Teaching award

Teaching Award 2026

This year, the General Teaching Award (€2,500) will be presented for the best course design, and the Thematic Teaching Award, focusing on “Where New Ideas Emerge—Interdisciplinary Teaching as a Place of Innovation” (€2,500), will also be awarded. From among the nominations received, two outstanding teaching concepts were selected for the 2026 Teaching Awards.

Given the high quality of all the nominations received, the ALe expert panel initially agreed on separate shortlists for each award. These were as follows:

Shortlist for the General Teaching Award:

• Gerta Monakhova, instructor for the course “BSLAW 9.2 Teaching Russian (Introductory Course / a (1+2))”
• Prof. Dr. Eva Winter, with the course “Spring School: Archaeology and the Public”

Shtortlist Topic-related teaching award:

• Prof. Dr. med. Jutta Hübner with the course “Querschnitt12 – Interfaculty Expertise!”
• Lena M. Fischer and Julia A. Freitag with the course “The Expat Next Door: Power, Privilege, and Paradox in Global Mobility”

General teaching award

The award for the best course design (€2,500) goes to Gerta Monakhova (Faculty of Philosophy, Institute for Slavic and Caucasian Studies) for the language courses “BSLAW 9.2 Teaching Russian (Basic Course / a (1+2))”. 

The reasons for the selection are as follows:

Gerta Monakhova’s introductory courses on Russian language instruction are recognized for their didactically coherent and methodologically diverse teaching concept. Particularly compelling is the purposeful combination of various teaching and learning formats with specially developed materials that are consistently aligned with the intended learning objectives. In doing so, the teaching concept uniquely embodies the central characteristics of contemporary, scientifically grounded foreign language instruction.

Also worthy of note is the systematic integration of linguistic and intercultural learning processes. The course is not limited to the acquisition of linguistic competencies in the narrow sense, but also integrates intercultural dimensions that are of central importance for reflective and action-oriented language use. A particular highlight of the concept is the incorporation of a theater project as a form of experiential learning. Here, students consolidate the language skills they have acquired in a new context and apply them creatively. This creates authentic settings for language use and innovatively combines cognitive, social, and performative learning processes.

Also noteworthy is the exceptionally positive feedback from the students. The nomination highlights not only the academic excellence and motivational nature of the instruction, but also the above-average level of engagement and the supportive atmosphere that make the course a formative learning experience.

Thematic teaching award

The award in the category “Where New Ideas Emerge—Interdisciplinary Teaching as a Hub of Innovation” (€2,500) goes to Prof. Dr. med. Jutta Hübner (School of Medicine) for the online seminar “Querschnitt12—Interfaculty Expertise!”

The selection is justified as follows:

The course “Querschnitt12 – Competence Across Faculties!” is recognized for its excellent teaching concept, which not only defines interdisciplinarity as a learning objective but also consistently implements it as a structural design principle. Prof. Dr. Jutta Hübner impressively succeeds in bringing together students from various health professions (including medicine, nutritional sciences, social work, psychology, and pharmacy) as well as from different university locations (University of Erfurt, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences) into a shared learning space.

The course’s particular strength lies in its simulation-based format. Within the framework of a fictional digital health resort, students work in interdisciplinary teams to address complex, realistic patient cases. This simulation specifically highlights typical challenges and problems in multiprofessional collaboration, making them visible and manageable. The diversity of the student body is not viewed as a challenge to be overcome, but is instead deliberately leveraged as a resource. Also noteworthy are the high degree of practical relevance achieved by creating realistic work situations, the integrated culture of feedback, and the carefully designed combination of online and in-person phases. Receptive and active learning methods are interwoven in a way that meaningfully structures the learning process and promotes a sustained engagement with the course content.

Overall, the course is characterized by an exceptionally high degree of interdisciplinarity, practical orientation, and pedagogical reflection. It serves as an outstanding example of how complex teaching and learning arrangements can be designed to foster subject-specific, communicative, and collaborative skills in equal measure.

Both teaching awards will be presented at this year's DIES LEGENDI - Teaching Day on 17 November 2026. In addition to awarding the teaching prizes and presenting the teaching projects funded by the ALe, the DIES LEGENDI - Day of Teaching is the annual format for exchanging ideas and thoughts on studying and teaching across disciplines and across the university.