/ Jana Winkler
Janoah Hartmann receives Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching
Winners and shortlisted candidates of the Teaching Excellence Awards 2025. from left to right: Vice-Rector Teaching Prof. Dr. Thomas Grob, Dr. Christiane Büttner, Andreas Maurer, Prof. Dr. Daniel Ricklin, Prof. Dr. Nadine Amsler, MA Audric Wannaz, Prof. Dr. Andrea Gabriele Hofmann, Dr. Matthias Müller Krähenbühl, Janoah Hartmann, Dr. Daniel Höhmann, Dr. Julia Büchele, Robin Legendre, Dr. Thomas Zehrt, Prof. Dr. Mirka Henninger, University Didactics staff member Dr. Dominik Marti (Photo: Maria Patzschke, © University of Basel).
The University of Basel presents the Teaching Excellence Awards annually to promote discussion and reflection on high-quality teaching and learning.
In the categories Inspiring Teaching, Strong Foundations, Collaboration and Interaction, Supporting Learning (Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching) and Service to Teaching, members of the university community – including lecturers, teaching assistants, students, and staff – can be nominated and selected, depending on the category.
This year, Janoah Hartmann, a mathematics undergraduate at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has been awarded the Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching. Alongside his bachelor’s studies, he works as a teaching assistant in the course Mathematics II for Natural Sciences. Preparing the tutorials is demanding, he says, but: «You get a lot back, and the boost is huge when you teach successfully.» Janoah aspires to become a math teacher one day. He is drawn to mathematics for its logical clarity: «I like the absolute logic and the fact that in mathematics, everything is black or white.» But he also values the grey areas – in human interaction: «I want to create an atmosphere in my tutorials where everyone feels safe to ask questions.» He is particularly happy «when I can help someone reach an aha moment.» «Mathematics is the language of the natural sciences», adds Dr. Christine Zehrt, who teaches Mathematics II for Natural Sciences. A solid mathematical foundation is essential for students in fields such as chemistry, biology, or pharmacy.
All award winners, shortlisted candidates, and nominees can be found here (in German).