Participation in the QMS

Students, lecturers, and staff at the university share responsibility for the success of teaching and learning. The participatory processes of the QMS promote trust-based cooperation in order to further develop the quality and attractiveness of the courses on offer. The regular, open exchange of knowledge, perspectives, and experiences gives rise to innovative concepts for teaching and learning, creates conducive study conditions, and continuously improves the educational offerings. The involvement of external partners and graduates in the QMS provides important impetus for the further development of sustainable and practice-oriented degree programs.

Your opportunities to participate in the QMS

The QMS also relies on your active participation. Here you can find out how you can get involved in the QMS and thus actively contribute to the success of our quality objectives.

To help you quickly and easily find out how you can make a concrete contribution as a student, teacher, member of staff in teaching and learning, or external party, you will find your opportunities for participation under the respective groups of people. You can also search by the elements of the QMS. You will also receive information about the specific tasks and roles you can take on in the context of quality assurance and development.

• Students

  Your perspective as a student plays a decisive role in ensuring and further developing the quality of studies and teaching. Your experiences and assessments provide information on whether the design of the degree programs and the associated processes are geared to the needs of students. Your participation is therefore an indispensable part of the QMS.  

  Student participation is integrated into the QMS at many levels. You can participate in the following elements of the QMS:  

  Dialogue-oriented formats of the QMS

  • Study program conference
  • Quality assurance meeting (QSG)
  • Internal Accreditation Commission (IAK)
  • KSG steering group

  Evaluation of studies and teaching

  • Student course evaluation
  • Study program survey
  • Graduate survey as part of the Joint Project on Graduate Studies (KOAB)
  • Survey on Studying in Germany (SiD)

  Further development of the QMS

  • QMS conference
  • Short survey on the program conference (after participation)
  • Short survey on the quality assurance meeting (after participation)
  • Questions, suggestions, and feedback regarding the QMS

• Lecturers and staff in studies and teaching

  As a teacher or staff member in academic studies and teaching at the University of Münster, you play a central role in shaping and implementing study conditions. Through your commitment, whether in teaching, exam design, advising students, or organizing studies, you contribute significantly to the success of students. As experts in your field, you bring with you a deep understanding and valuable knowledge that is indispensable for the continuous improvement of quality in studies and teaching. Your comprehensive involvement in the QMS is ensured at various levels in order to utilize your professional expertise and experience and to continuously improve the quality of the study programs offered.

  As a teacher or staff member in studies and teaching, you can participate in the following areas of the QMS: 

  Dialogue-oriented formats of the QMS

  • Study program conference
  • Quality assurance meeting (QSG)
  • Internal Accreditation Commission (IAK)
  • KSG steering group

  Further development of the QMS

  • QMS conference
  • Short survey Study program conference (after participation)
  • Short survey on quality assurance meeting (after participation)
  • Questions, suggestions, and feedback on the QMS

• External

  As a graduate, external cooperation partner, or expert, you play an important role in the further development of studies and teaching at the University of Münster. Your perspective, which is often highly relevant to practical applications, provides important impetus for the quality development of the range of courses on offer. As a graduate, for example, you offer valuable insights into how your studies have influenced your professional development and where there is potential for improvement. As a cooperation partner from university and non-university institutions, you also make significant contributions to the further development of studies and teaching. And as a representative from the professional world, you bring current labor market requirements into discussions about the quality of study programs and teaching. This enables the design of even more practical study programs.

  As an external partner, you can participate in the following elements of the QMS:

  Dialogue-oriented formats of the QMS

  • Study program conference (cooperation partners, graduates)
  • Quality assurance meeting (QAM) (cooperation partners; external students, university lecturers, or representatives from the field also have the opportunity to participate as external experts)

  Evaluation of studies and teaching

  • Graduate survey as part of the Joint Project on Graduate Studies (KOAB) (graduates)

  Further development of the QMS

  • Short survey of the degree program conference (after participation)
  • Short survey of the quality assurance meeting (after participation)
  • Questions, suggestions, and criticism regarding the QMS

Opportunities for participation in dialogue-oriented formats of the QMS

The dialogue-oriented QMS formats bring together the perspectives of students, teachers, and staff in studies and teaching, as well as external stakeholders. They serve to provide advice and further develop the quality of studies and teaching, or to prepare accreditation decisions. 

The dialogue-oriented formats vary in terms of their role in the QMS, the frequency of meetings, the selection of participants, and the duration of participation. The following brief descriptions provide an overview of the various formats and link to further information.   

• Degree programme conference

  The degree program conference provides a regular and structured platform for discussing the quality of degree programs at the faculty level. The joint discourse is intended to enable a multifaceted and objective assessment of a degree program and generate ideas for further development.

  Frequency: Three times in eight years (approximately every two to three years)

  Participants: Students, teaching staff, and employees involved in studies and teaching, external parties if applicable (e.g., cooperation partners, graduates)

  Procedure for selecting participants: Participants are selected in consultation within the department, usually between the respective program coordinator and the QM representative

  Duration of participation: One-time for the respective program conference

  Contact for participation: The QM representative of your department

• Quality assurance meeting

  The quality assurance meeting takes place once every eight years and involves an exchange between external experts and students, lecturers, and staff involved in teaching and learning, as well as other relevant parties, in order to ensure that the course design is appropriate in terms of subject matter and content. The participation of the various groups of people is intended to ensure a differentiated assessment result, enable collegial feedback on the special features and strengths of a degree program, and generate ideas for further development.

  Frequency: Once every eight years

  Participants:

  • Participants in the quality assurance discussion: Students, lecturers, and staff involved in academic studies and teaching, external parties if applicable (e.g., cooperation partners)
  • External experts: at least two university lecturers with relevant expertise, at least one student representative with relevant expertise, and at least one representative from the professional field with relevant expertise (in accordance with § 25 StudakVO)

  Procedure for selecting participants:

  • Participants in the quality assurance meeting: Participants are selected in consultation within the department, usually between the respective program director and the QM officer.
  • External experts: Proposed by the department, appointed by the Rectorate of the University of Münster.

  Duration of participation: One-time for the respective quality assurance meeting

  Contact for your participation: The QM representative of your department

• Internal accreditation commission (IAC)

  The decision on the accreditation of a degree program is prepared in a dialogue-oriented manner by an Internal Accreditation Commission (IAK), which reviews and evaluates the documents submitted by the departments and makes a recommendation to the Rectorate regarding the accreditation of a degree program. The guiding principle here is that the University of Münster works together to ensure the quality of its degree programs in accordance with internal and external guidelines and that interdisciplinary impetus for further development is generated.

  Frequency of meetings: Approximately twice per semester

  Participants: Three students and one representative from each faculty at the University of Münster; one substitute per member

  Procedure for selecting participants: 

  •     Students: Mandated by the AStA student council department 
  •     Faculty representatives: Mandated by the faculty council

  Duration of participation: 

  •     Students: Term of office one year
  •     Faculty representatives: Term of office four years

  Contact details for participation: 

  •     Students: AStA Student Council (asta.fachschaftenreferat@uni-muenster.de)
  •     Faculty representatives: The dean of studies in your department and/or the IAK office

• CDP Steering Group

  Quality assurance and development for combined degree programs (CDP)/teaching degrees at the level of the overarching study structure (model) is managed by the CDP steering group. It is composed of teaching staff, staff working in the field of study and teaching, and students. 

  Frequency of meetings: Approximately twice per semester

  Participants: Three students, one representative each for the teacher training programs at elementary schools, secondary schools, comprehensive schools, high schools, and vocational colleges two representatives for the dual-subject bachelor's degree program, spokesperson for the Education Sciences Coordination Commission, rector's representative for general studies, the scientific director of the Center for Multilingualism and Language Acquisition (for the module German for Students with a Migration Background), the scientific director of the Center for Teacher Training (for the module Practical Semester), the head of the Department for Student and Academic Affairs; as well as deputies.

  Procedure for selecting participants: The members of the steering group are appointed to the KSG steering group by the Vice-Rectorate for Studies and Teaching, which chairs the KSG steering group.

  • Lecturers and staff in the field of studies and teaching: by virtue of their office or by selection by the Vice-Rectorate for Studies and Teaching
  • Students: proposed by the AStA student council department

  Duration of participation:

  • Students: term of office one year
  • Lecturers and staff in the field of studies and teaching: term of office four years

  Contact details for your participation:

  • Students: AStA student council department (asta.fachschaftenreferat@uni-muenster.de)
  • Representatives of combined degree programs and interdisciplinary elements: CDP office

   

Opportunities for participation as part of the evaluation of studies and teaching

Within the framework of the QMS, the evaluation of studies and teaching is used in particular for the further development of existing degree programs and to ensure that the technical and content-related requirements are met in relation to the degree program design. The survey results form an important basis for quality assurance and development within the framework of the QMS for studies and teaching.

All surveys are conducted online and are aimed at groups of students and graduates. If you belong to the target group of a survey, you will be invited to participate, for example by email.

The following brief descriptions provide an overview of the survey formats and link to further information. 

• Student course evaluation

  • Target group: Students
  • Focus: Feedback on course quality
  • Frequency: at least every two years (for courses that are part of the curriculum and courses taught by all full-time lecturers, a more frequent cycle is possible.)

   

• Degree programme survey

  • Target group: all students between the 2nd and 7th semester
  • Focus: evaluation of various aspects of the degree program
  • Frequency: usually every three years in April and May

• Graduate survey

  As part of the cooperation project Graduate Studies (KOAB):

  • Target group: Graduates
  • Focus: Retrospective evaluation of study conditions and skills acquisition, transition to further studies or career
  • Frequency: Once a year, October to mid-February

• Survey of Students in Germany (SID)

  • Target group: all students in their third/fourth semester + random sample from other semesters
  • Focus: broad range of topics from the social and economic situation to health impairments among students, challenges and conditions during the course of study, career prospects, and social values
  • Frequency: every four years in the summer semester
  • nationwide survey conducted by the German Center for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW)

   

Opportunities for participation as part of the further development of the QMS

The procedures and processes of the QMS are regularly reviewed for effectiveness and further developed at QMS conferences. The following brief descriptions provide an overview of formats for the further development of the QMS and the opportunities for your participation.   

• QMS conference

  The QMS conference provides a forum for regular, structured discussion about the quality of the QMS with the aim of further developing the system. The joint discussion is intended to enable as multifaceted and objective an assessment of the QMS as possible and to generate ideas for further development.

  • Frequency: Twice in eight years (approximately every three to four years)
  • Participants: Students, lecturer, and staff involved in studies and teaching, other groups of people if necessary
  • Procedure for selecting participants: Appointment by the Rectorate
  • Duration of participation: One-time for the respective QMS conference
  • Contact for participation: The QMS team/Dept. 1.8 QMS in Studies and Teaching

• Short survey: degree program conference

  • Target group: all participants in a degree program conference
  • Focus:
    • Course of the degree program conference
    • Preparation of the degree program conference/preliminary analysis, if applicable
    • Overall responsibility for the degree program conference
  • Frequency: following a degree program conference
  • Note: If you belong to the target group for the short survey on degree program conferences, you will receive an invitation to participate in the survey.

• Short survey: quality assurance meeting

  • Target group: all participants in a quality assurance meeting
  • Focus:
    • Preparation and conduct of the quality assurance meeting
    • Frequency: following a quality assurance meeting
  • Note: If you belong to the target group for the short survey on quality assurance meetings, you will receive an invitation to participate in the survey.

• Questions, suggestions, and feedback regarding the QMS

  Questions, suggestions, or feedback regarding the QMS are important for the further development of structures, procedures, and processes. The aim is to continue to align the QMS in such a way that it promotes the quality of studies and teaching. 

  Comments can be directed to the following departments: 

  •     Decentralized: To the QM representative of your department
  •     Centralized: To Dept. 1.8 Quality Management in Studies and Teaching (email: qms@uni-muenster