The Best Teaching Awards comprise three categories:

1. Best Teacher Award 

This award honors exceptionally committed TU Wien lecturers who provide outstanding teaching and foster a conductive learning environment with and for the students.

The nomination evaluates the overall commitment of the lecturer, taking into account their contributions beyond one particular lecture. 

2. Best Lecture Award

This award honors exceptional lectures delivered by either a team of lecturers or an individual lecturer. This category emphasizes lectures that have left a positive impression on students, whether through innovative teaching concepts, effective delivery methods, or the use of media and tools.

The highest-ranked nominated courses will be invited to provide comprehensive descriptions of their course concepts. The winner(s) will be selected based on these descriptions.

3. Best Gender-Sensitive Teaching Award

This category acknowledges courses that are designed to strongly emphasize gender sensitivity, for example by:

• employing gender-sensitive communication by using inclusive language
• actively combating discrimination and stereotypes
• integrating gender-related aspects when appropriate.

It is possible to submit a self-nomination for this award. As with the "Best Lecture Award", the highest-ranked nominated courses will be invited to provide comprehensive descriptions of their course concepts.The winner(s) will be selected based on these descriptions.

Who can be nominated? 

• Best Teacher Award: All TUW lecturers who taught courses in the 2023/24 academic year (winter semester 2023/24 and summer semester 2024) can be nominated for the Best Teacher Award. Teachers who won the prize in 2023 cannot be nominated again in 2024.
• Best Lecture Award and Best Gender-Sensitive Teaching Award: Lectures held in the 2023/24 academic year can be nominated for the Best Lecture Award and Best Gender-Sensitive Teaching Award. Lectures that were awarded in 2023 as well as those that start after the end of the nomination phase cannot be nominated in 2024. Self-nomination is only possible for the "Best Gender-Sensitive Teaching Award".

Who may nominate? 

All students and members of TU Wien are encouraged to nominate teachers and lectures that have left a particularly positive impression on them. Three votes can be cast per person - one per category.

While students have the most direct experience with teaching, the Rectorate recognizes the importance of obtaining diverse perspectives on teaching at TU Wien. Therefore, all members of TU Wien are given the opportunity to nominate lecturers who, in their view, demonstrate exceptional dedication to teaching.

How does the nomination process work in 2024?

The nomination can be submitted from 15 April to 15 May, 2024 after logging in via TISS, opens an external URL in a new window. 

Nominations consist of both a free text field and a scoring system.

In the free text field, nominators describe the teacher's distinctive qualities, supported by at least two examples. Creative and concise explanations are encouraged, as they may be presented at the award ceremony on October 3, 2024.

The scoring system consists of eight categories (Best Teacher Award and Best Lecture Award) , that is four categories (Best Gender-Sensitive Teaching Award), assessing various aspects of exceptional teaching. Up to ten points can be allocated per category. Each nomination submitted provides a profile of individual strengths, which will be considered during the selection process.

Award winners are chosen based on their individual strengths profile in conjunction with the number of nominations they receive. The number of nominations is adjusted relative to the size of the course(s) conducted, ensuring equal opportunities for all courses, whether they are large lectures or seminars. The combined quantitative and qualitative assessments determine the winners in each category.

The award winners are chosen by a jury composed of experts from various filed, ensuring that all aspects of exceptional teaching are thoroughly considered:

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider - Rector of the TUW
• Mag.a iur. Dr.in iur. Jasmin Gründling-Riener - Vice Rector for Academic Affairs
• Dipl.-Ing.in Dr.in techn. Shabnam Tauböck - Center for Strategic Development in Education
• Christoph Brunner, MSc - Student Support
• ORin Mag.a rer.nat. Martina Schönerklee - Didactics in Higher Education
• Dipl.-Ing. Mag.rer.soc.oec. Dr.techn. Gergely Rakoczi - Digital Teaching and Learning
• Dipl.-Ing.in Ruth Strobl, BSc - Gender Competence
• Dinah Gaffal, B.A. MSc - Gender Competence
• Chair of the TU Wien Union of Students (HTU)

The award ceremony will be held in a festive setting at TU Wien.

Each prize is endowed with EUR 5,000 and can be utilized by the winners in accordance with the applicable guidelines to support teaching activities. This may include hiring tutors or teaching assistants, purchasing teaching materials or improving infrastructure, pursuing personal development or attending conferences related to their field, or supporting their own staff in these areas.

Nominations can be carried out via TISS, opens an external URL in a new window: 

April 15, 2024 until May 15, 2024

The award ceremony will take place on:

Thursday, October 3, 2024 at Kuppelsaal.

The Best Teaching Awards trophy is "made by and for TUW": the "owl" was designed and produced at TUW:

• Design: Dr. Shabnam Tauböck (Center for Strategic Development in Education) 
• 3-D-printing in BronzeFill material: Projektass. Dipl.-Ing.Arko Steinwender (Institute of Management Science) 
• Plinth, cast in concrete: Senior Scientist Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.Johannes Kirnbauer (Research Division of Building Materials, Material Technology and Fire Safety Science) 

This year, the pedestals are constructed from cement with a notably low clinker content, resulting in a reduced Global Warming Potential (GWP), a measure of the material's CO2 footprint. Additionally, biochar (such as charcoal or coal from grain husks) is incorporated. Biochar possesses a negative GWP, effectively offsetting the CO2 footprint.

Watch this video, opens an external URL in a new window to see how the trophy was produced.