“Inverted Teaching” in Computer Sciences

The computer scientist Professor Anna Förster will be honored for her outstanding, innovative course with didactically expedient use of digital media. Anna Förster will receive the prize for her “Foundations of Computer Science for Electrical Engineers” (Grundlagen der Informatik für Elektrotechniker) course. The jury was won over by the modern contents and teaching methods. Anna Förster changed her courses to “inverted classrooms”. The term denotes a teaching method whereby the students initially work through the contents autonomously and they then apply these in the lessons. This concept was well received by the students. They appreciate that they can complete the workload regardless of time or location.
A further innovative format that Förster applies at the end of each teaching unit is the so-called “Hackathon”. The word, which is formed from the terms “hacker” and “marathon”, describes a course where software and hardware developers come together, work on a specific top, and can develop ideas together. In this way, students can regularly and actively further their knowledge. The students were impressed by this format. The jury praised the fact that this allows for various programming languages to be learnt expediently. Anna Förster also used the Microcontroller, a Physical-Computing-Platform comprised of software and hardware, in order to make the programming more practically oriented and attractive.

Practical Work in the Art Scene

Sarah Lüdemann from the Institute for Art History, Film Studies, Art Education, will receive the Student Prize for her “Art Education between Research and Actions” (Kunstvermittlung zwischen Forschung und Aktion) course. In the frame of this course, students organized an exhibition in the public space with works of art from artists on the topic of “The Others” (der/die/das Andere). The exhibition was held at two different locations in Bremen (Antiquariat Seitenblick and in the former Bremen-Mitte nurses‘ home). The students were impressed that they were intensely supported by their teacher and learnt new methods in the field of education/communication, which they were then able to try out.
Together, the students developed, realized, and evaluated the complex exhibition project and also gained important, personal experiences. The jury was won over by the fact that the seminar greatly contributed to the independence and the future careers of the students.

About the Berninghausen Prize

Every year, the University of Bremen and the “unifreunde” friends of the University of Bremen and Jacobs University award the Berninghausen Prize. The prize, which was established by the family Berninghausen in 1991, honors special achievements in university teaching. Endowed with 6,000 euros, the prize can be awarded in several categories. All members of the university can nominate members of the teaching faculty for the prize, whereby in the category Student Prize, only the students are allowed to do so. After careful consideration of the proposals received, a committee appointed by the Academic Senate selects the winners and makes its recommendations to the Academic Senate.

Contact:

Julia Pundt
Administrative Unit for President’s Affairs
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218 60116
Email: julia.pundtprotect me ?!vw.uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de