Integration of external expertise

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Integrating external perspectives plays an important role in the ongoing improvement of teaching and studies at the University of Münster. As part of the quality management system (QMS), external experts are regularly consulted in order to reflect on and further develop the quality of our degree programmes. In addition, integrating external expertise is fundamental to meeting the legal requirements for quality assurance of degree programmes.

The reasons for involving external experts in the QMS are manifold. They take a critical, independent look at the degree programme concepts, provide constructive feedback on their special features and strengths and so doing, provide important impetus for further developing teaching and studies.

Quality assurance meeting with integrated external expertise

To ensure that the degree programmes at the University of Münster meet the relevant quality standards, the QMS provides for careful review by external experts, thereby fulfilling the requirements of the Study Accreditation Ordinance (StudakVO). The so-called quality assurance meeting (QAM) takes place once during the eight-year accreditation period and involves

  • at least one student from another university
  • at least two subject representatives from other universities, and
  • at least one representative from the professional field

As external reviewers, they examine the design and implementation of the degree programmes (individually or in bundles) and engage in an open, constructive exchange with participants from the University of Münster. The external reviewers' independent assessment is recorded in a report that serves as the QAM summary and as the basis for internal accreditation.

  • Process overview - Quality assurance meeting

    The corresponding faculty and Dept. 1.4 share joint responsibility for preparing and conducting the quality assurance meeting (QAM).

    The faculty's QM officer is responsible for organising the QAM. As part of the planning process, they determine the date and format of the meeting in consultation with the Dean of Studies and the respective degree programme coordinators, compile the list of participants and prepare the selection of external experts who are to participate in the QAM as reviewers.

    1. Selection and appointment of external experts
      To select external experts, the QM officer begins by gathering suggestions for subject representatives from other universities and representatives from the professional field. These are first vetted internally for impartiality and then contacted. If the experts indicate their willingness to participate, they must submit a declaration of impartiality and receive all the information necessary for their participation in the QAM.

      Dept. 1.4 is responsible for selecting the student reviewers. To this end, a call for applications is usually issued via the student accreditation pool on the basis of a requirements profile drawn up by the faculty.

      The final group of external experts for the QAM are selected by the corresponding Dean's Office or faculty board. The list of selected experts, including their declarations of impartiality, is forwarded to Dept. 1.4. This department coordinates the QAM and supports the process of appointing external experts by the Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies.
    2. Conducting and documenting the QAM
      The faculty's QM officer works closely with Dept. 1.4 to conduct the QAM. While the QM officer prepares the internal participants for the QAM, Dept. 1.4 is responsible for supporting the external experts. Prior to the QAM, Dept. 1.4 holds a briefing with the experts and forwards relevant topics or requests for further documents to the QAM participants via the QM officer.

      The QAM is usually moderated by external experts or the head of Dept. 1.4. The results of the QAM are documented by the department head on the basis of the technical and content-related criteria provided in the StudAkVO. This documentation forms the basis for the preparation of the report, which is used for the internal accreditation of the degree programme. If the QAM provides further content-related input, e.g. in connection with advisory expertise, this is recorded by the faculty representatives in attendance and, if necessary, used later for the further development of the degree programme(s).

      The faculty receives the report and attaches it to the application for accreditation, which is sent to the Internal Accreditation Committee (IAC) office. If necessary, it attaches a statement should changes have been made since the QAM to rectify incorrect descriptions or facts contained in the programme documents.

  • Tasks of the external experts

    • Preparation of the quality assurance meeting (QAM) based on the provided documents
    • Submission of a preliminary assessment of the degree programmes
    • Participation in a digital briefing in preparation for the QAM
    • Participation in the QAM (online or in person)
    • Finalisation of the final report based on a draft created by the head of Dept. 1.4

Use of external expertise for quality improvement

The quality assurance meeting (QAM) allows the University to utilise the expertise of external reviewers not only to verify the criteria of the Study Accreditation Ordinance (StudakVO), but also to leverage their expertise to qualitatively improve a degree programme. Such advisory expertise can, for example, serve to gather feedback on specific thematic focuses or to incorporate practices in place at other university for addressing particular issues. Furthermore, the experts can critically examine existing considerations for quality development of a degree programme and make constructive suggestions for further improvements. With their advisory expertise, faculties can gain important impulses that help enhance the attractiveness and viability of their degree programmes.

 More information on integrating external expertise (QM portal)