Great success for the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

The Ars Docendi State Prize has been awarded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research since 2013 and honors the outstanding achievements of teachers at Austrian universities. The prize promotes innovations in university teaching and sets new standards in the areas of didactics, methodology and studyability. The award ceremony took place on September 10, 2024 at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.

The award-winning “SEED-Lab” project by Knappitsch and Zinenko focuses on sustainable and social entrepreneurship and offers students the opportunity to develop business models that are both economically successful and ecologically and socially responsible. The teaching project is closely aligned with the goals of the UN Sustainability Agenda (SDGs) and promotes active participation in the design of solutions to global challenges such as climate change and social inequality.

The practice-oriented approach of the “SEED-Lab”, which is carried out in collaboration with regional companies and start-ups, reflects the central importance that the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences attaches to its teaching. Students have the chance to develop their own sustainable business ideas and test them in a real-world context – a unique approach that combines entrepreneurial thinking with social responsibility.

Stefan Dreisiebner also impressed with his course “Intercultural Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence”, which enables students to work on current topics relating to artificial intelligence in an international and intercultural context. The event takes place as part of a Virtual Exchange in which students from several countries, including Germany, India and the USA, work together. This innovative form of teaching promotes intercultural learning and collaboration across borders.

The awards are in direct line with the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences’ Strategy 2030, which particularly emphasizes the areas of methodology and didactics. The focus is on the continuous development of teaching and learning methods that enable practice-oriented and interdisciplinary work. In this way, the “SEED-Lab” contributes to promoting students’ sustainability skills and combines this with entrepreneurial practice. Dreisiebner’s innovative approach to international collaboration in virtual teaching environments also reflects the efforts of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences to offer students the most modern teaching methods and to optimally prepare them for global challenges.

“The awards our teachers receive are confirmation of our strategic orientation, which focuses on excellent teaching and future-oriented study formats,” emphasized Peter Granig, Rector of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. “We are proud that our commitment to innovation in teaching and international orientation are being recognized nationally.”