The instruments and procedures of quality management in studies and teaching can be divided into two levels. On the one hand, evaluations are created centrally for the study programmes, which they can use in the check phase of their quality cycles. On the other hand, quality reports are prepared by the departments and the university management on the basis of quality development and the implementation of measures in the Act phase of the PDCA cycle*. Based on a plan and/or target definition (P-Plan), the implementation phase (D-Do) follows; in the next step, the viability of the planning carried out is checked (C-Check) using the analyses of various procedures (feedback, key figures, evaluations), so that improvement or safeguarding measures can finally be implemented (A-Act).
The evaluations of the study programmes are divided into the evaluations based on regular surveys and the study programme monitoring based on student and examination statistics. The time schedule has been coordinated so that a study programme is evaluated at least once, but usually twice, within an accreditation cycle. The data monitors are made available annually (main evaluation) or every semester (quick evaluation). These instruments form one of the foundations for the regular review of study programmes at various levels, including the quality reports and development discussions between the university management and departments or joint committees. The quality reports and the results of the evaluations and study programme monitoring in turn form the basis for the study programme report as part of internal accreditation.
As part of the reorganisation, the Senate Committee Landau adopted new statutes for quality assurance and development in studies and teaching at the RPTU in Landau. The statutes regulate the principles of quality assurance and development at the RPTU in Landau.
Quality management system
The quality management system for academic programs and teaching at the University of Koblenz-Landau received system accreditation in August 2021. The system accreditation seal certifies that the quality management system for academic programs and teaching is capable of ensuring that the qualification objectives and quality standards of the degree programs themselves are met. The system accreditation is valid for a period of six years.
The quality of the academic programs is a shared concern at all levels of the university. The quality management system for studies and teaching at RPTU in Landau is based on the guiding principle of “Successful Study Process,” which was developed by the committees of the former University of Koblenz-Landau with the participation of all stakeholder groups.
Quality Reports from the Departments and Joint Committees
The quality reports are prepared every two years by the departments and by the joint committees for interdisciplinary degree programs and consist of two parts.
In the first part of the quality report—the report on the implementation of quality assurance and development—the departments and interdisciplinary degree programs demonstrate that the quality assurance for which they are responsible is ensured through completed quality cycles.
In the second part of the quality report—the statement on developments in academic programs and teaching—the department or the Joint Committee comments on the current situation and development of the degree programs, as reflected in the official reports from the Statistics and Reporting Office and the Degree Program Monitoring unit.
Based on the second part of the quality reports , the university administration, the deans’ offices of the departments, and the chairs of the joint committees hold biennial development meetings with the aim of developing and agreeing on joint development goals for the next two years. To emphasize the unity of research and teaching and to take a holistic approach to the quality management system, the development meetings will also cover developments in the area of research over the past two years.
Within the quality management system, the development meetings represent the formal link between the quality cycles of the departments and the university administration. They serve to ensure continued development even outside of the accreditation cycles.
All (partial) degree programs are regularly evaluated by the Center for Research Methods using standardized surveys throughout the student life cycle. As the smallest unit of quality assurance in academic studies and teaching, the course evaluation (LVE) focuses on individual courses (LV).
Course Evaluation
Course evaluations allow students to assess individual courses in terms of, among other things, structure, teaching methods, stimulating content, classroom atmosphere, relevance to real-world applications and practice, formal standards (e.g., room or group size), requirements (difficulty and scope), and an assessment of the workload.
Freshman Survey
As part of the New Student Survey, students are surveyed during the first half of their first semester on topics related to the transition to college as well as their initial experiences in their studies.
Student Survey
As part of the student survey, students are surveyed starting in their second semester on various aspects of the student life cycle.
Graduate Survey
As part of the graduate survey, graduates are surveyed at least one year after completing their studies on aspects of the student life cycle as well as their post-graduation paths—for example, their transition into the workforce or into further studies.
Further Information
The degree program monitoring system provides departments and program directors with regular graphical and tabular presentations of student data and exam statistics for use in their quality assurance processes.
The analyses are prepared based on degree programs; for programs with multiple tracks, the distribution across the sub-programs or fields of study is also determined. Where statistically and technically feasible, key metrics are also broken down at the level of sub-programs or fields of study. A quick analysis is conducted each semester, and a detailed main analysis is conducted annually. All analyses are prepared using the same layout and design and employ the same notation to ensure consistency and simplify work across departments.
If you have any further questions about program monitoring, please feel free to contact Dr. Michael Lenz.
Quality cycles
Within the QM system, the quality cycles of the courses, the study programme (or interdisciplinary study programmes) and the department build on each other and lead to a development discussion between the university management and the departments or joint committees.
Quality assurance and development in the courses is ensured through regular course evaluations. To this end, each department appoints a Quality Assurance Committee, which is responsible for the closed quality cycle of the courses for which the department is responsible.
Quality assurance and development in the study programmes is ensured by several regular evaluation and survey formats. These include enrolment surveys, student surveys and graduate surveys. Responsibility for the quality cycle varies according to the type of study programme.
The biennial development meetings between the university management and the heads of the departments and interdepartmental study programmes ensure a regular flow of communication and information that takes place independently of re-accreditation procedures. Through these continuous follow-up processes, developments and trends in study programmes and teaching are monitored in the long term and shaped against the background of overall university strategies and measures. Innerhalb des QM-Systems bauen die Qualitätskreisläufe der Lehrveranstaltungen, des Studiengangs (bzw. fachbereichsübergreifender Studiengänge) und des Fachbereichs aufeinander auf und münden in ein Entwicklungsgespräch zwischen Hochschulleitung und Fachbereichen bzw. Gemeinsamen Ausschüssen.
Every two years, the university management receives one quality report of the activities and measures for quality assurance and development from the departments and the interdepartmental study programmes.
