Basic Qualification for Junior Staff - Foundations of Teaching in Higher Education (STEM Disciplines)

The workshop "Basic Qualification for Junior Staff - Foundations of Teaching in Higher Education" is designed to support staff new to teaching. The course is held in English language and addresses teaching-related issues and contexts specific to STEM disciplines (for example, teaching in the lab). The course introduces to practicalities of teaching at Vienna University, assists new teachers in planning their courses and offers a networking opportunity among peers.

 Who is the main audience?

A Basic Qualification course is mandatory for university assistants without doctorate (praedocs) if they teach in Higher Education for the first time. They have to attend the course before or during the first semester of teaching. If a person can prove prior experience in teaching in Higher Education, this obligation does not apply.

In addition, all interested teaching staff at the University of Vienna are invited to attend.

The "Basic Qualification for Junior Staff" was designed specifically for:

  • Teaching staff with little or no German skills
  • All teaching staff wishing to develop their skills in speaking about teaching in English and/or who intend to apply for international jobs in the future
  • All teaching staff who appreciate exchange with participants from international backgrounds

 Course Content and Learning Objectives

  • Developing a repertoire of teaching/learning methods appropriate for participants' disciplines (such as teaching in the laboratory, experimentation, math exercises etc.)
  • Introduction to online teaching/learning
  • Understanding principles of assessment in STEM courses
  • Phrasing learning objectives as competencies
  • Developing a teaching/learning concept (course design)
  • Knowing the fundamentals of study law
  • Reflection upon the role as a teacher in Higher Education
  • Introduction to interdependencies between curriculum, module plan and course plan

Course format

The basic qualification course take place in a blended-learning format including both face-to-face meetings and digital elements including a video conference as well as asynchronous online activities and independent learning.

 

Immediately after the workshop, you will write a short teaching concept, in which you will apply what you have learned to your own teaching context. The total workload for the workshop is about 18-20 hours on average, depending on your prior knowledge and individual engagement.

 Course Facilitator

The English-language courses for new teachers from STEM disciplines will be facilitated by Dr. Ivan Yudushkin.

 Dates for the summer semester 2025

Each Basic Qualification workshop consists of two face-to-face sessions and one online session. These are the dates for the summer semester 2025:

  • February 2025:

    Friday, 21 February, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (face-to-face),
    Monday, 24 February, 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. (online)
    and Friday, 28 February, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (face-to-face)
    Click here to register
  • May 2025:

    Wednesday, 7 May, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (face-to-face),
    Friday, 09 May, 2:00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. (online)
    and Friday, 16 May, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (face-to-face)
    Please register via u:rise (see information below)

  • June 2025:

    Monday, 02 June, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (face-to-face),
    Thursday, 05 June, 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. (online)
    and Tuesday, 10 June, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (face-to-face)
    Please register via u:rise (see information below)

 Location

Face-to-face meetings will take place at the following address:

Center for Teaching and Learning, Universitätsstraße 5 (3rd floor), 1010 Wien.­

For the video conference, please follow the link on the Moodle course site.

 Contact