Creating an interactive quantum world: Christina Jörg receives teaching award from RPTU

With the Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA), the RPTU honors teachers who show exceptional commitment to teaching, examination, counseling, and supervision. This year, junior professor and physicist Christina Jörg receives the award, which is endowed with 10,000 euros. She motivates students to actively engage with the quantum world, from their introduction to experimental quantum physics to their in-depth study of advanced photonics. At the same time, she develops innovative teaching concepts that more closely integrate theory and practice and promote interdisciplinary skills. The award will be presented to Christina Jörg by the Vice President for Teaching in Kaiserslautern, Dr. Stefan Löhrke, during the “Summer School Study and Teaching” on August 29, 2025.

Christina Jörg guides students academically from the origins of quantum physics to her own field of research, quantum simulation. “I am fascinated by quantum phenomena in solids. Since these are usually not directly accessible, my working group uses light structures as model systems, changes the experimental conditions, and observes the results. This allows us to mimic effects and discover new things—a possible first step toward technological application.”

Integrating research and teaching

Jörg uses new teaching formats to give students on the international master's program in Advanced Quantum Physics practical insights into research. In laboratory exercises accompanying lectures, students learn firsthand how theory and experiment intertwine. “There is always a specific topic, such as photonic crystals,” she explains. “The students create such model systems themselves and then measure them. In this way, they learn common research methods, deepen their knowledge, and prepare themselves optimally for their master's thesis and career entry.”

She recently received a Fulbright-Cottrell Award from the German-American Fulbright Commission for the further development of her practice-oriented teaching and learning concept. “Many international students who come to us have little laboratory experience. With this funding, I would like to consolidate our approach and involve other working groups. In addition, the joint laboratory exercises facilitate integration and promote exchange,” says Jörg.

Focus on active learning

It is particularly important to her to make knowledge transfer an active process. That is why she not only takes on the role of narrator, but also encourages her students to reflect—for example, by sprinkling quiz questions throughout her lectures and having them work on them in teams. “This way, students can immediately see whether they have understood the material,” Jörg emphasizes.

Methods such as the “inverted classroom” are also used: students learn the theoretical basics through self-study via video, and the classroom time is used for joint discussion. “This is particularly suitable for longer derivations, where it is easy to lose concentration as a passive listener.”

“Quantum physics seems unfamiliar, but it's everywhere”

The lecture “Experimental Quantum Physics,” which bachelor's students from various physics programs attend, works its way from the big picture to the small details in order to make it easier to get started with the subject matter: “How were electrons first made visible? How do we know that they are charged? How does this reveal the structure of atoms?” explains Jörg. "This is made tangible by experiments that my colleagues from the lecture collection have prepared very well. Because at first, quantum physics often seems strange and unfamiliar. But that's exactly where its appeal lies: it opens up a completely new view of the world. At the latest when we deduce that lasers only exist thanks to quantum physics or that they are found in smartphones, it becomes clear: quantum physics makes sense and makes our modern world possible in the first place." The teaching assistants, two of whom also received awards for their teaching achievements this year, also help students understand quantum physics.

Nominated by students

Jörg owes her nomination for the Distinguished Teaching Award in particular to her students. They give her top marks for her teaching. "Thanks to her thorough preparation and practical approach, Ms. Jörg conveys the subject matter very clearly, also in connection with other scientific subfields. She encourages active participation and independent learning even beyond the lecture hall. Based on a lecture survey she initiated and conducted herself, she also continuously adapted the lecture to the needs of the students from the very beginning," reads the nomination letter, among other things.

About the Distinguished Teaching Award

The Distinguished Teaching Award was established at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern in 2014 to recognize outstanding commitment and excellence in academic teaching. The award honors teachers who have distinguished themselves in the areas of teaching, examination, counseling, and student support. This commitment may relate to the design and implementation of innovative course elements (curricular elements) as well as the development and successful use of innovative teaching and learning materials (e.g., in the field of e-teaching). Other measures to improve the quality of studies and teaching, e.g., in the area of further development of courses and quality assurance, are also eligible for funding. The award comes with prize money of €10,000.

Press contact:
Hannelore König
Programmkoordination Hochschuldidaktik und Förderprogramme Lehre
Zentrum für Innovation und Digitalisierung in Studium und Lehre (ZIDiS)
Phone: 0631 205-5592
E-Mail: hannelore.koenig(at)rptu.de
www.rptu.de/s/summerschool