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Quality Management

What does WU mean by quality in education?

Quality management in education is based on WU’s university-wide understanding of quality across the levels of strategic frameworks & guiding policies, processes & instruments, structures, and quality culture. Three key principles are inherent to the quality culture at WU: reflection, feedback, and communication. These values guide and shape both the definition of quality in education and the approaches to (further) developing and ensuring quality. The term “quality” is relatively undefined. Even in the context of teaching, quality can mean something different depending on the individual perspective. To establish a shared understanding of quality in education at WU that also takes into account the perspectives and expectations of all stakeholders, WU defines quality in education based on the following dimensions:

  • Learning effectiveness

  • Teaching effectiveness

  • Alignment with external expectations

  • Efficiency and resource adequacy

  • Responsiveness to the needs of the academic communities, students, labor market and society at large

How does WU ensure quality in education?

In line with a “fitness-for-purpose” approach, WU uses a wide range of instruments, methods, procedures, and projects in the quality management of education. The core processes and instruments are strategy-driven and operationalize strategic goals, communicate strategic parameters, and manage expectations. They are integrated into quality management structures. Measures to strengthen the quality culture form an important pillar of WU’s quality management in education.

Core Instruments and Processes

  • Program evaluations: The program evaluation serves to systematically develop quality at the level of degree programs and thus goes far beyond the evaluation of individual courses. In this process, a degree program is examined over an extended period, with particular attention to various key metrics. Improvements are developed in collaboration with the academic directors.

  • Course evaluations: At WU, a strong feedback culture is an essential component of teaching and learning. Course evaluations involve students in the process of quality assurance and further development of teaching as co-producers of their own academic success. WU evaluates courses at regular intervals on a mandatory basis, and lecturers can have their courses evaluated on a voluntary basis at any time.

  • Student panel monitoring: WU surveys students throughout their entire student lifecycle on various topics (academic and personal circumstances, satisfaction with WU’s services, etc.) and event-specific focus areas (e.g., selection procedure). In addition, WU conducts a graduate survey every two years. Three to five years after graduation, they are asked to provide a retrospective assessment of their programs in terms of quality and relevance to the job market.

  • Graduate tracking: Graduate tracking, conducted in cooperation with Statistics Austria, provides information on the labor market integration and performance of WU graduates, such as types of employment, the duration it takes to enter the workforce, the income of WU graduates, and the sectors in which they are employed.

  • Assurance of Learning process: The measurement of learning outcomes as part of the Assurance of Learning process in all degree programs serves to determine whether students acquire the competencies intended by the program. The results are discussed annually with academic directors and incorporated into the further development of the degree program.

  • Evaluation of selection procedures: The evaluation of selection tests and procedures serves to identify potential unintended biases in the selection process, such as those related to gender or socioeconomic background. Furthermore, WU analyzes the correlation between the score in the selection process and the individual’s study progression.

  • Monitoring of student activity: The results of the monitoring of student activity and the examination system feed into various reporting tools, and the relevant committees discuss them regularly. This allows for appropriate measures to address any anomalies. The results are thus an important source for reforms and initiatives.

  • Workload evaluation and workload monitoring: Following a successful pilot project in 2022 – 2023, WU integrated workload evaluation into the established course evaluations. This enables regular monitoring of workload at the course, module, or degree program level.

Measures to strengthen quality culture

  • Continuing education and support programs for teachers and early stage teachers include, among other things, formats for didactics in higher education such as LEHRE kompakt, the Teaching & Learning Academy, or the Teaching Skills Certificate, measures and support programs related to digital teaching and digital assessment, as well as Personnel Development Office programs such as Fit4Teaching.

  • Highlighting and recognizing outstanding teaching through the annual teaching awards for excellent and innovative teaching, as well as the Art of Teaching event, which celebrates outstanding teaching achievements.

  • Strengthening academic integrity through, for example, the AI-resilient design of curricula. Further steps include the redesign of core modules on academic writing, the implementation of WU-wide directives and policies, and the ongoing development of continuing education and support services for teachers and students.

  • Student support services include WU Counseling for students facing challenging situations, the BeAble program for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses, the WU Ombuds Office as a point of contact for conflicts, complaints, or other study-related concerns, and the WU ZBP Career Center for career entry counseling.