filled lecture hall with two students in the foreground

Strategy Teaching

Principles of good teaching, challenges, objectives and measures​
filled lecture hall with two students in the foreground
Image: Christoph Worsch (University of Jena)

Strategy process— Academy for Teaching Development (ALe)

The ALe's expert committee initiated a strategy process in the area of teaching back in 2017 in order to fulfil the task of the Academy for Teaching Development (ALeExternal link ) to contribute to the strategic development of studying and teaching at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. This is regularly driven forward by involving the university public, for example through surveys in the faculties or thematically focussed discussions at DIES LEGENDI - the Day of Teaching.

In such a participatory process, the principles of good teaching  dewere developed as a normative foundation. The further development of teaching at the University of Jena, which takes current and urgent challenges into account, is based on these principles.

In the first development step of the teaching strategy for the University of Jena, the topics of

  • Dealing with heterogeneity,
  • promoting academic independence among students and
  • strengthening the teaching skills of lecturers

were identified as urgent challenges and addressed in line with the strategic orientation of teaching at the University of Jena. The teaching strategy is currently being evaluated and further developed. In this context, a faculty survey in 2023 revealed that teaching staff and students at Friedrich Schiller University are facing some new challenges, which can be categorised as follows

  • Dynamically advancing digitalisation in teaching
  • Harmonising internationalisation and regional relevance
  • further develop the handling of heterogeneity in teaching and
  • using resources responsibly.

How can these categories be further specified?

Continuing digitalisation in teaching

Digitalisation is also a highly dynamic field in the area of teaching and requires constant engagement with current developments. Changes not only affect teaching and learning methods, but also subject content and social and legal framework conditions. Teachers and students must constantly face up to the rapid changes in the digital world, such as the establishment of the use of generative artificial intelligence.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Friedrich Schiller University Jena has reacted flexibly to such developments, for example by supplementing the principles of good teaching with principles of good digital teaching de or by agreeing on a specific code of conduct de. Specific programmes for teaching staff and students have been developed for dealing with generative AI models in teaching. The university's digitalisation strategy must now be dynamically continued in the area of digitalisation in teaching and learning.

Harmonising internationality and regional relevance

The further development of teaching at the University of Jena is caught between the need to offer internationally oriented teaching in order to prepare students for a globalised working world and at the same time to take advantage of the opportunities arising from the university's regional roots and to address the specific regional needs of the economy and society in Jena and Thuringia. This requires the multidirectional orientation of teaching content and teaching methods.

In this context, the aim is now to further develop or redevelop study programmes in such a way that international standards are integrated, regional perspectives are incorporated and students are taught problem-solving skills that are independent of context.

Heterogeneity in teaching

To date, the focus has been on dealing with heterogeneous performance among students. In a further strategic development, the university is now taking on the challenge of ‘heterogeneity in teaching’ in the area of study and teaching within a broader framework. This implies both the consideration of newly acquired opportunities for teachers and students, as well as sensitisation to individual needs, such as aspects of inclusion.

Teaching at the university is also constantly evolving in this area of broader heterogeneity. For example, a ‘Working Group on Inclusion in Teaching’ was established in the ALe expert committee and information for teaching staff on the topic of heterogeneity and inclusion in teaching de was centralised. A proactive and reflective approach to the diversity of students and teaching staff is seen as crucial for the success and quality of university teaching and must be constantly integrated into teaching.

Responsible use of resources

For high quality teaching and the ability to develop it further, the responsible use of resources in the area of teaching is also essential for the future.

Sustainability in teaching is already a focal point of the university's sustainability strategy de. In addition, the university is also responsible for ensuring the prerequisites for good teaching and is therefore constantly analysing what is required to guarantee good teaching. As part of strategic decisions, it is important to find innovative ways to utilise resources efficiently and promote innovative approaches with a direct impact on the quality of teaching and learning.

 

The teaching strategy of the University of Jena thus continuously addresses current topics relating to challenges, goals and needs in teaching. In doing so, it provides scope for the organisation of subject-specific learning opportunities as well as for the bundling of interdisciplinary activities.
This teaching strategy also serves as a basis for the targeted further development of teaching throughout the university. An essential component of such a further development process of the teaching strategy is also the evaluation of initiated measures. To this end, the extent to which the objectives of the teaching strategy have been achieved and whether the identified challenges have been successfully addressed must be regularly reviewed.
The next step is to derive specific goals and measures for the current challenges listed. The initiated dialogue process must be continued and expanded in order to ensure the broad participation of teaching staff and students in the strategic development of teaching in the long term.

Table of contents

Principles of good teaching

Challenges, objectives and measures for teaching

The teaching strategy as dynamic concept

Principles of good teaching

The following principles apply to teaching at Friedrich Schiller University. They are based on socially shared norms and values and were developed in an iterative, university-wide process of understanding. The changing "we" in these principles refers to all those who bear responsibility in and for learning and teaching in different roles—e.g. as teachers, students, and committee members.

  • We are committed to the unity of research and teaching.

    Friedrich Schiller University understands research and teaching as equal and interdependent components of science. Research orientation is the specific feature of university teaching, i.e. good teaching conveys the current state of research and the awareness that knowledge is dynamic. Teachers can gain important impulses for their research from lively discussions with students.

  • As teachers and students, we contribute to the success of teaching and learning in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

    Good teaching thrives on the commitment of teachers and students alike and ideally results in a mutual increase in knowledge. Teachers are required to provide high-quality learning opportunities in terms of subject matter and didactics, to reflect on the success of their teaching, and to continually develop their courses. Students, for their part, contribute to the success of their teaching by taking a responsible and active role in the courses offered, studying with commitment, and providing constructive feedback on the courses offered.

  • Our teaching aims at expert and critical reflection within and outside the academic world.

    Good academic teaching not only conveys sound knowledge, but also cultivates a critical and reflective attitude in students. It instructs students to evaluate scientific findings and to ask and clarify technical questions themselves. It enables students to establish connections between research results and professional problems. Students learn scientific ethical standards and consider these in their studies future professional life.

  • In our teaching, we keep in mind the holistic educational mission of the University.

    It is not enough to measure academic success solely by acquired knowledge and examination results. On the contrary, the central goals of studies at Friedrich Schiller University include shaping and developing students’ personalities, different facets of motivational, emotional and social competences, as well as the responsible use of acquired knowledge and skills. Good teaching aims at the active participation in democratic societies as well as the ability and willingness to constantly reorient oneself in the face of ever changing challenges.

  • In our teaching, we are committed to dealing with diversity.

    A non-discriminatory, acceptance-based interaction among students as well as between students and teachers is an indispensable prerequisite for successful learning. We emphasize the opportunities that are associated with diversity among students and teachers. We develop solutions for the resulting challenges in teaching. We take into account the diverse learning requirements of students when developing study programmes and teaching concepts.

  • We take the diversity of research cultures into account in our teaching.

    Our research cultures are shaped very differently by numerous factors. This results not only in different research methods and different perspectives on the world, but also in the need to develop concepts, working methods and formats in teaching that are appropriate for the specific subject. We respect this diversity of approaches to subject-specific questions in teaching and are committed to creating the necessary framework for this.

  • We offer interdisciplinary perspectives in our teaching.

    Many scientific and socially relevant questions can only be solved within the framework of interdisciplinary cooperation. The prerequisites for this are openness and respect for other subject cultures and an awareness of the limits of one's own professional perspectives. We exemplify this attitude in our teaching. At various levels and in various formats, our teachers provide students with interdisciplinary learning opportunities.

  • We appreciate and support commitment in teaching.

    We are committed to creating conditions in which teaching can be realized on a broad basis and at a high level. At Friedrich Schiller University, special commitment, inventiveness and outstanding achievements in teaching are encouraged, made visible and awarded. We offer lecturers the necessary scope for developing and implementing new ideas and concepts. When assessing scientific performance, we consider both research and teaching as performance dimensions.

  • We continuously develop teaching at our University.

    Teaching can only keep improving if it is measured by the achievement of its goals. This requires suitable instruments to make learning outcomes and desiderata comprehensible. The departments use the corresponding findings under their own responsibility for the further development of teaching. Friedrich Schiller University therefore provides support structures for teaching evaluation and for the qualification of teaching didactics in higher education and constantly develops them further.

  • We maintain discourse about our teaching-related values.

    The further development of teaching also touches upon normative aspects to a considerable extent. These include the questions of what is understood by good teaching, which minimum standards we do not want to fall below in teaching, and which overarching values should guide teaching at Friedrich Schiller University. For us, the discourse on these and similar questions is part of quality development. Teachers and students regularly engage in this discourse in various formats and in public at the University.

Challenges, objectives and measures for teaching

The objectives and measures for learning and teaching are guided by the principles of good teaching (see section 2). The objectives listed in this section consider those principles. At the same time, they address current challenges in university teaching by taking up the results of a faculty survey conducted by the panel of experts in 2018. The evaluation of the feedback from the faculties revealed that three urgent challenges are currently seen as being faced by Friedrich Schiller University Jena in terms of learning and teaching, namely

  • dealing with heterogeneity,
  • promoting the academic independence of students, and
  • strengthening the didactic skills of the teaching staff.

Taking these findings and principles of good teaching into account, the panel has formulated medium-term objectives for teaching at Friedrich Schiller University to be achieved and has supported these with measures. In the following, the identified challenges and related assumptions as well as the resulting objectives and measures are briefly explained.

Some of the measures mentioned can also help to achieve various other objectives. The list of objectives and measures is not exhaustive; it can be dynamically adjusted according to the progress made in achieving the objectives (see also The teaching strategy as dynamic concept).

Challenge "Dealing with heterogeneity" 

The number of first-year students has risen by more than 40 percent over the past ten years, particularly because of a growing number of potential students interested in higher education, and the facilitated access to higher education. The resulting differences in the study requirements also pose special challenges to Friedrich Schiller University. This applies primarily, but not only, to the introductory phase of studies. In the feedback from the faculties, special emphasis was placed on the differences between the students in terms of previous knowledge, performance, motivation and commitment.

In order to cope with the greater diversity of students and to promote their individual academic success, it is necessary to further and newly develop the range of courses that are aimed at achieving the required competence level and at the same time build on the students’ personal strengths. The specific needs of high-performing students must also be taken into account. For this purpose, the courses offered must be integrated into the curriculum in a coherent manner in terms of content, didactics and organization.

 Objectives

  • In the promotion of academic success, the individual learning requirements are considered.
  • As many students as possible achieve the level of competence aimed for in the course of study.

Measures

  • The development, adaptation and implementation of models for advisory services and/or learning support in the introductory phase of studies are promoted.
  • The consolidation of successful concepts for dealing with heterogeneity in the introductory phase is supported.
  • When study programmes are developed, the different levels of previous knowledge of the students are taken into account by including differentiation possibilities in the curriculum.
  • Programmes to foster high-performing students within the framework of rearch-oriented learning opportunities will be set up.
  • …

Challenge "Qualifying students for independent scientific work" 

A challenge in teaching and at the same time an important goal in studying is to enable students to solve subject-related problems independently. Independent scientific work includes the following points: setting relevant goals and asking oneself questions; choosing and applying suitable methods for working on them; staying on course even under stress; checking the process and results of one’s own work and correcting them, if necessary. This independence cannot be expected of students at the beginning of their studies, and it must be acquired gradually during the course of their studies.

In view of the Bologna reforms, the tendency of turning university teaching into school instruction is repeatedly seen as problematic, as it prevents students from developing independence. On the other hand, the emphasis on student independence can cause important aspects of collaborative learning and research to fall by the wayside.

In order to strengthen student's academic dependence, learning opportunities are required that enable students to acquire independence, support that independence in a way that is tailored to their level of learning, and embed it in social contexts. Structures must be sufficiently flexible to provide space for the creation of appropriate learning opportunities.

Objective

  • Students are able to work independently on scientific matters.

Measures

  • The promotion of scientific independence is taken into account in the design of learning opportunities and examination formats within the framework of study programme development.
  • Students' own initiatives to create and develop learning opportunities are supported.
  • The development of innovative learning opportunities aiming at the scientific independence of students is promoted.
  • Programmes are established that promote high-performing students within the framework of research-oriented learning opportunities.
  • …

Challenge "Strengthening the didactic competence of teachers" 

The teachers themselves have a significant influence on the improvement of teaching quality. With their attitudes and competences, they are involved in the teaching process and create learning opportunities that enable students to acquire relevant knowledge and skills. Nonetheless, teaching activities at universities are generally not preceded by any teaching-related qualification. Teachers are often on their own and confronted with a variety of challenges—for example, heterogeneous student groups or large amounts of material—for which they (must) develop individual solution strategies.

In order to provide students with excellent learning opportunities, didactically reflected teaching concepts are necessary. This requires the creation of framework conditions that give teachers the freedom to develop and qualify their teaching and under which university teaching is recognized as an independent performance dimension. In addition, it is important to open up spaces for discussion in which teachers from all status groups can participate to jointly develop strategies for dealing with the challenges of university teaching and thus strengthen the quality of teaching.

Objectives

  • More lecturers are reached with university didactic qualification offers.
  • The quality of university didactic qualification will be further improved.
  • The strategic exchange on teaching issues at all levels of the University will be increased.

Measures

  • Teaching performance is taken into account in appointment procedures, appointment and retention negotiations, and in the allocation of special benefits.
  • The Service Centre for Higher Education Didactics (LehreLernen) will be strengthened.
  • Event formats for the exchange of information on good teaching are promoted.
  • Existing systems recognizing and incentivizing teaching commitment will be evaluated in terms of their scope and effects.
  • …

The teaching strategy as a dynamic concept

This teaching strategy is to be understood as a dynamic concept: Top-down and bottom-up processes are intertwined in its implementation. Objectives and measures interact in a variety of ways and can also be adapted to changing circumstances and current challenges.

Targeted measures are not and cannot be initiated exclusively at a centralised level. Across the board and at all levels of Friedrich Schiller University, numerous ideas for teaching development are currently being implemented on our own initiative and will continue to be in the future. These bottom-up initiatives are highly desirable, as teaching quality stands and falls with the creativity and commitment of many individual players. They often correspond - more or less intentionally - with the objectives in this strategy paper.

In the strategy process, the task of the actors at central level (expert committee of the ALe, University Executive Board) is to provide the subjects with targeted suggestions and offers of support, to make existing structures visible, to avoid parallel structures and, if necessary, to coordinate and bundle measures. From the top down, the aim is therefore to provide impetus for a coordinated approach and to work on aspects that have been neglected to date, as well as to offer support where possible.

As far as the allocation of measures to objectives is concerned, it is clear that strategic processes cannot be thought of formally and unidirectionally. For example, measures that are primarily taken with a specific goal in mind also address other objectives at best.
In order to clarify the interrelationships outlined above and to illustrate how strategic management on the one hand and the specific concerns of teachers and students on the other are intertwined, examples of successful measures that address various challenges are presented below: