Strategic Leadership in Teacher Education: University of Münster Shortlisted for Excellence

With its proposal “Situated learning, professional action—A scalable model for excellent teacher education,” the University of Münster is one of six finalists for the Excellence in Teacher Education Award. The €100,000 prize is being presented for the first time this year by Stifterverband and the TÜV SÜD Foundation as part of the Zukunftsmission Bildung (“Future Mission: Education”) program.

The award honors universities that treat teacher education not as a niche activity but as a strategically anchored, cross-cutting priority spanning teaching, research, and knowledge transfer.

From the outset, the application was led by the Vice President for Teaching and Learning (Prof. Dr. Ulrike Weyland) and coordinated by the Future Lab. In close collaboration with the Center for Teacher Education, students, experts from diverse academic disciplines, subject didactics, and the educational sciences, as well as central administration and partner institutions, the team developed a concept that both showcases the breadth and quality of teacher education at Münster and targets its sustainable advancement.

Strategic Development of Teaching and Learning in Focus

In addition to research strategy initiatives, the Zukunftslabor is increasingly coordinating projects in teaching and learning, also with an eye to systematically strengthening these areas through targeted third-party funding.

A current example is the university-wide proposal under the “Die Welt ist mein Campus” funding line of the Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre (Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching). The call aims to empower students as future leaders. Here, too, the Future Lab—working closely with the Vice President for Teaching and Learning—brings together expertise from across the university to craft a compelling, forward-looking project outline.

Award Ceremony on November 20 in Berlin

The winner will be selected during a public jury session on
📅 Thursday, November 20, 2025
📍 Quadriga Forum, Berlin

Want to attend in person? Register here

The University of Münster joins the Universities of Erfurt, Hannover, Potsdam, and Tübingen, as well as the Schleswig-Holstein Alliance for Teacher Education, in the final round.