For the development and implementation of innovative key competence modules in physics studies, Dr. Ivonne Möller from the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy was awarded the Ars Legendi Faculty Prize.
Making it easier for students to start their studies and preparing them better for the time afterwards - killing two birds with one stone, that's how the concepts "learning group management" and "project management" developed by Dr. Ivonne Möller can be summarized. More than 10 years ago, she established the module "Learning Group Leadership" for Bachelor students as a course coordinator of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, followed a little later by the module "Project Leadership" for Master students. For her work and commitment, she has now been awarded the Ars Legendi Faculty Award for her work and commitment. She was nominated by the student council of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy.
In the interview, Ivonne Möller talks about the structure and goal of the modules and reports on their successful implementation.
Ms. Möller, you received the Ars Legendi Faculty Award for two modules you developed for physics studies at RUB. What is special about these modules?
The core of both modules is the idea of "peer mentoring", i.e. the supervision of students by students. In the module "Learning Group Leadership", first-year Bachelor students are supervised and guided by second-year students in small learning groups while working on classroom assignments. The module "Project Management" combines master and bachelor students. The master students take over the leadership of a project group from our basic internship for bachelor students.
What motivated you to develop the modules?
My motivation was and is twofold. On the one hand, I strive to increase the study ability of our freshmen. There is a growing discrepancy between the level of competence of our freshmen and the requirements of physics studies. Through peer mentoring in the study groups, we have been able to improve parts of our freshman year and thus prevent student attrition. It is important to us that our first-year students are well supported and that we give them the feeling that they do not have to go through their studies alone.
On the other hand, I want to ensure that our graduates are qualified to start their careers at the end of their studies. We train our study group and project leaders and provide them with ongoing support. Through peer mentoring, they acquire subject-oriented key competencies such as teamwork, time management, presentation skills, and science communication skills.
Were there no offers for first-year students before?
Yes, of course. Before the introduction of the module "Learning Group Leadership" in the winter semester 2011/2012, there were classic exercise groups for our first-year students, which were led by research assistants and doctoral students. In the groups, problem solutions, also from the students themselves, were calculated in front of the group. This usually created an exam atmosphere in the groups instead of a supportive learning environment, which is naturally not conducive to motivation, especially at the beginning of studies. With the concept "Teaching by students, for students" we wanted to create a protected learning environment, reduce inhibitions and provide for better networking among the students. At the beginning, there were some concerned voices from the faculty who could not imagine that the learning group leaders from the second year of study would be competent enough. In fact, the first evaluation showed that some of the study group leaders were not able to respond adequately to professional inquiries. However, based on the continuous evaluations, we were able to successfully optimize the modules and continue to work on improvements.
With the Ars Legendi Faculty Award, the Donors' Association, the German Mathematical Society, the German Physical Society, the German Chemical Society and the Association Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine in Germany e.V. are this year for the tenth time honoring individuals who have distinguished themselves through special, innovative and exemplary achievements in teaching, advising or mentoring in their respective fields. The aim of the award is to create an incentive for teachers to become more involved in quality assurance in university teaching and to make this a central quality feature and strategic goal in university operations.
What does the training of the learning group leaders look like? Are there any specific requirements?
All learning group leaders in the second year of study must first pass the compulsory modules from the first year of study themselves, in which they then lead a learning group. At the beginning of the lecture period, we then start with a 1.5-day workshop in which we teach basic methodological skills in practical sections and the group leaders divide themselves into teams of two people. Each team then leads a learning group together. During the semester there are regular observations in the learning groups, and a weekly meeting is mandatory for all learning group leaders. The learning group leaders solve the tasks of the first-year students themselves in advance. This deepens their own knowledge and, in exchange with the other group leaders, possible hurdles and suitable methods for imparting knowledge can be identified in the meetings.
How do students respond to the concept of "teaching by students for students"?
Very positive! For example, a year-long evaluation for the module "Learning Group Leadership" has shown us over five semesters that both our first-year students and the learning group leaders find the format and the professional and temporal distance between the groups to be optimal. For both peer mentoring modules, I have developed my own evaluation tool with two colleagues within the framework of the federal-state program inSTUDIESplus, which provides us with extensive data every semester, on the basis of which we continue to develop the modules.
Do you have any other plans for the coming semesters to improve teaching in your department?
We are actually constantly engaged in improving our teaching. I work at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy in various functions that enable me to directly perceive the needs of our students. In addition to my work as program coordinator, I manage the examination office and, as a student advisor, I am the first point of contact for our master's students and doctoral candidates.
In addition, I work actively with all those involved in the Student Advisory Board and can often act as a mediator between students and lecturers. The close exchange with all people involved in teaching at the faculty is important to me and I am convinced that meaningful quality improvement only works in this exchange. Last year, for example, we launched another service through the Student Advisory Council to optimize the introductory phase of studies: our study network. Our new service is aimed at first-year students and is intended to provide them with low-threshold support in all aspects of their studies. To this end, we are training student scouts who will come into contact with first-year students through our already established study groups and a daily office hour. Our long-term goal will always be to offer all freshmen and students the best possible support for successful studies.