Recognizing Excellence in Teaching: The Werner Jungwirth Teaching Award Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary—Five Recipients Honored
On October 10, 2025, the 10th anniversary of the Werner Jungwirth Teaching Award for Excellence in Distance Learning was celebrated as part of the FERNFH Alumni 10hoch10 Festival. Five awards were presented to courses that, through innovative and high-quality teaching methods and concepts, break down educational barriers in diverse and outstanding ways.
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Since 2015, the Werner Jungwirth Teaching Award for Excellence in Distance Learning has recognized innovative and high-quality distance learning courses. The award honors teaching formats that particularly align with FERNFH’s “Principles of Good Teaching,” with the goal of promoting modern and successful teaching and learning concepts.“The teaching award highlights what our instructors accomplish every day: They develop learning opportunities that reach people regardless of their life circumstances or educational background. This is not only a mark of quality but also part of our identity as a distance-learning university of applied sciences,”said Mag. (FH) Axel Jungwirth, MEng, AKKM, Managing Director of the Ferdinand Porsche FERNFH. In doing so, he emphasizes the importance of teaching quality in practice at universities.
Selection by a jury of experts
Following a nomination phase in the spring and subsequent jury meetings, a total of three Teaching Award winners and two Special Award winners were selected from among 160 nominations and 32 submissions. The jury consisted of experts in the fields of quality management and instructional systems design (e-learning), as well as student representatives, representatives from academic programs, and former award winners. In its evaluation, the jury based its decisions on all criteria of the principles of good teaching, supplemented by this year’s focus: breaking down educational barriers.
With this year’s anniversary edition of the Werner Jungwirth Teaching Award for Excellence in Distance Learning, the Ferdinand Porsche FERNFH underscores its role as a pioneer in digitally supported learning. FERNFH Dean Prof. (FH) DI Dr. Martin Staudinger, who also presided over the award ceremony, had this to say about the award-winning courses:“The award-winning courses demonstrate how pedagogical quality, digital innovation, and the removal of educational barriers can go hand in hand. They set the standard for how distance learning is conceived and practiced today.”His words underscore the high standards and strategic relevance of the award for the further development of digital higher education.
The Award-Winning Courses and Special Awards for 2025:
1st Place – “Workplace Health Promotion” by Mag. Dr. Lukas Küster:
This course covers key concepts in workplace health promotion —from fundamentals, project workflows, and certification criteria to age-appropriate work practices and preventive approaches. It stands out for its competency-based teaching and learning design, which emphasizes the application of theory to practice. It specifically takes into account diversity in prior knowledge, professional experience, and individual learning needs. Accessible materials and the incorporation of participants’ own professional contexts into group work are particularly distinctive features of the course format.
2nd Place – “Performance & Compensation Management” by Mag.a Sabine Indinger:
This course covers key topics in human resources management, such as compensation models, job evaluation, salary structures, pay equity, and current developments in compensation management. The pedagogical approach of this course encourages personal reflection, peer discussion, and in-depth analysis. Modular course materials, a variety of media, and inclusive language enable flexible learning and break down both structural and personal barriers to education.
3rd Place – “Demography & Epidemiology” by Lecturer (FH) Mag.ᵃ Sophie Psihoda, M.A.:
This course introduces key demographic and epidemiological concepts—ranging from population structures and processes to metrics, types of studies, prevention, and health policy. A complex topic is presented here in a didactically well-thought-out and well-structured manner. Custom-developed edu-games provide a playful approach. Very positive evaluations and feedback from students confirm the high quality of instruction.
Special Award – “Ab ins Ziel” byProf. (FH) MMag.a Tanja Adamcik, Mag.a Stefanie Kuso, andProf. (FH) Mag.a Barbara Prazak-Aram:
This extracurricular support course assists students in writing their thesis. It is available at any time and is supplemented by live sessions and ongoing development. It takes into account different learning styles and time requirements. Positive evaluations, rising graduation rates, and the reduction of educational barriers speak to the effectiveness of the program.
Special Award – “Jump into Accounting” by Nicole König, BA, MSc
This self-paced bridge course makes it easier to get started in managerial accounting, a subject often perceived as complex and intimidating. Positive evaluations and feedback, as well as its concrete contribution to breaking down educational barriers, underscore its effectiveness.
About the Ferdinand Porsche Distance Learning Program
The Ferdinand Porsche FERNFH is Austria’s first distance-learning university of applied sciences and was founded in 2006; it began offering programs in 2007. With innovative teaching and learning methods in the field of distance learning, FERNFH plays a pioneering role in blended learning and distance education. All six federally funded degree programs are accredited by AQ Austria, the Austrian Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation. The Ferdinand Porsche FERNFH charges the legally mandated tuition fees of 363.36 euros per semester, plus the ÖH membership fee. In addition, it offers master’s programs, academic courses, certificate programs, and approximately 39 micro-credentials. The FERNFH is a subsidiary of FernFH Management & Service GmbH.
For more information: www.fernfh.ac.at.
