A pioneer of university didactics: Farewell to Matthias Wesseler

A pioneer of university didactics: Farewell to Matthias Wesseler

Witzenhausen, Deutschland - dr. Matthias Wesseler, born in 1941, will be remembered as an outstanding personality of university didactics. From 1975 to 2006 at the International Agricultural Economic Agriculture of the University of Kassel. During this time, he was passionate about reforming university pedagogy in order to meet the new challenges in society and the environment. Wesseler was particularly well known for his care, balance and tolerance. His teaching activity was always based on the needs of the students, which took into account the new requirements of university didactics.

Wesseler was significantly involved in the development of innovative university didactic approaches, which became part of the "University Staff Development Program" (Unistaffage), which he designed from 1994. This program, which was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), comprised over 300 university managers from Latin America, Africa and Asia, whereby he focused a special focus on Central America. He carried out the "Unicambio XXI" project from 2001 and gave numerous university didactic lectures and seminars worldwide. His commitment contributed to the positive perception of "Witzenhausen" at universities in the global south.

university didactics as a central topic

The university didactics deal with theoretical and practical questions of teaching and learning at universities. It combines the micro level of teaching with the organizational and political-social level and sees itself in an interdisciplinary context. The combination of various disciplines-including educational science, neurological and psychological teaching-learning research-is the critical examination of study content and its reform. A central element of university didactics is the focus on high-quality university teaching ( wb-erwachsenenbildung.net ).

Wesseler was not only active in an international context, but also involved in internal teaching reforms in the department, especially as part of the "Modeling Experiments in the University Area of ​​Ecological Agriculture" from 1995 to 1999. During this time, university didactics in Germany were on the up of the up, in particular by reforming the Bologna process and the progressive modularization of the courses.

a legacy for university teaching

The topics of his term included the introduction of new English -language master's programs and the employment of the students over many years with the "ecology of the mind". His efforts not only contributed to the qualitative improvement of university teaching, but also to reflect on the design of study conditions and to promote a positive learning environment. The university didactics have developed from a discipline that is often considered marginalized into an interdisciplinary subject with growing influence.

The University of Kassel loses a valued teacher and scientist with Matthias Wesseler, whose achievements will continue to remain in the future. His work has not only enriched the university didactics, but also the way in which teaching and learning is carried out at universities. Many other developments in the universityaire are closely linked to Wesseler's visionary thinking, whereby the focus was always on improving teaching and learning quality ( wikipedia ).