This year, the University of Bremen, together with the unifreunde Association, once again awarded the Berninghausen Prize for Excellence in Teaching. It is not only current students who benefit from high-quality, contemporary teaching; It is also a hallmark of a university that appeals to tomorrow's students in this way and ensures that they choose to study in Bremen. The competition was very strong this year: 98 proposals were submitted in the Excellence in Teaching category, and 55 in the Student Prize category. The selection committee consisted of teaching staff members, university employees, and students.
Professor Maren Petersen, Vice President for Teaching and Studies, warmly congratulated the laureates: “Good teaching is much more than just imparting knowledge. It encourages questions, creativity, and new perspectives. It challenges, inspires, and leaves a lasting impression – sometimes for a lifetime. Excellent teaching also gives each and every student the feeling of being seen and heard.” The selection process was once again not easy this year and the decision difficult, since all of the submitted proposals were worthy of an award.

Excellence in Teaching: Sabine Ritter is Positive and Enthusiastic

Dr. Sabine Ritter won the award in the Excellence in Teaching category for her “Sociological Thinking and Working” class. The jury highlighted Sabine Ritter's goals, her positivity and enthusiasm for teaching, and the implementation of university teaching ideas. The students praised her outstanding teaching and approachability as well as her inclusivity on various levels. Sabine Ritter is committed to the students and is interested in their circumstances. She was one of the first teaching staff members to record her face-to-face lectures after the online semesters to enable all students to participate in her class. The students also mention the introductory phase of the degree program, which Sabine Ritter played a leading role in redesigning. To this end, she merged the modules on sociological thinking and academic working techniques into the new module “Sociological Thinking and Working.”

Barbara Cludius: Teaching Tailored to Students' Wishes

Professor Barbara Cludius received the Berninghausen Prize in the Student Prize category. She has not been working at the University of Bremen for very long and yet has already been nominated for the Berninghausen Prize by seven students. The student feedback has been consistently positive. Barbara Cludius submitted a coherent, convincing concept and in her class, she is able to cover and present three technically complex areas well. The students emphasized, among other things, that the courses are “very well structured and comprehension-oriented.”
Barbara Cludius' teaching is tailored to the students' wishes and designed for long-term, in-depth learning. Throughout the semester, she creates regular practice questions that continuously prepare students for final examinations. Her teaching is particularly interactive, diverse, and innovative. Through the didactic structure and the variety of teaching methods as well as her personal skills, the professor actively promotes students' motivation to learn.

Hendrik Vogt: Well Implemented Research-Based Learning

Another Student Prize was presented to PD Dr. Hendrik Vogt from the Faculty of Mathematics / Computer Science. The jury was impressed by his “Analysis” course, which Vogt conducts in a rather unusual way for mathematics. He encourages discussions, bases the lessons on the skills the students have, and develops outstanding and innovative ideas to help them understand the subject and develop a long-term interest in mathematics. According to the students, “Mr. Vogt is a master at conveying complex and abstract calculus content in a way that is both understandable and engaging for the students. He manages to create an atmosphere of shared discovery and learning.”
Hendrik Vogt provides hands-on teaching that implements research-based learning very well. He takes a proactive approach and his research-based learning take on teaching allows students to work independently in small groups to develop and present topics in calculus - a valuable addition to the traditional lecture format. According to the students, the interdisciplinary perspective of the course gives it “a special depth and makes the relevance of the content learned clear for the students' future professional and academic careers.”

The Berninghausen Prize

Since 1991, the University of Bremen and the "unifreunde" Association of the Friends of the University of Bremen and Constructor University have awarded the prize, donated by the Berninghausen family, every year to honor special achievements in university teaching. The prize is endowed with 6,000 euros and can be awarded in several categories. All members of the university can nominate teaching staff members for the prize; only students are eligible to nominate students for the Student Prize.

Further Information:

https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/preis-fuer-gute-lehre/the-award
www.uni-bremen.de/en/