Teaching Awards 2024: Cologne Sports University honors outstanding teachers!

Teaching Awards 2024: Cologne Sports University honors outstanding teachers!

On June 25, 2025, the 2024 teaching award winners were honored in the athletics stadium of the German Sport University Cologne. This honor refers to courses from the summer semester 2024 and the winter semester 2024/25. These teaching prizes are awarded every two years and reflect the achievements of teachers in higher education.

In a solemn ceremony, Spoho Rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ansgar Thiel and Vice Rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bettina Rulofs congratulates the award winners. These awards are not only important for the teachers' honest efforts, they also contribute to the continuous improvement of teaching at the university.

Teaching award winners in detail

The prizes were awarded in various categories. In the area of ​​seminars, Dr. Daniel Klein from the Institute for Sports Didactics and School Sports held his seminar “SBV5 Teaching and Learning Methods in Sport” and received 3,000 euros for it. Robert Bauguitte and Jun.-Prof. shared second place. Dr. Daniel Nölleke with their contributions to media design and media research, for which they each receive 750 euros.

During the practical courses, Dr. Tobias Morat from the Institute for Exercise and Sports Gerontology won first place for his event “SGP10.1 Practical training implementation with older people”; Here too, the bonus is 3,000 euros. Jonas Klein, Tom Oeppert and Inga Fokken share second place with their courses in the respective disciplines and also receive 750 euros each.

In the tutorials category, several specialist tutorials were honored, including Pirmin Philipps in gymnastics, Lasse Hansen in kinematics and kinetics and Pia Rueß in methodology and statistics. These tutorial award winners will be honored as part of the annual academic celebration.

Student engagement in the awarding of prizes

The nominations for the teaching awards come largely from the students. They have the opportunity to nominate teachers via the ILIAS teaching award portal until the nomination deadline. The prerequisite is that at least two thirds of the registered students agree, although the consent of the nominated person must also be documented. Such procedures promote student participation in the design of the teaching and learning environment.

In Germany and beyond, teaching awards are viewed as an important instrument for increasing teaching quality. The “Recommendations of the Austrian University Conference for Improving the Quality of Teaching” from 2014 recommends intensifying the awarding of teaching prizes in order to promote university teaching. This underlines the social relevance of teaching at universities.

An analysis of award practice shows that awarding teachers in German-speaking countries is still a relatively new phenomenon. The first initiatives were initiated by students in the 1990s. Today, numerous universities take part in various teaching award ceremonies, although the procedures and student participation in the award process can vary greatly.

In summary, it can be said that the teaching awards at the German Sport University Cologne not only recognize the outstanding achievements of the teachers, but are also intended to improve the quality of teaching at the university through the active involvement of students. The commitment of everyone involved is crucial for the further development of teaching in sports science.

For further information about the teaching prizes and how they are awarded, please visit the website North Rhine-Westphalia Police College, the PH Lucerne and the official website of the German Sports University Cologne.