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Studying and Teaching

“Listen to your inner voice”

What does it mean to study successfully? UZH teaching staff and students will discuss this question on this year’s “Tag der Lehre” on 1 November. Read on to find out how 2024 Teaching Award winner Marc Thommen fosters interaction in his courses and why curiosity and enthusiasm are the best guiding lights to get students through their studies.
Interview: David Werner; English translation by Philip Isler

Law professor Marc Thommen on his award of the Teaching Prize 2024 (Video in German).

Marc Thommen, students face a great number of decisions in their time at university. What can help them with these decisions?
Marc Thommen: I’m convinced that students will get the most out of their studies if they listen to their inner voice and let their enthusiasm and curiosity guide them. 

What does this mean for you as an instructor?
In my lectures and seminars, I try to spark enthusiasm so that students critically and productively engage with the content of the course.

How do you do this?
I show students what it means to get to the bottom of things and see them from different perspectives. I include students in discussions and engage them in dialogue.

Could you give us an example?
A few years ago, the Swiss Federal Court ruled that hiking in the nude is a criminal offence. That’s something you can accept as a fact and store away in your memory. But it gets more interesting when you start to think about it more deeply and discuss whether there might have been other, more sensible solutions, or whether violating public decency can be considered a crime in the first place. It’s important to me that students practice challenging things. That’s why in my courses, I give them an opportunity to voice their opinions.

What kind of student were you? Were you also guided by your interests?
When I was new to university, it seemed as if a career as a corporate lawyer, management consultant or expert in stock corporation law was all mapped out in front of me. After a while, I noticed that I took an interest in areas of the law that I had previously had no clue about – the philosophy of law and criminal law, for example. At first, I was unsure whether I should explore these topics, or be pragmatic and work towards my career plans. Ultimately, the inspiring lectures held by my criminal law professor were the main reason why I decided to pursue my interests and my intrigue.
 

The experiences that students make in each of their courses shape their overall attitude towards studying.

Marc Thommen

The focus of this year’s “Tag der Lehre” is on Shaping Student Journeys. How can you as an instructor help students get the most out of their time at university?
I can only give individual advice to advanced students when they write a longer paper in one of my courses. I mostly meet first-year students in my introductory courses, where there are between 400 and 600 participants. It’s not possible for me to support each of these students individually and guide them through their studies. And I also don’t want to talk down to them and tell them how they ought to go about their studies. I do believe, however, that the way we instructors teach our courses plays a part in how students approach their studies.

Could you elaborate?
The experiences that students make in each of their courses shape their overall attitude towards studying. A monologue-based teaching style pushes them into a passive role. If, on the other hand, they make a positive experience with being actively involved in a lecture, they’ll also be encouraged to actively engage in other lectures or practical courses. In the end, positive experiences like these can help students to pursue their studies with more confidence in general and to use the freedom to shape things in a responsible way.

So it’s not just about imparting knowledge in the most appealing and effective way possible?
That too, of course. But our courses aren’t just about loading knowledge into students’ brains.

Which skills do you promote through your dialogue-based lectures?
Lectures based on dialogue promote independent, critical thinking and communicative skills. In the age of digital transformation, students need to be able to put things into a broader context and reflect on them from different perspectives. Reproduction skills such as storing and reproducing knowledge, on the other hand, are becoming less important. Today, AI bots can perform certain tasks faster and better than we do, such as drafting a rental agreement or writing an objection. Well-trained legal experts are expected to be able to critically analyze the facts, make sound judgments, argue sensibly and negotiate creative solutions.

Enthusiasm about what you do is the basis for intrinsic motivation.

Marc Thommen

The first year of studying law is considered particularly challenging. How do you support students in this phase?
I try to create a positive atmosphere in my introductory lectures and in this way boost the students’ perseverance in this challenging phase. I show them how exciting and how much fun it can be to delve into tricky questions. Many challenges are easier to tackle if you approach them with a relaxed attitude and a sense of humor. Enthusiasm about what you do is the basis for intrinsic motivation.

As an instructor, in what way do serve as a role model?
Students have an unmistakable sense of whether instructors are genuinely passionate about their subject and about teaching, or whether they’re simply going through the motions. I can only tickle students’ intrinsic motivation if I myself am motivated and can convey this in an authentic way. Falling into a routine would be disastrous, which is why I keep trying out new things in the classroom.

How do you manage to make large lectures with up to 600 students interactive and engaging?
It’s very important to have an environment in which students aren’t afraid to take part. I often tell students that it’s less about “right” or “wrong” than it is about exploring different views and arguments in a critical and reflective way. Playful elements also make students more likely to participate, such as “Carl”, the throwable cube-shaped microphone that we pass to each other in the lecture hall. It keeps things dynamic. I also use a variety of teaching materials, as not all students process information in the same way. Some people learn better by reading and writing, while others prefer listening or using images or videos.

There’s nowhere else I can have a greater impact as a professor than in the classroom.

Marc Thommen

How much effort does it take to make teaching so varied?
It takes a lot of effort.

Is all that effort worth it?
It is, absolutely. There’s nowhere else I can have a greater impact as a professor than in the classroom.

Do you yourself also benefit from investing so much time and energy in teaching?
Yes, of course! Working with enthusiastic young people is a privilege. Most students are very committed and want to make the most of their studies. The notion that students today are minimalists who are only interested in collecting ECTS points simply isn’t true. And there’s another advantage: I never have any problems finding gifted young people for my team. 

Are there any particular methodological approaches that you would recommend to other members of the teaching staff?
I don’t give recommendations. I’m curious to hear about which teaching tools they use in their courses. It’s incredible how many possibilities there are to mix things up in the classroom. A colleague of mine plays music before their lectures to improve the mood. Another instructor gets students to engage in quiz battles with each other, and I also know someone who cooks with their students.  Exchanging ideas with my peers is an invaluable source of inspiration for me.