By Line Nyrup Odgaard, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: AAU. Illustration: Alberte Spork

“He creates a safe and engaging learning environment where questions and reflections naturally become part of the teaching. His ability to listen to feedback and translate it into practice makes students feel seen, heard, and taken seriously.”

Statements like these recur throughout the students’ nominations and clearly illustrate why Christoffer Koch Florczak receives the SAMF Lecturer of the Year Award at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (SSH).

As an Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Society, Christoffer Koch Florczak is praised for his broad knowledge and his ability to connect perspectives across disciplines, making his teaching dynamic and inspiring.

He sets high expectations, always paired with a sincere belief in the students’ ability to rise to the challenge. This fosters a strong academic culture characterized by respect and ambition. For the students, he is not only a lecturer but a role model who manages to inspire, challenge, and ignite a genuine enthusiasm for learning.

Preparing Students for the Complexity of the Real World

For Christoffer Koch Florczak, the award carries particular significance because it comes directly from the students.

“There are many dedicated lecturers at our faculty, so I am especially pleased that the students have chosen to recognise my efforts.”

For him, teaching is fundamentally about preparing students for the realities they will encounter — realities in which they make decisions that affect all of us.

“I see it as our responsibility to equip them to navigate a reality where they hold responsibility yet are constantly influenced by external information of varying quality.”

This is why he works with two clear goals in his teaching: students must be able to produce new knowledge, and they must be able to assess the quality of the knowledge they encounter.

As he often puts it: “How would you know if you were wrong?” The question serves as a methodological guiding principle, sharpening students’ critical thinking and supported by ambition, mutual respect, and clear communication.

Christoffer Koch Florczak primarily teaches method‑heavy courses —subjects he himself struggled with as a student, but which ultimately transformed his way of thinking. This makes it especially meaningful for him to follow students’ development as the methods begin to make sense in practice.

“It motivates me to see students go through the same development I experienced myself. When I hear that their knowledge work creates real value in practice, I know it matters — for them and for society,” he concludes.

With the SAMF Lecturer of the Year Award at SSH, Christoffer Koch Florczak now advances as a candidate for AAU Lecturer of the Year, which will be announced at the AAU Annual Celebration on 17 April 2026.