Teaching at the KU: Committed education

“The scientific-academic search for knowledge contributes to the formation of a responsible personality. Taking this further, for us at the KU, committed education also means taking up or anticipating social developments in research and teaching and discussing the resulting findings with society, business, politics and the church, and contributing to them in a fruitful way. Our focus is on the challenges and opportunities of diversity and inclusion as well as on a human-centered design of digitalization and the commitment to sustainability. Studies and teaching at the KU thus aim at a socio-culturally, ecologically and economically fair and sustainable development of society.”- Extract from the Mission Statement for Studies and Teaching

 

Examples of good practice

[Translate to Englisch:] Teilnehmer des Aktionslernprogramms im Schwerpunkt "Entrepreneurship und Innovation"

Better access to medications in Ghana, locally produced hygiene products from Rwanda and better sales channels for small farmers in the region, as well as an online education platform for young people in South Africa – ideas like these from African social entrepreneurs are accompanying students of the Ingolstadt School of Management at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. The action learning program that is implemented in collaboration with the Bayer Foundation is an integral part of the "Entrepreneurship and Innovation" specialization in the Master's degree program in Business Administration.

"The students are expected to evaluate the business models of the start-ups and identify room for improvement", explains Prof. Dr. André Habisch, who coordinates this study specialization. The African partner companies are founders whose business purpose serves the United Nations' sustainability goals in a special way and have been awarded the title of "Social Impact Start-up" by the Bayer Cares Foundation for this. In the project, KU students are networked with these impressive personalities to develop new impulses for the business models together within two courses. Some of the students also choose to pursue the topics further in their final theses. In 2020, the association SISTAC e.V. that promotes social innovation through academic education honored selected Master's graduates for their innovative ideas for the first time.