each other more effectively.
Through the “Fund for the Promotion of Teaching,” 31 applications from various faculties at LMU have already received funding worth 500,000 euros at the start of this winter semester. A further 500,000 euros are to be allocated for the promotion of outstanding teaching in the winter semester 2023/2024. The funding period is for two years.
“Our goal is to provide the 53,000-plus students at LMU with optimal learning conditions,” explains Prof. Oliver Jahraus, Vice President for Teaching and Studies at LMU. “This means we want to be ideally equipped in the future for in-person teaching and for virtual teaching alike. As such, LMU is using this special fund to support the innovative capabilities of our faculties, so that they can develop and establish new teaching formats, drawing on new technology where appropriate.”
The outstanding role of innovative teaching methods at LMU has also been acknowledged at the Awards for Good Teaching, which the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts bestows annually and recently gave out for two years at once to make up for a pandemic-related hiatus. Three LMU academics were honored for their spirit of innovation and masterful blend of theory and practice in 2019: Professor Claudia Bausewein, Faculty of Medicine, Professor Eva Haverkamp-Rott, Faculty of History and the Arts, and Dr. Yvonne Pudritz, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy.
Meanwhile, Awards for Good Teaching for 2020 were given out to Dr. Martin Heidebach, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Professor Julia Nasev from the Faculty of Business Administration, and Professor Magnus Treiber, Faculty for the Study of Culture.
“With the award-winners for 2019 and 2020, LMU has once again lived up to its motto: ‘excellence in research and teaching’,” says Prof. Oliver Jahraus. “We’re very proud of our professors. With their innovative teaching methods, they’re supporting many students at LMU and equipping them for their future life.”
Professor Claudia Bausewein | © Christian Kaufmann
Professor Claudia Bausewein, Faculty of Medicine
As difficult as it is, delivering bad news is part and parcel of a doctor’s job. Indeed, sometimes doctors have to deal with patients who refuse to accept their diagnosis. The patient-oriented communication courses initiated by Professor Claudia Bausewein at her faculty improve the ability of students to conduct calm, empathetic conversations with patients, even in complicated situations. Step by step, the longitudinal communication curriculum “KomMeCuM” prepares them for the psychosocial aspects of work as a physician. This practical approach has generated a lot of enthusiasm among students and their elected representatives, who lauded Bausewein as “a model for innovative teaching.”
Professor Eva Haverkamp-Rott
Professor Eva Haverkamp-Rott, Faculty of History and the Arts
he popularity of Professor Eva Haverkamp has many causes. The elected student representatives, for example, highlight the exemplary way she deals with all students and her excursions that allow students to experience history close up. Also praiseworthy is her commitment to outreach beyond the academic sphere: she has recently organized no fewer than three exhibitions on medieval Jewish history. Her students loved the classes in which Haverkamp-Rott did the groundwork for the labor- and time-intensive exhibitions, giving them a unique opportunity to gain practical experience and present their own work in front of renowned international academics.
Dr. Yvonne Pudritz | © Klinikum der Universität München
Dr. Yvonne Pudritz, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy
Connecting, networking – these are everyday aspects of Dr. Yvonne Pudritz’s work as a teacher practitioner in clinical pharmacy. Thanks to her extraordinary dedication and organizational skills, her students receive highly practical lessons, including as part of her Bedside Teachings initiative, creating an optimal blend of theory and practice. In addition, Dr. Pudritz has designed a comprehensive and cleverly structured e-learning program.
Professor Magnus Treiber | © privat
Professor Magnus Treiber, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Highly charged topical issues such as migration, the integration of refugees, and urban anthropology; exceptional dedication; outstanding lessons; and engaged student supervision – these are some of the qualities the elected student representatives have praised about Professor Magnus Treiber. Particularly innovative are his use of multisensory learning methods and the online language course he devised in Xhosa. The elected student representatives describe the lively lectures of their anthropology professor as a “pleasure” and view his work to help refugees at LMU (Refugee Scholars Forum) as exemplary.
Dr. Martin Heidebach | © privat
Dr. Martin Heidebach, Faculty of Law
The students of Dr. Martin Heidebach, who heads the administrative law tutorial, have responded enthusiastically to his creative ideas. During the pandemic, for example, he made case solutions available as a video podcast and held Q&A sessions in small groups. In the opinion of the elected student representatives, this was an “outstanding concept” that greatly benefited students. Not only were they able to choose a time that suited them, they also got the chance to actively participate and work through concepts they personally found difficult.
Professor Julia Nasev, Faculty of Business Administration
Prof. Julia Nasev impressed the students in her faculty with a variety of innovative learning methods, including digital lessons. She communicated her subject-matter with passion and enthusiasm. Her students benefited from the finely-tuned structure and organization of her events, which she optimized based on regular student feedback. In addition, Prof. Nasev incorporated numerous practical use cases that allowed her to discuss the theoretical contents with her students. The high level of interaction in her classes was designed to motivate students to engage with challenging subjects and led to a very productive learning atmosphere.