Excellent Teaching
Practical university teaching methods for engaging courses
What is higher education pedagogy?
Higher education pedagogy deals with teaching and learning at universities. Media pedagogy is also part of higher education pedagogy. Traditional pedagogy focuses on children and young people. Higher education didactics encompasses various levels of practice and is aimed at adults who are studying independently at a higher education institution.
How does higher education pedagogy support you?
Lecturers present academic topics in a way that is easy for you to understand. This helps you grasp the content better and learn to apply your knowledge in the long term. Knowledge is freely accessible everywhere these days. It is therefore crucial that you translate this knowledge into practical skills during your studies.
Why is good higher education pedagogy important?
Research and teaching require different skills. The assumption that ‘if you can do research, you can also teach’ is no longer sufficient today. Good teaching requires specific didactic skills.
Would you like to change the way you teach but aren’t quite sure how? Are you facing a challenge in your teaching and would like some support? We’d be happy to help – please get in touch with us.
Here are the five key reasons why modern university teaching methodology is so essential:
Today, factual knowledge is available anywhere and at any time via AI. Simply learnt by heart for an exam, it is usually forgotten shortly afterwards. University teaching methods ensure that students develop skills – that is, the ability to apply theoretical knowledge flexibly in practice, in their careers and when dealing with complex problems.
Just because someone is a leading authority in a field of research does not mean that the ability to communicate that knowledge clearly and accessibly comes naturally to them. University teaching methodology provides professors and lecturers with the necessary tools (methods, use of media, rhetoric) to present complex content in a way that is both brain-friendly and motivating.
Today’s students are more diverse than ever before: they bring with them a wide range of prior knowledge, cultural backgrounds, age groups and life circumstances (e.g. studying whilst working, childcare). Teaching methodology helps to make teaching formats more flexible – for example, through a sensible mix of online and face-to-face teaching (blended learning).
Frustrated students in overcrowded, monotonous lectures are more likely to drop out. Effective university teaching relies on engaging teaching methods. When students are actively involved, receive feedback and understand the purpose behind the tasks, their motivation and the likelihood of them successfully completing their degree increase dramatically.
Universities are competing internationally to attract the best and brightest. Excellent teaching quality is a major selling point. It ensures that degree programmes remain accredited and that qualifications are highly valued in the labour market.
Courses in Higher Education Pedagogy
Support for your teaching: What the Centre for University Teaching and Learning has to offer
Whether you’re newly appointed or have many years’ experience, the Centre for Higher Education Pedagogy provides you with personalised support in shaping and developing your teaching.
Our services focus on three key areas:
Individual support:
From personal advice and classroom observations to collaborative teaching development → Full portfolio: Moodle course ‘Teaching: Individual support for lecturers’
Events & workshops:
Practical training on current teaching topics → Overview & registration: Moodle course ‘Teaching: Events organised by the Centre for Higher Education Pedagogy’
Self-study resources and support courses:
Flexible Moodle courses for self-paced professional development (e.g. ‘Teaching: Competence-based Teaching’) → Overview on Moodle under: ‘University Didactics’ and ‘Future Skills’
Higher Education Pedagogy: Partner for Curriculum Development & University Management
We support academic departments and university management in designing degree programmes that are fit for the future and in implementing strategic goals in teaching.
For academic departments: Curriculum development & teaching
We guide you from the initial idea through to the final degree programme:
- Programme development: redesigning and reforming curricula based on the principle of constructive alignment.
- Competence-based approach: Advice on modern teaching and assessment formats.
- Accreditation: Pedagogical support for initial and re-accreditation processes.
- Process facilitation: Tailor-made workshops for your department team.
For university management: Strategy & quality development
We translate strategic objectives into university practice:
- Profile refinement: Strategic development of the teaching and learning culture.
- Quality development: Support for university-wide initiatives (e.g. AI in teaching, diversity, sustainability).
- Networking: Promoting interdisciplinary exchange on good teaching practice.
Projects & Collaborations: Rethinking Teaching Together
New ideas for teaching do not emerge in isolation. Through targeted projects and university-wide partnerships, we create the framework for modern teaching, assessment and learning.
Innovative Teaching and Learning Projects
Exam Moodle & Digital Examination Formats: We support the development and expansion of digital examinations. From the didactic concept through to fair, competence-based test design and practical implementation on the central ‘Prüfungsmoodle’ platform, we offer lecturers reliable support. Moodle course “Exams: Prüfungsmoodle”
Strategic partnerships
Centre for Quality Management (ZQM): Working closely with the ZQM, we link insights from higher education pedagogy directly to quality development in study programmes and teaching. Together, we ensure high standards and support academic departments in the continuous development of their teaching programmes.
‘New Work’ Project – Modern Learning Space Design: Teaching requires suitable spaces. Together with the New Work project, we design flexible, hybrid and inspiring learning environments that optimally support collaborative work, innovative teaching methods and self-directed learning.
Events, Conferences & Deadlines
Key deadlines and conferences relating to higher education pedagogy and teaching at a glance. Stay up to date with the latest specialist conferences, workshops and academic conferences. Here you will find deadlines for paper submissions (calls for papers), registration periods and recommendations for external conference calendars.
Important Deadlines
Don’t miss any submission or registration deadlines for upcoming conferences:
External conference calendars & overviews
For a comprehensive overview of events on higher education didactics, we recommend the following portals:
Stakeholder landscape for higher education teaching and pedagogy
The dghd (German Society for Higher Education Didactics) is the leading academic professional association in the German-speaking world. It promotes research into higher education didactics, organises annual conferences and sets professional standards.
GfHf (Society for Higher Education Research) is the leading interdisciplinary professional association in the German-speaking world (DACH) for researchers engaged in empirical and theoretical work on the subject of ‘higher education’.
e-teaching.org (Leibniz Institute for Knowledge Media, IWM) is the leading information and training portal in the German-speaking world for the use of digital media in higher education.
The Higher Education Forum on Digitalisation (HFD) is the central national think tank and the leading networking platform for the digital transformation of study and teaching in Germany.
CHE (Centre for Higher Education Development) provides impetus for higher education management, study programme reforms and innovative teaching and learning concepts.
The Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching (StIL) is Germany’s leading organisation for funding teaching innovation (operating under the umbrella of the Toepfer Stiftung GmbH). It supports large-scale projects, teaching formats and networks.
Stifterverband, as a joint initiative of companies and foundations, supports innovative teaching concepts, fellowships for digital teaching and transformation projects at universities.