The Bronze Sponge to Jan Ubøe
In the nominations this semester’s candidate was described as “a fantastic man” and “the world’s best lecturer”, and the lecturer's genuine interest in the students and their development was emphasized by many.
Jan Ubøe the first Excellent Teacher Practitioner
“It is great to receive such recognition, and I feel it is a clear highlight of my career. Throughout my career, I have prioritised teaching, and talking with students is one of the things that gives me the most joy in life”, says Jan Ubøe. He is the first at NHH to have earned the status of Excellent Teacher Practitioner.
“The development of an outstanding learning environment is the highest priority at NHH, and it is therefore very gratifying that we have now appointed our first qualified teacher”, says Rector Øystein Thøgersen.
He points out that the requirements set for achieving this status are extensive, and that it is therefore extremely gratifying to congratulate Jan Ubøe on such a high status.
"Jan combines his philosophy and his thoughts on teaching and his practice in an exemplary way," the assessment committee writes. He scores high on all the criteria: focus on student learning, clear development over time, a research approach to teaching and a collegial attitude and practice.
It was the Academic Appointment Committee that decided to give Jan the status of Excellent Teacher Practitioner at the committee meeting on 15 June.
Focus on student learning
Jan focuses on the students' learning. Since he started teaching in the early 1980s, he has been a popular teacher among students, receiving good evaluations and giving a lot back to the students. He has a broad teaching experience from many institutions and with students at different levels. He has observed that students learn much more from working on specific problems than from just listening to a lecturer, and he has changed his teaching as a result of this observation.
In his first phase as a teacher, he was relatively traditional, with lectures as the central element of teaching. He is an example of a teacher who is developing, who has a reflected attitude to what students are actually learning and who is willing to change his practice as a result. Jan has a research approach to teaching.
The committee highlights Jan’s many insightful opinion pieces and contributions about teaching in newspapers and all his recordings on video where he shares his experiences and practices openly online. Jan has written a textbook that has been widely used, which also testifies to his ability to communicate his subject in a good and engaging way.
Jan has previously received the bachelor students’ teaching award the Bronze Sponge and NHH’s Award for Excellence in teaching.
The assessment committee
The members of the assessment committee have been:
• Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Linda Nøstbakken (head)
• External excellent teacher practitioner Øyvind Fiksen
• Student representative Jonas P. Ludvigsen
• Expert in pedagogy Arild Raaheim
The assessment committee emphasizes that there are many very skilled and dedicated educators among the applicants.
The qualification scheme for outstanding teachers
In February 2019, the Board approved a scheme for outstanding teachers at NHH. The scheme was announced for the first time with a deadline for applications on 1 September 2019. 13 applications were received.
The system for rewarding excellence in teaching is formalised in order to develop a collegial and professional teaching and learning culture and to systematically document and reward efforts to develop teaching. The system complements other arrangements at NHH to promote educational quality.
Jan Ubøe with new book
"I have spent a zillion hours on this book. I started working on it in February last year, and I've worked on it whenever I could until November", says Jan Ubøe about his textbook recently published by the international editors Springer.