Lars Christian Bruno wins BI’s best teacher award

"Lars Christian’s strongest quality is his ability to simplify and break down his subjects, by using relevant and interesting examples that the students can relate to. He is thorough, structured, and someone who manages to combine a solid academic understanding with equally good communication in the classroom," says Chris William Grostøl, BISO President at BI’s campus in Stavanger. 

According to the jury, the students also praise Bruno for always being well prepared and giving good feedback, in addition to making his students feel comfortable asking questions and contacting him outside of lectures. 

"It is a great feeling to receive this recognition from the students and I consider it a confirmation that the work I have put in over time is appreciated," says the winner himself. 

Inspired by good and bad lecturers

The popular lecturer at BI’s campus in Stavanger believes his teaching philosophy is quite simple. Based on his own experiences as a student, he made a list of what his worst and best lecturers had done in the classroom.  

"As a lecturer, I have tried to avoid what the bad lecturers did and emphasize what the best ones were doing. Of course, with experience, I have modified this, but I have always tried to stay within those criteria," says Bruno.

Inside the classroom, he has never been afraid to make unpopular choices. 

"The aim has always been to focus on what supports the students’ learning the most. Not necessarily the things that would make me the most popular, although that would have been easier, but then I would not be doing my job. The most important thing is that people learn something," says Bruno.

Difficult subjects are easier

The math-oriented courses that Bruno teaches are traditionally viewed among the more heavy and difficult subjects taught at a business school. BI’s best teacher in 2023 does not necessarily agree with that description.

"In many ways it is easier, since I myself am very comfortable with these subjects. My job is to translate economic and academic terms, and with math-oriented courses, it is always easy to come up with new examples and analogies," the lecturer explains. 

He finds that many students struggle to understand certain financial terms. To counter this, Bruno works a lot with creating analogies and examples based on things that the students encounter in their everyday life.

"I also try to speak for a maximum of 20 minutes straight. When that happens, I will rather give them a task, so they get a break from me while simultaneously having to think for themselves. At some point, there are limits for how long people can pay attention to what you are saying."

"Great learning moments"

Bendik Meling Samuelsen, BI’s Provost for Academic Programmes, congratulates Bruno on a well-deserved award and also commends BISO for their choice. 

"The best schools depend on having the best lecturers. Lars Christian is an excellent example of a lecturer who, through creating great learning moments in the classroom, is able to motivate his students to achieve good results. We are proud colleagues and very happy on his behalf," says Samuelsen.