High praise for excellent teaching at Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences: Prof. Dr Claudia Schäfle, a professor in the Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences and Humanities, has been awarded the ‘Prize for Good Teaching’ by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. The award was presented during the ‘Bavarian Day for Good Teaching’ in Augsburg.
With the “Award for Good Teaching”, the Free State of Bavaria recognises outstanding achievements in higher education teaching. A total of 21 lecturers from across Bavaria were honoured. At the award ceremony, Minister for Science Markus Blume emphasised the central importance of dedicated teaching staff: “Good teaching is the heartbeat of science. […] Our award winners are heroes of teaching and make all the difference in the lecture theatre.”
Innovative teaching with demonstrable impact
Prof. Dr Claudia Schäfle teaches the fundamentals of physics and fluid mechanics and is committed to a consistently student-centred, scientifically sound approach to teaching. Her courses are based on modern findings in teaching and learning research, particularly physics education research, and make targeted use of active learning methods.
Her teaching is characterised by the targeted use of innovative teaching concepts such as just-in-time teaching, peer instruction and the internationally established SCALE-UP learning space and teaching concept. This is underpinned by a consistently applied approach to constructive alignment, featuring clearly defined learning objectives, tailored methods and appropriate assessment formats, which enables sustainable learning outcomes.
Thanks to her commitment, two state-of-the-art SCALE-UP teaching rooms were established at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences with her significant involvement; these facilitate active, collaborative learning and now serve as a model for numerous higher education institutions.
The impact of her teaching methods is also empirically proven: significantly higher pass rates, measurable learning gains and very positive feedback from students underscore the success of her approach.
“Creating space for genuine understanding”
For Prof. Dr Schäfle, the focus is on the students’ learning process: “For me, good teaching is student-centred, engaging and geared towards a deep conceptual understanding; it creates space for exchange and supports learning processes in a science-based manner.”
In addition to her own teaching, she is heavily involved in continuing professional development in higher education pedagogy, initiates workshops, publishes teaching materials and contributes her expertise to the further development of innovative teaching formats both nationally and internationally.
Highly valued by students
The nomination for the teaching award was also made on the students’ initiative. In their statement, they particularly highlight the lasting impact of her teaching. As student representative Benedikt Hammerschmid emphasises: “Through targeted support, she manages to foster a deeper understanding and motivate students to engage with the material independently.”
Her ability to respond individually to learning needs and to create a motivating learning atmosphere is also particularly valued by students.
University management honours outstanding commitment
The management of Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences extends its warmest congratulations on the award: “In Prof. Dr Claudia Schäfle, our university has a teaching figure who sets standards. Her commitment combines academic excellence with innovative teaching methods and has an impact far beyond the university. This award is a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding work and a strong signal of the importance of excellent teaching at Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences,” said Prof. Heinrich Köster, President of Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences.
Contribution to the advancement of university teaching
In addition to her teaching duties, Prof. Dr Schäfle is the Head of Research for Teaching and Learning at the Bavarian Centre for Innovative Teaching (BayZiel). She actively promotes the further development of evidence-based teaching concepts and plays a key role in disseminating innovative teaching formats in Bavaria and beyond.
The award recognises not only her personal commitment, but also the strategic focus of TH Rosenheim on high-quality, future-oriented teaching.