Quality Rounds

The quality rounds are an important element of decentralised quality management (dQM) at the University of Göttingen. They serve to systematically evaluate and further develop the degree programmes and ensure their accreditability. Their key features are dialogue orientation and the participation of all stakeholders, including the involvement of external expertise. The organisation of the quality rounds is subject to university-wide framework guidelines and standards, which ensure their functionality as an effective QM element. At the same time, however, they also offer the faculties room for manoeuvre to take subject-specific requirements and framework conditions into account.

What is a quality round?

A quality round is a regular assessment and development format in which all key aspects of a degree programme are reviewed and discussed. The central elements are:

Comprehensive analysis and reflection

• Data-based understanding: Results of quality assurance instruments such as course evaluations and graduate surveys as well as programme-related monitoring data are integrated in order to obtain the most comprehensive picture of study quality possible.
• Critical feedback:Concerns and criticism from students, lecturers and reports from the Equal Opportunities Officer and other representatives are taken into account in order to identify specific challenges and potential.

Accreditation criteria as a benchmark

• Examination of the standards:A target/actual comparison is carried out on the basis of the criteria in accordance with the Lower Saxony Study Accreditation Ordinance (Nds. StudAkkVO) and the university's own quality and profile objectives.
• Subject-specific and structural review: Among other things, the structure of the degree programme, didactic concept and skills transfer, studyability, examination system, equal opportunities and internationalisation aspects are reviewed and evaluated in detail.

Focus on development impulses

• Strengths and challenges: Key findings are identified in order to address specific areas for development.
• Concrete action planning: Recommendations for optimising course content, organisation and support services are developed.
• Quality assurance: The study commission reviews and validates the measures developed before they are implemented. The status of the implementation of measures from previous rounds is regularly fed back.

External perspectives on quality assurance and development

• Independent external expert reports: External experts are consulted at least once within an accreditation cycle (representatives of the academic discipline, the professional field and the student group). They offer specialist expertise and an external perspective in order to objectively assess the quality of the degree programmes and provide impetus for development.
• Dialogue with students: Students have the opportunity to engage in confidential dialogue directly with the external reviewers in order to address specific concerns and challenges.

Faculty’s creative scope at the decentralised level

The faculties can flexibly adapt certain aspects of the quality rounds to their needs. The design options include:

• Formats and frequency: By default, quality rounds must take place at least every two years. Longer intervals can be agreed for smaller subjects or as part of target agreements. At some faculties, quality rounds also take place at shorter intervals.
• Participation formats: Faculties can involve all members of the status groups (students, teaching staff, service stakeholders) directly or use a delegate model. In the delegate model, representatives of the groups are involved in advance through meetings or surveys and the delegates are given a mandate.
• Setting topics: Thematic priorities can be set in individual quality rounds, e.g. equal opportunities, research relevance or professional orientation. At the same time, it must be ensured that all accreditation criteria are dealt with within an assessment cycle.
• Moderation: The faculties can appoint independent moderators to ensure an impartial, respectful and constructive discussion.

The process following the quality round

Once a quality round has been carried out, several steps are taken to incorporate the results into further development:

1. Logging and forwarding: All results and recommendations are documented. These reports are sent to the responsible study commission and other relevant bodies.
2. Validation of measures: The study commission examines the proposed measures and recommends adjustments where necessary. Based on these recommendations, the Faculty Council decides on the list of measures.
3. Implementation and monitoring: Quality improvement measures are assigned clear responsibilities, time frames and evaluation criteria. The faculty dQM officers monitor their implementation and report regularly on progress.
4. Integration into the accreditation procedures: The results of the quality round - especially the quality round with external participation - are incorporated into the preparation of the central study programme accreditation, which takes place every six years. This central evaluation takes into account the results of the quality round and serves as the basis for the decision on internal accreditation.
5. Feedback to participants: All participants in the quality round receive feedback on the measures derived and their implementation, provided this does not concern confidential matters.

Why are quality rounds important?

The quality rounds combine the specific requirements of the faculties with university and legal standards. They promote dialogue between students, teaching staff and other stakeholders and contribute to strengthening the quality culture at the University of Göttingen. They also contribute to ensuring the continuous accreditability of the degree programmes and support their strategic development. An overview of the QM concepts of the individual faculties can be found on the page on decentralised quality management and all members of the University are invited to actively participate in the quality rounds and contribute to the improvement of Student and Academic Services.