Description of Course Evaluation
Course evaluation is one of the key tools for quality assurance and improvement in the area of Student and Academic Services at the University of Göttingen.
The student survey has been under way since the 2006/07 winter semester and the teaching staff survey since the 2010/11 winter semester; both surveys provide feedback throughout the University and have become a routine part of the timetable. Students and teachers from all twelve faculties (with the exception of the University Medical Centre (UMC)) and the Central Scientific Institution for Teacher Education (ZEWIL) and, since the 2014/15 winter semester, from courses run by the Centre for Languages and Key Competencies (ZESS) are surveyed on individual degree programmes in a centrally coordinated process. Student course evaluations are carried out comprehensively and systematically in the University Medical Centre for all courses requiring mandatory certification, allowing a clear assessment of the organisation and structure of the modules.
Legally, the student survey which forms part of the course evaluation is based on the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (Hochschulgesetz), which states in Section 5(1):
“The university shall enable students to assess the quality of courses at least once a year. The university shall assess the fulfilment of its duties in research and teaching at regular intervals (internal evaluation) and hereby take into account the extent to which it has met its equal opportunities remit (Section 3(3)(1)) and contributed to the development of women’s studies and gender research (Section 3(3)(2)). The university shall both incorporate the results under Clause 1 and involve students in the assessment of teaching. Details, in particular on the internal evaluation procedureand applicable evaluation criteria, are set by the university in regulations”,
and in Section 5 (3):
“The results of the procedure under Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be published” (February 2007, last amended on 11.09.2019).
Further details on course evaluation at the University of Göttingen are laid down in the Ordnung über die Evaluation der Lehre [Regulations on Evaluation of Teaching] (2006).
The faculties are responsible for the choice of courses that are evaluated, determining faculty-specific aspects and the development of measures based on the results, as well as for reporting the results.
The QM department in Student and Academic Services coordinates the proceedings throughout the entire university and assists all participants with preparation, implementation and communication as well as with the technical process and data analysis.
Course evaluation takes place every semester and is supported by the two web-based evaluation tools Education Survey Automation Suite (EvaSys) from Electric Paper, and the learning management platform Stud.IP, which are linked via an interface.