Ars Docendi Recognition Award for MCI

Federal Ministry Honors Professor Johannes Siebert’s Teaching Concept | Decision-Making Competence as an Explicit Learning Goal

Outstanding teaching at MCI: MCI Professor Johannes Siebert has received the Ars Docendi Recognition Award from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research for his teaching concept focused on the systematic development of decision-making competence. The award, presented in the category “Society- and Sustainability-Oriented Teaching,” was presented on September 8 in Vienna.

How to Make Sound Decisions

Johannes Siebert’s award-winning teaching concept, “From Expertise to Judgment: Developing Decision Competence Systematically”, is built around a central idea: decision-making competence should not be taken for granted, but deliberately and systematically developed.

Over the course of a semester, students work on real-world decision-making challenges from business, politics, and society – ranging from logistics strategies to sustainability- and technology-related issues. They identify objectives, develop possible courses of action, assess their economic, social, and environmental impacts, and use these insights to formulate a well-founded recommendation.

“Students should not learn to reproduce supposedly correct answers, but to make responsible decisions under conditions of uncertainty”, explains Professor Siebert. “Decision-making competence can be learned, assessed, and measured. This is not merely a pedagogical ambition – it can also be demonstrated through the data collected in the course.”

The teaching concept operationalizes a central learning goal at MCI. As part of the Assurance of Learning process reviewed by AACSB, Responsible Decision Making is one of the learning goals of MCI’s bachelor’s programs. The award-winning teaching concept itself is embedded in the curricula of six bachelor’s programs.

Julian Pfurtscheller, Chair of the MCI Student Union (ÖH MCI) and a former student of Siebert, reflects on the lasting impact of the course: “What I learned in this course is something I still apply today. I approach complex decisions differently than I did before – more systematically and with a much clearer understanding of what really matters to me.”

Recognition for Teaching and Research

The Ars Docendi Recognition Award adds to a series of international honors recognizing Siebert’s work. In addition to the award for his teaching concept, he received the Inspirational Achievement Award from the Society of Decision Professionals for his contributions to the advancement and application of decision analysis. His research has also been recognized with the Richard Price Award from the International Academy of Information Technology and Quantitative Management.

Siebert will soon receive further recognition for his teaching achievements as a whole: On September 24, the international higher education association CEEMAN will present him with the Champion Award in the category “Teacher of the Year 2026” in Bucharest.

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann congratulates Siebert: “The fact that Johannes Siebert has received national and international recognition for his research, teaching, and practical application within such a short period of time demonstrates that all three areas are driven by the same idea: empowering people to take responsibility for difficult decisions. This further strengthens MCI’s international visibility in a field that will continue to grow in importance.”