Excellent

At Mittweida University of Applied Sciences’ Teaching Day on 19 June, lecturers and students exchanged views and gathered ideas on what constitutes good academic teaching. It is also worth noting that good teaching depends on the people who provide organisational support and guidance to both students and lecturers, particularly at a university where the degree programmes are so practice-oriented and where distance learners are also well looked after. They are the kind souls who know their flock, the first port of call when someone needs to know how to do something, or the last hope should things ever go wrong. That is why Teaching Day is a fitting occasion for Mittweida University of Applied Sciences to present the award for excellence in student support.

This year, it goes to Nadine Friedewald. The 32-year-old is the heart and soul of the approximately one thousand students on the forensic science courses at the university. To give just one example: When it comes to work placements and final-year projects, she is the students’ direct point of contact, but also acts as the liaison with external partners such as companies and police authorities on precisely these matters. It is no coincidence, then, that Friedewald is also committed to organising numerous events that bring together forensic research and practice with students and the general public.

“Without her help, I wouldn’t have been able to graduate on time”, or “No matter what problem you have or what you don’t know about your studies, Ms Friedewald always knows the answer” – these are therefore by no means exaggerated arguments in favour of the nomination, which students put forward in these or similar terms. The student speaker, Maximilian Schulze, a member of the Faculty Council for the Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences – to which Ms Friedewald also belongs – adds: “Her prompt and straightforward communication, combined with her friendliness and willingness to help, has made her an indispensable link between students and lecturers. Whether it’s organisational matters, academic challenges or personal concerns, Ms Friedewald is always on hand to offer students advice and support.”

Professor Dirk Labudde, Dean of Studies, emphasised that his colleague not only supports students – including many distance-learning students on the IT Forensics/Cybercrime course who require a high level of support – but also acts as a supervisory body for the teaching staff. Nadine Friedewald’s award is something like an ‘Oscar for the coach’ – or rather, the female coach – a prize for those ‘who work behind the scenes and have to both spur on and rein in their team’.

The award winner herself was “completely taken aback” when, a few weeks ago, she learnt both of her nomination and the jury’s decision in the same phone call. More modest than her presenters, Friedewald said: “I absolutely love what I do, and I enjoy it immensely. I listen… try to ‘connect’ with the students and inform them about the key aspects of their degree programme.”

After all, she knows the degree programme from a student’s perspective too: after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology/Bioinformatics, she went on to complete a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology/Bioinformatics in Mittweida in 2016 and has been working at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences ever since.

An important aspect of the award winner’s work is showing students the wide range of career prospects available to them whilst they are still studying, for example by helping to organise the Forensics Evenings several times a semester. At these events, experts from the fields of forensics and cyber security talk about their day-to-day work.