T4EU Awards Recognised Academic and Non-Academic Staff

Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), member and current president of the Transform4Europe Alliance, hosted the award ceremony for innovative teaching and, for the first time, non-academic staff. The awards recognised the most innovative practices introduced by the employees of the Alliance’s universities.

The contest has been organised by VMU and its partners for several years, and the number of applications has been steadily growing. According to the organisers, employees gladly share their best practices. This year introduced an expansion of award categories: from now on, non-academic staff will also be awarded.

The work of teachers is more visible and better appreciated

This year, the T4EU Innovative Teaching Award has been awarded to four teachers of the Alliance’s universities. Jane Duarte, Assistant Professor from the Faculty of Human Sciences at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal), received recognition for the innovation “Journalist meets Translator in the EFL/ Translation classroom” in the category “Digital learning technologies”.

“The secret is keeping things simple and tapping into students’ personal interests— what makes them tick. When learning feels personal and relevant, engagement reaches new heights”, Duarte notes, pointing out one of the keys to the innovation’s success. She encourages students to share ideas and perspectives, thus creating a culture of accountability: students aren’t just learning for themselves but also contributing constructively to others’ learning processes.

The winner in the category “The growth of students’ entrepreneurial mindset” was Dr. Cornelia Gerhardt from Saarland University (Germany), for the teaching innovation “A Transfer Project for Students of English: Developing a Digital Self-Learning Course for Non-German Speaking Members of Saarland University (and Beyond) to Start a Business in Saarland”.

“I want teaching to become more visible so that our efforts are recognised and the fact that our jobs are not all about research and publications”, she explains her motivation to participate in the competition, adding that the project’s success owes a lot to collaboration with colleagues from other university departments.

Teaching is a gift: filling students’ eyes with inspiration and desire to learn more

In the category of “Active teaching methods”, two awards were handed out. The first one was awarded to Assoc. Prof. Boryanac Pelova from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria) for the innovation “GOALS for Future-Ready Professionals: A Transformative Learning Model”.

“I still remember the feeling after my first university class with students. When the lesson was over, I noticed the change in their eyes. They were full of inspiration and keen to learn more. I think that since then, the secret ingredient has always been the same—this very feeling. Teaching is a gift that needs your time and dedication”, Assoc. Prof. Pelova is certain. In her view, participation in contests like this one helps one stay focused and want to improve.

The second award in this category went to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Karmen Drljić from the University of Primorska (Slovenia) for the teaching innovation “STORYTELLING – (Self-)Advocacy for People with Disabilities”.

“I had always been of the opinion that storytelling had great potential as a teaching practice, and I felt that I needed to develop it further. I was very fortunate to have a good friend and colleague who recognised its potential and suggested that I enter the T4EU Award competition”, explains Assoc. Prof. Dr. Drljić, revealing that in her case the secret ingredient of success was inspiration: she was inspired by an NGO in Detroit that encouraged people to share stories about the city and by the touching personal stories collected in Alice Wong’s book Disability Visibility.

It takes hard work, patience, and perseverance

For the first time, awards were also presented to non-academic staff of the Alliance’s universities. In the category “Social transformation solution/initiative”, the chosen winner was Miglė Janušauskaitė, Vytautas Magnus University’s (VMU, Lithuania) Disability Coordinator, for the initiative “VMU Disability Policy with the integration of NeSIS system (digital identification system for students with disabilities, individual needs, identification of needs for study process adjustment) tool”.

“My team have worked hard making a contribution to VMU’s inclusive and innovative solution to the process of identifying the needs of persons with disabilities. The work of non-academic staff is usually less visible, so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the team for creating such an effective system”, Janušauskaitė says, thanking her colleagues and noting that VMU is a socially responsible university that follows a human rights-based model of disability and implements the disability policy ‘University of Inclusive Opportunities’.

Two awards were presented in the category “Solution/initiative that has created a breakthrough within the institution”. The first recipient was Dr Birgit Michel-Dittgen, Head of Personnel Development at the Human Resources Department of Saarland University (Germany), who was recognized for the initiative “Towards a Respectful, Health-oriented and Sustainable Organizational Culture: Implementing a Comprehensive Positive Leadership and Teamwork Approach at Saarland University”.

“One “secret ingredient” to the successful implementation of our approach is surely not that secret in higher education: It’s patience and perseverance combined with accepting the risk of failing. The development of leadership and organizational culture are “slow burners”; they take a long time and a lot of effort to cause visible and sustainable effects“, points out Dr. Michel-Dittgen, appreciating that the T4EU awards acknowledge the contributions of all employees to the higher education institution’s success and the thriving of society.

Another winner in this category was Ana Ortigão Sampaio, Human Resources Director at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal), for the initiative “Our Católica: a new way of working and connecting”.

“Never give up. If you truly believe in the initiative you’re pursuing and others agree it can benefit the community, don’t let obstacles steer you away from your path. [Also,] don’t just respond to what people say they want—take the time to understand their true needs and go deeper in meeting their expectations”, Sampaio shares some advice.

The Transform4Europe Innovative Teaching Awards and Non-Academic Staff Awards, established by VMU and their Alliance partners, recognise the teachers and non-academic staff of the Alliance whose initiatives contribute to significant changes in higher education. The award categories are in line with the T4EU Alliance’s main horizontal focus areas: Digital transformation and smart regions; Social transformation, community building, and inclusion; and Environmental transformation and sustainability. Each winner receives a prize of €2,500.

The award ceremony was held during the international conference Enhancing Professional Excellence: Synergy of Academic and Non-Academic Staff (PROF-SYNERGY), which was hosted by Vytautas Magnus University.