#09 - Key Roles
in Teaching at TU Graz
At Graz University of Technology, there are many people who continuously promote and develop teaching. Apart from the formal roles in higher education, e.g. the Dean of Studies, there are also other roles with a focus on teaching. The aim of these roles is to improve the quality of university teaching and to optimize or expand it in the long term. Some teachers are given a special form of employment for this purpose, others take advantage of the opportunity to receive further training in higher education didactics. Special commitment to teaching is also regularly rewarded. In this article you can learn more about these special roles and awards
Teaching Experts
What are "Teaching Experts"?
”Teaching Experts“ are teachers who have completed the ”Expert“ module of the Teaching Academy. The Teaching Academy offers teachers at Graz University of Technology modular advanced training and higher qualification. The ”Expert“ module is the highest level, after ”Basic“ and ”Advanced“.
How to become a "Teaching Expert"
Future ”Teaching Experts“ attend a two-day workshop, create a teaching portfolio or carry out and document a teaching project. In addition, they make their teaching competence available as a resource to other teachers in the form of an individual contribution to the teaching community.
Find out more about the Teaching Academy on the page ”Services for Teaching Staff - Higher Education Didactics“.
In the TUbe series of the "expert" module of the Teaching Academy, you can find videos by Teaching Experts at TU Graz.
All offers by the Teaching Academy can be found in the programme of the in-house training (available in your TUGRAZonline business card) in the section ”Teaching: Teaching Academy“.
...or feel free to write an e-mail to the Teaching Academy team.
Faculty Representative for Virtual Teaching
What does a Faculty Representative for virtual teaching do?
Since December 2020, TU Graz has one Faculty Representative for virtual teaching per faculty. This role serves as a mediator between the individual faculties and the organisational unit Educational Technology (OE LLT) regarding the topic of virtual teaching at TU Graz.
Faculty Representatives for virtual teaching collect concerns and ideas of the faculty members in relation to digital teaching and pass them on to the organisational unit Educational Technology, or they refer colleagues to the right contact person at Educational Technology.
Faculty Representatives for virtual teaching do not provide technical support or training; this is still the responsibility of the OU Educational Technology. However, their experience and that of their faculty helps to further develop digital teaching at TU Graz.
Which benefits does the TU Graz offer its Faculty Representatives for virtual teaching?
Faculty Representatives for virtual teaching are in regular contact with the OU Educational Technology and thus are the first to learn about technical, organisational and (media-)didactic innovations and developments in digital education. Furthermore, they are informed about new tools and report on best practices in their faculties, for example with regard to the OER policy of TU Graz.
Senior Lecturers
What is the job of a Senior Lecturer?
Senior Lecturer positions are the counterpart to Senior Scientist positions at TU Graz and are regarded as specialist career positions. These positions are intended to promote research-led teaching at institutes and faculties. According to the guideline, they are also responsible for the following tasks due to their higher education didactic training:
- development of research-guided teaching
- creation of Open Educational Resources (OER)
- further developement of the use of educational technologies
Which benefits does the TU Graz offer its Senior Lecturers?
The OU Educational Technology organises regular exchanges with the Senior Lecturers of TU Graz. A ”Senior Lecturer Lounge“ is held on a regular basis, where Senior Lecturers and staff from organisational units of the Vice Rectorate for Academic Affairs (LLT, LSE, LLL, SSIW, International Office) talk about innovations in (digital) teaching, reflect on and optimise their use for TU Graz in the long term. New Senior Lecturers will also be invited to a welcome talk with the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, where their tasks and opportunities are discussed
Prize for Excellence in Teaching
What is the Prize for Excellence in Teaching?
TU Graz honours excellent teaching with the eponymous ”Prize for Excellence in Teaching“. The award is given to teachers for their outstanding didactic teaching concepts and commitment. There is also a special prize for digital teaching.
More information about the Ars Docendi and past award winners can be found in the Atlas of Good Teaching.
The winners are announced at an award ceremony and also receive prize money. Furthermore, winners are nominated for the Ars Docendi, the State Prize for Excellent Teaching at public universities.
How to receive the prize?
Students as well as Deans of Studies can nominate courses and teachers for the award. After a formal review of the nominations, a committee under the chairmanship of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs (consisting of representatives of the Student Union, the university administration, the curricula committees, the Senate and external experts on the topic of higher education) makes a decision.
You can find out more
about me in the FAQ.
The decision is made on basis of the teaching concept, in which formal aspects (ECTS credits, position in the curriculum) and key aspects (e.g. structure, implementation, exceptionality) are outlined.
A detailed description of the selection criteria can be found on TU4U.
Licensed under a Creative-Commons-Attribution CC BY 4.0 International
Verena Schwägerl-Melchior (Teaching Academy), Katharina Salitices (LSE) und TU Graz Educational Technology