Use of Results

Use of results by teaching staff & students

The up-to-date report on course evaluation offers teaching staff the opportunity of preparing for the feedback discussion and arranging timings flexibly with the students. Feedback discussions usually focus on results where there is an especially wide distribution or exceptionally positive or negative comments, as well as on unclear and ambiguous feedback. If necessary free-text responses can be categorised and systematically analysed.

Use of results by faculties

At the start of the next semester, the Offices of the Deans of Studies of the faculties receive aggregated reports of the evaluations carried out in the previous semester, categorised according to type of questionnaire. Moreover, profile line comparisons enabling individual results to be compared with the faculty average for that type of course are made available to the faculties. Faculties can also be provided with raw data for special analyses.

The results, which are also used as part of the system accreditation process, contribute to quality management within the university: The public aggregated reports form the basis for a self-evaluation report by the faculty, and teaching staff and students also participate in this through the study committees and the Faculty Council, the Academic Dean’s Office, and the Dean’s Office. This report serves firstly to document the quality of teaching and secondly to analyse the potential for optimisation at course or module levels, and if necessary also at degree programme level. At their own request or as a result of consultation between the Deans of Studies and teaching staff, the teaching staff may make use of the diverse higher education training services. Teaching staff can be coached in higher education techniques and given specific support to develop their teaching skills.

Individual consultation is recommended, especially if there is an increased number of well-below average results involving various forms of teaching, and this cannot be explained after consideration by the study committee.

General use of results

The faculties inform the Central Committee for Teaching and Learning about the academic quality of their courses using self-evaluation reports. They may be referred to for university-wide or faculty-specific strategic decisions in the area of teaching.