Quality Assurance in Teaching and Learning

The University of Bayreuth aims to develop study programmes that provide students with a high level of professional competency and academic qualifications, develop their personality, and enable them to take up qualified employment and social commitment. 

When designing study programmes, emphasis is placed on study programme objectives that are oriented towards the requirements of university and non-university practice, as well as character development, and also have a coherent and goal-oriented curriculum. 

The legal basis for ensuring the quality of study and teaching are the Quality Assurance & Evaluation Statutes of the University of Bayreuth.

Further working aids, for example in the development of new study programmes, can be found on the intranet.

The programme evaluation serves to assess the study programmes by the students themselves, and to identify strengths and weaknesses. It is the basis for the continuous ongoing development and improvement of the quality of the study programmes, serves to improve study conditions, and is a basis for internal accreditation. 

At two-year intervals, students are surveyed online about their degree programme. The invitations are sent to the students' university e-mail addresses. 

The basis of the programme evaluation is a university-wide standardised questionnaire for the bachelor's and master's programmes, as well as the teacher training programmes. This questionnaire can be extended for specific programmes. 

The survey focuses in particular on 

• Studyability, 
• the organisation of studies and examinations,
• the general conditions of study,
• the support of students.
  
  

Teaching evaluation takes place at least every 2 years for each faculty and serves to provide individual feedback to lecturers on their courses. In the faculties, the Faculty Officer for Teaching & Students is available as a contact person for all questions regarding teaching evaluation (see also FAQ Teaching Evaluation).

With our evaluation systems UniZensus & QuestorPro, both paper and online surveys can be carried out in a resource-saving manner and processed in a timely manner, regardless of whether it is a targeted selection of courses or a full survey. 

A sample questionnaire (in German and English) was developed in cooperation with representatives of the Student Parliament, the Faculty Advisors for Teaching & Students, the Deans of Studies, and the University Governing Board.

To create individual questionnaires for your research project, please see the section "Further services".

The project "Bavarian Graduate Studies" (BAS) of the State Institute for Higher Education Research (IHF) has set itself the task of conducting graduate surveys for Bavarian universities at regular intervals. The findings collected in this way make an important contribution to the quality development of studies and teaching at the University of Bayreuth. The possibility of evaluating one's own main topics, and the regular implementation and transparent presentation of results make BAS an ideal tool for quality assurance at the University of Bayreuth.

To ensure that the degree programmes at the University of Bayreuth consistently and reliably maintain the necessary quality standards, our institution has established an internal quality assurance system for teaching and learning. This system received its initial system accreditation in 2016 from the Accreditation, Certification, and Quality Assurance Institute ACQUIN.

This accreditation confirmed that the University of Bayreuth possesses the capacity to independently uphold high-quality standards across all academic disciplines in teaching and learning. Consequently, there is no need for individual programme accreditations by external agencies. Instead, our university's internal quality assurance system is recognized as a reliable guarantor that all our degree programmes meet rigorous quality benchmarks, encompassing objectives, programme structure, examinations, library resources, lecture facilities, and laboratories.

On 14 March 2024, the Accreditation Council accredited the University of Bayreuth's quality management system with one condition and certain requirements. This system accreditation is valid until 30 September 2030.

As a system-accredited higher education institution, the University of Bayreuth has an in-house quality assurance system in teaching and learning which ensures that its study programmes meet the quality requirements in the area of teaching and learning and are compatible with the specifications relevant to accreditation. As of 1 April 2022, internal accreditations are issued for eight years. Accredited programmes should begin their internal re-accreditation process approximately 18 months prior to the expiration of the accreditation period to ensure adequate time for the committee processes.

Further information and working aids on internal accreditation can be found on the intranet.

The following study programmes have successfully passed the internal (re-) accreditation procedure and are accredited:

* including the teaching subjects Chemistry, German, English, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Sports.

The teaching report pursuant to Art. 40 Para. 2 No. 4 Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG) is intended to inform the Faculty Council and the University Governing Board on the situation in the area of study and teaching, and is a basis for the development of measures to improve the organisation of studies and examinations as well as internal accreditation. 

The Dean of Studies prepares the annual teaching report and has it approved by the Faculty Council. 

The QS service unit checks the teaching report for completeness and consistency of content and comments on the analysis of the teaching and study situation. 

On the basis of the teaching report and the statement of the QS service unit, the Presidential Commission for Teaching & Studies proposes measures to improve the quality of teaching and studies, and the University Executive Board decides on these measures. 

Further information on the teaching report can be found on the intranet under the QSE Statutes.

The Higher Education Compass is an information platform provided by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), in which state and state-recognized German universities publish daily updated information about their study and doctoral opportunities. Since its online launch in 1998, the Higher Education Compass has continued to develop and has established itself as a valued, reliable source of information for prospective students in Germany and abroad when choosing a programme of study. The Higher Education Compass is also linked to study information platforms such as that of the Employment Agency or the Zeit study guide.

All the information contained in the Higher Education Compass regarding the degree programmes at the University of Bayreuth is maintained and regularly updated by the service unit QS. If you would like updates to be made for your degree programme, please contact us.