University of Kassel raises several million for teaching

Prof. Dr. René Matzdorf, responsible for teaching on the University Presidential Board, is delighted with this great success: "With this additional money, we can implement our ambitious projects to create new degree programs and provide students with high-quality support through successful studies much better in times of tight budgets."

The "TORCH - Transformative Teaching and Learning for Sustainability" project will support the new sustainability degree courses that will start in the coming winter semester. The project is coordinated by the Kassel Institute for Sustainability and has an application amount of 5 million euros with the possibility of an extension of a further 2.3 million euros. The interdisciplinary nature of the teaching will take on a new quality: for the first time, the teaching will include sustainability sciences as a fundamental part of the subject canon and will also enable students to combine disciplinary knowledge with insights into challenges and solutions for a more sustainable world. This is where the project comes in, supporting students in the design and implementation of interdisciplinary projects and teachers in the design of transformative teaching/learning processes. Prof. Dr. Susanne Ritzmann from the Kassel Institute is delighted: "With TORCH, we are opening a new chapter in higher education: We are creating spaces of opportunity and offerings in which students not only test knowledge, but also learn to actively shape social change - in a reflective, interdisciplinary and practical way."

In the second successful project, the University of Kassel is playing a leading role in a joint application with the universities of Paderborn and Hanover. The focus here is on introductory courses in mathematics. The application has a volume of 2.2 million euros (including the possibility of extension) for the University of Kassel alone. Around half of all students study mathematics, and many find it difficult to successfully master the subject. Individualization of teaching and a stronger focus of mathematical content on course-specific and career-related requirements should improve student motivation and success. The Competence Center for University Didactics in Mathematics (khdm), which is jointly run by the participating universities and which developed and implemented the proposal idea, will carry out the project as an institution with experience and an international network. Kassel mathematics didactics expert Prof. Dr. Andreas Eichler says: "The students of many technical subjects should benefit considerably from the innovations and be able to complete mathematical content in their university studies more independently and successfully in future."

The Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching is a non-profit trust foundation based in Hamburg. It enables innovations in the field of teaching and learning at universities and strengthens the capacity for renewal in university teaching. The foundation's funds are provided by the federal and state governments.