Students award professors for outstanding teaching

The students of Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) have awarded eight professors for their excellent academic teaching. Among other things, the professors' professional competence and personal commitment were evaluated, but also the teaching methods used and the sustainability of knowledge transfer.
For the THI Business School, Prof. Dr. Christian Locher, Professor of Digital Business at the THI since 2017 and head of the course of studies of the same name, received the Student Award for Teaching. The students highlighted both his practice-oriented online lectures with group work and online tests to determine the level of knowledge. They also appreciated his regular communication with the students, which motivates them to study on their own, especially in times of Corona.
The student prize of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology was awarded to Prof. Dr. Johannes Pforr, since 2001 Professor for Electrical Drive Technology, Power Electronics and Applied Physics. The students praised not only the vividness of his lecture contents, but also his motivating enthusiasm for the topics to be taught and his patience in answering any questions.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Margull, Professor of Computer Engineering and Embedded Systems since 2012, received the Student Award for Teaching for the Faculty of Computer Science. The students thanked him for his dedicated teaching and his commitment as Dean of Studies. They especially praised the integration of interactive competitions and quizzes into the courses.
The Student Award of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management went to Prof. Dr. David Meintrup, Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research at the THI since 2009. The students acknowledged both his structured knowledge transfer and his excellent time management. Prof. Meintrup focused on digital teaching formats early on, which today contributes to the special quality of his online teaching.
For the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Dr. Rudolf Dallner, Professor of Technical Mechanics, Strength of Materials and FEM since 1998, received the student award for teaching. The students rewarded his practice-oriented knowledge transfer with numerous examples and illustrative objects as well as his commitment to the students. Especially during the Corona period, Prof. Dallner excelled in his joy of experimenting with digital formats.
Prof. Dr. Jörg Bienert, Prof. Dr. Gerald Sitzmann as well as Prof. Dr. Manuela Waltz inspired the students with their joint course "Machine Dynamics", in which each of the three professors convinced in his special field: Prof. Bienert with excellently prepared lecture material, Prof. Waltz with matching exercises as well as Prof. Sitzmann for the in-depth practical course.
The student prizes were awarded during the THI's Digital Teaching Day, which this year was held in completely digital form for the first time. On Digital Teaching Day, which has been held annually since 2017, the THI focuses on teaching and learning in the digital age - with keynote speeches by experts and numerous sessions on the use of digital media in university teaching. This year, the focus was on the potential and possible applications of digitization in teaching, which were discussed once again in an online podium. "Especially in these extraordinary times, when digital teaching is more important than ever before, our lecturers show an extremely diverse spectrum of possible applications of digital methods. I would like to express my great thanks for this," said THI President Prof. Dr. Walter Schober. "For us as a university, physical presence will always remain an important element in the personal development of our students. Here, complementary digital learning formats can offer excellent scope for conversation, discussion and reflection".
The Digital Teaching Day is organized by the Competence Center for Digital Teaching and Learning (KdL2), which is headed by THI Vice President Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Hof and supports the university's teaching staff in the design of digital teaching formats - both with personal advice and continuing education programs. "The exchange on the Digital Teaching Day, which has now taken place for the fourth time, helped me a great deal in the conversion to digital teaching during the Corona crisis - and from conversations with my colleagues I can see that they felt the same way," says Prof. Hof.