Lectureship in Saarbrücken at the HTW University for Technology and Economics

From summer semester 2007 up to and including summer semester 2012, I had a teaching assignment for five years at the HTW University of Applied Sciences in Saarland in the Business Administration course. At the chair of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Appel, I was responsible for the module "Fundamentals of Human Resource Management - Human Resource Psychology".

Here, students learn basic psychological explanations of human behaviour in the working world. In addition, they learn how these principles can be applied in the design of sustainable interpersonal relationships in management situations and in the promotion and development of employees.

The practical relevance of this event is particularly important to me. Therefore, every semester I invite interesting managers from companies that I know personally. For example, I was able to persuade the managing director of a medium-sized company to talk about the challenges of personnel work in a family business. The personnel manager of a large company in the electrical industry talked about the emotional consequences of a new remuneration framework agreement. A deputy facility manager was also able to give us a clear picture of the special features of personnel work in larger charitable institutions. Further presentations are already planned for the coming semesters.

Central contents of the module personnel management - personnel psychology:

• Knowledge of personnel psychology in a changed working environment
• Influence of personality on work behaviour
• Personnel psychology and management culture
• Motivational psychological aspects of leadership
• Job satisfaction and work-related stress
• Groups and teams in organizations
• Developmental psychological findings of employee development
• Learning and memory
• Personnel selection

The usual way of imparting knowledge was frontal teaching in the form of lectures and finally a written examination on the entire subject. In my opinion, it is a striking contradiction to teach students how learning and memory function psychologically on the one hand, but to present this knowledge to them in a less than ideal form on the other. Therefore I have revised these teaching and learning forms in close cooperation with Prof. Appel.

I have introduced group-oriented discussions in which each individual student has to make his or her own contribution, which is discussed by all the others together and graded by me. This has created a very lively learning situation, which has led to a significant growth in interest among all students. Last but not least, this changed situation was also taken into account in an amendment to the examination regulations.