Teaching at Jacobs University

Jacobs Philosophy

Jacobs University’s commitment to excellence and diversity is reflected in our teaching philosophy. Jacobs’ instructors are supported in helping students to thoroughly understand their subject, and in providing them with state-of-the-art information in their academic field. Jacobs’ classroom instruction policies encourage interactive classroom participation, making full use of the diverse backgrounds and the interdisciplinary experience of students. The teaching at Jacobs aims not only to develop academic competencies, but also puts an emphasis on key qualifications and tries to strengthen the students’ abilities in critically questioning information and flexibly applying their knowledge to changing situations.

To guarantee our high standard of teaching, students are asked to evaluate their courses and instructors in a university-wide evaluation towards the end of each semester. Many instructors additionally choose to ask for a mid-semester evaluation for further improvement.

Teaching Evaluations

Since the beginning of teaching in fall 2001 all academic courses at Jacobs University – i.e., courses in the School of Engineering and Science, courses in the School of Humanities and Social Science, University Study Courses and Language courses – are evaluated by students in the Jacobs University Teaching Evaluation.

The Teaching Evaluation at Jacobs University is supervised by a University committee. The committee is composed out of members of the administration, faculty and student body. The committee is reporting directly to the Academic Council.

Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT) Special Offer for Jacobs

In cooperation with Tufts University, we are happy to offer our junior teaching staff an opportunity to be admitted to the Graduate Institute for Teaching (GIFT)  for a summer program.  The summer school on pedagogics conducted by GIFT lasts 15 days from May through mid-June and consists of the following workshops:

• Syllabus and Course Design;
• Lesson Planning;
• Presentation skills;
• Engaging and motivating students;
• Leading group discussions, lab sections, and class projects;
• Teaching with Technology;
• Teaching Science;
• Assessing, Testing and Grading Learning Outcomes;
• Teacher-Student Relationships.

Tufts University offers special conditions for two Jacobs University faculty members. Please have a look at respective page for more details: Academic Programs and Services (campusnet log in required).