The university has received the seal of approval for system accreditation without conditions. In future, the majority of degree programmes will be self-accredited. The study programme conferences are at the centre of quality management.
Continuously improving degree programmes and independently reviewing and certifying them as a university - that is the core of system accreditation. The University of Oldenburg has now been awarded the quality seal of the Accreditation Council for its system of guaranteeing and further developing quality in study programmes and teaching - without any conditions. This means that the system is internally consistent and fully complies with the Council's guidelines. The system accreditation is valid for the next eight years.
"This is a great success and a milestone for studying and teaching at our university," says Prof Dr Karsten Speck, Vice President for Studies, Teaching and International Affairs. "As a system-accredited university, we will be able to develop our degree programmes even more strongly and independently in future and - with the advice of external experts - shape them from within. We will involve teaching staff and students alike in this process. University-wide solutions for challenges in studying and teaching can now also be found more quickly. In this way, we can guarantee the high quality of our study programmes for the benefit of our students."
Ensuring the quality of study programmes and teaching
Previously, the university's degree programmes were assessed and accredited by agencies as part of programme accreditation. At the end of 2018, the university decided to apply for system accreditation in order to independently ensure the quality of its degree programmes in future. With a few exceptions, such as cooperative degree programmes with other universities, degree programmes will be accredited according to the new system in future.
The prerequisite for this is a new quality management system for teaching and learning. Over the past few years, the University has developed this in a university-wide process involving teaching staff, students and employees from all Schools, the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L), the Centre for Teacher Training as well as employees from the Divisions, Divisions, the Staff Council and the Chief Gender Equality Officer. Back in 2019, the University Senate also adopted a mission statement for teaching, which was also developed on a cross-school basis.
Study programme conferences and development meetings
Annual degree programme conferences are at the heart of the university's internal quality management. Using survey data from students and graduates as well as data from academic controlling and other criteria, students, teaching staff and other stakeholders review the degree programmes individually or in content clusters and develop them further. Students can provide direct re-registering student feedback on the module content, for example, or draw attention to current challenges.
The continuous quality assurance of the degree programmes also includes development meetings at faculty level and planning meetings, which take place three years before the actual accreditation. The university-internal reaccreditation of the degree programmes takes place after eight years. An external group with specialised, student and professional expertise advises those responsible for the degree programmes. The internal accreditation committee then makes a recommendation for accreditation - with or without conditions - to the university management, which then makes the decision. The university-wide seal for system accreditation also goes through a corresponding cycle and must be renewed by the Accreditation Council after eight years.
