Transcript Folie 1 - Higher Education

The Quality of Teaching Pact
of the Federal Government
and the Länder Governments
of Germany
Background: HE system in a federal state
Background
Broad-based higher education and research system
 Approx. 400 public and private institutions of higher education
(universities, universities of applied sciences, colleges of art and music) and
More than 200 non-university research institutes (MPG, FhG, HGF, WGL,…)
 Divided competences in a federal state
 Länder are responsible for
 most of legislation in higher education and for
 establishing, financing and regulating higher education institutions
 Federation and Länder cooperate via joint funding programmes to strengthen
the science system, i.e.
 higher education institutions and
 non-university research institutes
1
Joint programmes (1)
Joint programmes of the Federal Government and the Länder
 Higher Education Pact (2007-2015)
 First phase 2007-2010: an additional 185,000 new students
 Second phase 2011-2015: an additional approx. 327,000 new students
 Federal Government provides 11,000 euros (1st phase) and 13,000 euros
(2nd phase) per new student; Länder are responsible for ensuring overall funding
 Excellence Initiative (2005-2017)
 Promoting top-level university research in 45 graduate schools, 43 clusters of
excellence and 11 institutional strategies
 Federation and Länder invest 4.6 billion euros in total
 Pact for Research and Innovation (2005-2015)
 Financial security for research organisations (DFG, MPG, FhG, HGF, WGL)
 Increasing funding by 3% per year since 2005 and by 5% per year since 2011
2
Joint programmes (2): The Quality of Teaching Pact
Quality of Teaching Pact (2011-2020)
 Federal Government provides about 2 billion euros
 Goals:
 Improving study conditions and quality of teaching in public HE institutions
 Increasing completion rates and ensuring the success of Bologna reforms
 Broad impact and a wide range of measures, meeting specific local needs
 Structure:
 Two competitive application rounds in 2011 with quality-oriented selection criteria:
 reliable data-based SWOT analysis
 added value and coherence of proposed measures
 sustainability and monitoring concept
 Funding from fall 2011 resp. spring 2012 until 2016
 Further funding until 2020 after successful re-evaluation in 2015
3
Quality of Teaching Pact: process, participation, funding decisions
 Process:
 Peer review and funding recommendation by 12 experts
 Final funding decisions by selection committee
(12 experts and 4 governmental representatives)
 Participation:
 Proposals by >90% of public HE institutions
 339 individual and joint applications submitted in two rounds
 Funding decisions:
 186 HE institutions selected, that is three quarters of public HE institutions:
78 universities, 78 universities of applied sciences, 30 colleges of art and music
 Individual funding depends on specific concept and proposed measures, ranging
 from <0.2 million euros for each partner of a small joint project
 up to 27 million euros for large universities (for a period of 5 years)
4
Quality of Teaching Pact: thematic focus
 Main focus of selected concepts and measures
 Support transition from school to higher education /
(e.g. through more teaching staff from professors to peer tutors, smaller groups,
mentoring, preparatory courses, summer schools, self-assessments)
 Better diversity management for increasingly heterogenous student bodies
(e.g. through specific advice and support, additional courses in languages and maths,
individualised and intensified courses)
 Additional didactic training for teaching staff
(e.g. through additional offers, individual coaching, incentives)
 Implementation of new teaching and learning concepts
(e.g. through strengthening practical relevance, focussing on research-oriented or
problem-based learning, enhancing blended learning, introducing e-exams)
 Improved quality assurance
(e.g. through new responsibilities, procedures and institutions)
 Specific programmes e.g. in engineering, medicine, teacher training etc.
5
Quality of Teaching Pact: effects and outlook
The Quality of Teaching Pact: what have we gained yet?
 Quality of teaching and learning has become a major topic of
strategic considerations in German HE institutions
 HE institutions consider their own strengths and weaknesses
 New staff introduce new ideas and networks, thus promoting
structural and "cultural" changes
 Increased teaching staff for three quarters of German HE institutions
 Approx. 3000 additional jobs in HE have been created (at least for
the programme period until 2020)
6