New Academic Director for Media Technology

The Department of Media and Digital Technologies of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences is reshaping the management of the degree programme Media Technology. Kerstin Blumenstein, UAS lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies, will take over the degree programme from 15 February.

Alois Frotschnig, who has headed the degree programme for 18 years, was appointed Chairperson of the UAS Board last year, and will therefore hand over the position to his colleague of many years. The bachelor programme in Media Technology is one of the largest study programmes at the St. Pölten UAS.

Well-positioned Degree Programme

 “I am delighted that we were able to win Kerstin Blumenstein as Academic Director of the degree programme Media Technology. Her professional expertise, together with many years of experience in teaching and research at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, are the ideal prerequisites for taking over the degree programme,” says Gernot Kohl, Executive Director of the St. Pölten UAS.

“With 100 study places per year, the bachelor degree programme in Media Technology is one of our largest study programmes and a prime example of sound training in the media and communications industry. On this occasion, I would also like to thank Alois Frotschnig for his remarkable dedication. He will be handing over a degree programme that is extremely well-positioned within the higher education sector,” emphasises Kohl.

Franz Fidler, Head of the Department of Media and Digital Technologies, also congratulates on the new challenge: “With Kerstin Blumenstein, a proven expert in the field of teaching and research takes over this important position. A new perspective and additional diversity in management are excellent conditions for the department’s further development.”

Extensive Experience

Kerstin Blumenstein was also a student of Media Technology at the St. Pölten UAS in 2007, following a career in media design. After completing her master degree in Digital Media Technologies, Blumenstein stayed at the St. Pölten UAS as a researcher at the Institute of Creative\ Media/Technologies. In 2020, she earned her doctorate with distinction in the field of information visualisation and human-computer interaction.

 “The St. Pölten UAS’ degree programme in Media Technology enjoys an excellent reputation in the industry. I am all the more delighted to be able to take on this challenge and to contribute to further developing the degree programme,” says Kerstin Blumenstein.

Focus on Innovative Teaching

Blumenstein will place a special focus on integrating and further developing innovative teaching and learning models in the degree programme. “The current developments show us how important the production of media content is for a digitised society,” emphasises Blumenstein, who, among other things, has been working as an UAS lecturer for digital learning in recent years.

Since 2018, Blumenstein has also been supporting students in their professional development as a lab master in the innovative teaching model iLab. The teaching model, which was co-developed by her and Alois Frotschnig, was awarded the Ars Docendi in 2019 and sets standards in the fields of internationalisation@home, student centricity, and the teaching of future work skills.

Media Technology at the St. Pölten UAS

The bachelor degree programme offers universal and practical training in the audio and video sectors as well as in the field of interactive media. In addition to fundamental aspects of media technology, students acquire basic knowledge of computer science and programming, network engineering, and mathematics, which form the basis for more specialised subjects. Campus media, specialist laboratories and the media technology rental service with around 5,000 high-quality equipment items offer optimal teaching and learning opportunities.