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DIES LEGENDI - Teaching Day

"Nothing is certain, everything is in motion -- dealing with science communication and criticism in teaching" is the title of this year's Teaching Day on 22 November 2022

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DIES LEGENDI is an established space for exchange about the academic teaching at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. As in previous years, the teaching prizes will be ceremoniously awarded at the DIES LEGENDI and the award-winning teaching concepts will be presented. In addition, the teaching projects funded at the University of Jena will be presented.

This year, the focus will be on aspects of science communication and science criticism. Under the slogan "Nothing is certain, everything is in motion - dealing with science communication and criticism in teaching", the expert panel of the Academy for Teaching Development invites you to discuss the questions:

How can university teaching contribute to strengthening trust in science?
How can science be taught in such a way that students themselves can introduce scientific findings into social controversies?
What competences are necessary to be able to justify and assert one's own subject discipline?

These questions will be addressed in a keynote speech, a science slam and in a panel discussion with audience participation.

The DIES LEGENDI 2022 took place on 22.11.2022 from 12:00 to 17:00 in the Rose Halls. All teachers and students are cordially invited to attend. (It is dies academicus for the duration of the event, so all regular courses will be cancelled.).

Implementation by Dr. Lorenz Adlung: Teaching of a Science Enthusiast

(The video is just available in German.)

The teaching team consisting of Sabine Best, Johannes Kretzschmar and David Zakoth (Faculty of Physics and Astronomy) and Prof. Dr. Holger Schielzeth (Faculty of Biosciences) were recognized for their outstanding commitment to university teaching with the teaching award of 2022. The teaching team received the prize for the best course design for the lecture and seminar "Innovation methods in photonics". The prize in the subject area "Promotion of independent study and scientific work" was awarded to Prof. Dr. Schielzeth for the exercise "Evolutionary biology". Detailed information about the reasons can be found here.

The winners of the general Teaching Award Sabine Best, Johannes Kretzschmar and David Zakoth present their teaching concept.

Prof. Dr. Holger Schielzeth – winner of the thematic focus 'Promotion of independent study and scientific work' – presents his awarded teaching concept.

During a poster session, nine of the teaching projects currently funded by the ALe as well as four externally within the framework of the "Fellowships for Innovation in Digital University Teaching" and the "Free Space 2022" (Foundation Innovation in University Teaching) presented themselves. This was followed by a lively exchange of experiences among the project leaders and those present.

A panel discussion concluded the day on the topic "When everyone has their own view.... Communicating knowledge - but how?", which was moderated by science journalist Blanka Weber. Among the panel guests were the Vice President, the keynote speaker, Sen.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Bromme (Münster) and Prof. Dr. Jutta Hübner (Integrative Oncology, University Hospital Jena). Science slammer Dr. Lorenz Adlung (Hamburg) and Dr. Karsten Gäbler (AG Biologiedidaktik, University of Jena) were present as mid-level representatives, as well as student representative Theresa Küchle (physics student, University of Jena). A separate chair, which offered the opportunity for audience participation, did not remain empty for long and was actively used. A conversation unfolded about the different contexts, questions and the claim that unites everyone: to share knowledge and to think society forward! Regarding the question of how this can be better achieved in academic teaching, the discussants agreed: Teaching should provide spaces to encourage and enable students to openly discuss their understanding of the subject and the social relevance of their academic discipline.