Bavaria's best teachers honored: award ceremony in Würzburg!

Bavaria's best teachers honored: award ceremony in Würzburg!

On April 1, 2025, two lecturers from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) were awarded the “Prize for Good Teaching” from the Bavarian Ministry of Science. Mario Liebensteiner, an economist, and Katharina Oft, a philologist, received this honor for their outstanding achievements in the field of teaching. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros each and is awarded annually to two FAU lecturers who can demonstrate first-class teaching achievements at a Bavarian university for at least two years. The Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume presented the prizes as part of a “Day for Good Teaching” that took place at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg.

Liebensteiner is characterized by innovative teaching methods that enable practical teaching of research methods. He uses videos to explain complex research topics in an understandable way. In addition, he regularly discusses current research papers with his students and replicates empirical studies as part of his events. This practical approach not only promotes students' understanding, but also an appreciative learning atmosphere. He also supports his students individually with presentations and master's theses.

Commitment of the lecturers

Katharina Oft offers extensive courses in Latin that include both translation exercises and text analysis. She shows particular commitment by regularly adapting her curriculum to the needs of the students and integrating their wishes into the lessons. We often supervise seminars with a small group of 15 to 20 students, which enables more individual support. She also continually suggests additional reading material and accompanies many of her students throughout the entire duration of their studies.

The importance of excellent teaching was emphasized by Minister Blume in his address. He emphasized that good teaching is fundamental to excellence in science. A total of 20 university lecturers from all over Bavaria were honored on this day, with their achievements at universities, colleges of applied sciences and art colleges being recognized.

Prize winners and general conditions

The winners are selected by the respective universities, with students also being involved in the proposal process. The award is characterized by the high appreciation of the teachers and reflects the careful evaluation of their teaching methods. In addition to Liebensteiner and Oft, numerous other teachers from various Bavarian universities were honored, including Dr. Thomas Ziesemer from the University of Augsburg and Prof. Dr. Christian Schmidkonz from the East Bavarian Technical University Amberg-Weiden.

The high endowment and the broad distribution of the prizes emphasize the relevance and diversity of teaching at Bavaria's universities. The focus of the event was on designing effective teaching and learning processes, which supports ongoing development and professionalization in the higher education sector.

The excellent teaching methods and individual support practiced by Liebensteiner and Oft set standards for teaching at universities and promote not only learning but also the personal development of students. While Katharina Oft was unable to attend the award ceremony because she was on an excursion to Rome with students, her contribution to teaching and the recognition of her achievements remain undisputed.

FAU reports that...

StMWK provides information about the award ceremony and the criteria...