In the Academic Year of Equal Opportunities, the HSCG looks back on Equal Opportunities Week and Teaching Day at the HSCG and announces next steps.
Equal opportunities are a cornerstone of our university community. In order to give this central value the recognition it deserves in day-to-day university life, the Rectorate has placed the academic year 2023/24 under the leitmotif of equal opportunities. A variety of events, such as workshops, lectures and discussion panels, will create spaces for exchange and collaboration in order to identify and understand the needs of university members and, based on this, derive actions to reduce challenges. An outstanding highlight of the academic year was the Equal Opportunities Week, crowned by Teaching Day.
"How can we really live equal opportunities and diversity in studies and teaching?" - Professor Sophia Keil, Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs, opened the Equal Opportunities Week at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG), which took place from 13 to 17 May 2024, with this central question.
The week kicked off with a public consultation by the Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs, Professor Sophia Keil, who discussed equal opportunities and intercultural communication together with the Deans of Studies and other university members and experts such as Prof. Dr. Janina M. Vernal Schmidt (Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau), Diana Hillebrand-Ludin and Dr. Stefanie Dreiack (Head of the Equal Opportunities Coordination Office Saxony). This kick-off set the tone for the following days, which were characterized by a lively exchange and in-depth discussions. One of the key outcomes of the consultation was the recommendation to hold further events on specific topics in the broad field of equal opportunities.
A particular highlight was the "Chancen-Talk" over lunch in the Kraatschn canteen in Zittau, where students, professors and staff were able to discuss equal opportunities in studying and teaching in a relaxed atmosphere. These informal discussions fostered a better understanding of each other's needs. Among other things, it was emphasized that equal opportunities could be promoted by actively pursuing the students-as-partners approach. Students can act as mentors for their fellow students and thus promote academic and social integration. The wish was expressed that formats such as "students advising students" should be further strengthened.
The Teaching Day on May 15, 2024 in Görlitz was the central event of the week. The opening by Professor Sophia Keil set the mood for a day full of inspiring lectures and discussions. In her opening speech, Professor Keil highlighted the importance of equal opportunities and diversity and emphasized that these topics are close to her heart and core values of the HSZG.
Miriam Meyer and Annika Thomas from the HSZG Student Council provided insights into the student perspective on equal opportunities and diversity at the HSZG and emphasized the importance of active student participation.
Particularly noteworthy was the presentation by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Gerhard Weber (TU Dresden), who spoke about accessibility and diversity in teaching materials. Dr. Monique Ritter and Sophie Ulbrich from the HSZG provided insights into gender- and diversity-sensitive teaching.
Another highlight was the award ceremony for the teaching prize of the Förderverein der Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz e. V. The Vice-Rector was delighted that 13 lecturers had been nominated for the teaching prize by the students. This was impressive proof of the outstanding quality of the courses and also an indicator of the great satisfaction of the students, who expressed their appreciation with the nomination. The Vice-Rector thanked the nominees on behalf of the Rectorate for their outstanding work in teaching and for submitting their impressive teaching concepts.
The teaching prize is awarded to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kästner. "This is in recognition of his extraordinary commitment and outstanding achievements in teaching," said the Vice-Rector. The teaching prize, which is awarded every three years and was endowed with 2,000 euros, recognizes Kästner's exceptional teaching concept and his consistently coordinated teaching materials. Students emphasized that he motivates and supports the students with his concept and his always open ears for questions.
Wolfgang Kästner, Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, came to Zittau to study in 1983. In addition to his excellent teaching, he is committed to the internationalization of the university and supports the Chinese-German University of Applied Sciences at Tongji University in Shanghai as a guest lecturer. His research activities include nuclear safety research and condition diagnosis.
The Teaching Award 2024 ceremony also marked the first implementation of the modernized Te aching Award Regulations by the Vice Rector. Following extensive discussions with the Deans of Studies, the faculties and the Student Council, significant changes were made to the nomination process and the composition of the selection committee. Following the modernization, only students are entitled to submit nominations. In addition, the student members have the majority of votes in the selection committee.
A workshop on diversity-sensitive teaching took place on Thursday, followed by a well-attended lecture series on the topic of "Shaping fragile futures - are feminist perspectives or policies an answer?".
The week concluded with an online workshop on intercultural competence in university teaching, led by Dr. Steffi Nothnagel, and an exchange on digital teaching, which focused on promoting participation through digital tools.
The Equal Opportunities Week at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences provided a great opportunity to actively participate in important discussions, learn from each other and shape the future of teaching together. The large number of events and the record number of visitors showed how central the topics of equal opportunities and diversity are for the university community at the HSZG. The Rectorate will organize further events on specific topics relating to equal opportunities. The Vice-Rector would like to initiate a survey on equal opportunities and diversity monitoring as a good basis for strengthening equal opportunities and deriving actions. Furthermore, the results of the week are currently being combined and analyzed with those of the Senate workshop in April. Finally, all members of the university are called upon to contribute their ideas and needs for action for equal opportunities and diversity in studying and teaching and to send suggestions directly and informally to the Vice-Rectorate for Education and International Affairs or to the entire Rectorate.
Many thanks to the lecturers Miriam Meyer and Annika Thomas, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Gerhard Weber, Dr. Monique Ritter, Sophie Ulbrich, Prof. Dr. Janina M. Vernal Schmidt, Diana Hillebrand-Ludin and Dr. Stefanie Dreiack, Janna Burr and Julia Lochner, deputy professor Dr. Julia Gabler, Dr. Steffi Nothnagel and Robert Viertel for their important technical contributions.
The Vice-Rector, Professor Keil, would like to thank her entire organizational team of Daniel Winkler, Robert Viertel, Nikola Owad and Celina Adolph. Also Carolin Renner for the moderation, Jens Freudenberg for the photography and Andi Zgraja for the video documentation.
Finally, we would like to say a special thank you to everyone who took part in the Equal Opportunities Week and look forward to further lively discussions on these topics.
