Decentralised Quality Management (dQM) is an elementary component of quality assurance in Teaching and Learning at the University of Göttingen. It combines binding university-wide standards with creative scope for the faculties to ensure quality and diversity of perspectives.

How does the dQM work?

Decentralised quality management at the University of Göttingen is based on a structured and participatory process that includes the following basic principles:

• Regular review of study programmes: Each faculty carries out a systematic evaluation of its degree programmes at fixed intervals (quality rounds).
• Involvement of all relevant stakeholders: Students, teaching staff, programme directors, Offices of the Dean of Studies and external experts contribute their perspectives to quality development.
• External experts: External experts act as "critical friends" and are directly involved in quality rounds at degree programme/cluster level.
• Binding measures for quality improvement: Findings from the quality processes are documented, specific measures are agreed on and their implementation is tracked.
• Faculty’s creative scope for dQM design: The faculties can contribute their specific needs and subject cultures to the implementation of dQM, taking into account the university-wide quality criteria and standards.

University-wide standards

The following elements are binding for all faculties and form the common basic framework of the dQM:

• Quality rounds
• Each degree programme is reviewed at least every two years in a quality round lasting at least half a day.
• All stakeholders should be involved in the quality rounds.
• Goal: Identification of strengths and challenges, development of improvement measures.
• Standardised quality criteria

Each faculty reviews its study programmes based on the university wide quality criteria adopted by the Senate, which are derived from legal requirements and university development goals. These include, among other things:

• the academic relevance of the curricula,
• studyability and teaching quality,
• practical relevance and the professional qualification of graduates.

These criteria must be taken into account and documented in the quality rounds. The faculties must ensure that all quality criteria in the criteria catalogue are addressed and evaluated at least once per accreditation cycle (currently 6 years, 8 years in the future).

• Participation of external experts
• External experts must be involved at least once per accreditation cycle (currently 6 years, prospectively 8 years).
• They contribute independent academic or professional perspectives.
• External experts must be given the opportunity to comment on all professional and content-related quality criteria.
• Documentation and implementation of measures
• The documentation of the results of the quality rounds is binding.
• Improvement measures are defined and their implementation must be tracked.
• Faculties must ensure internal transparency regarding the status of the measures and their implementation.

Faculty’s creative scope

Within the binding standards, the faculties have creative freedom in the concrete implementation. This includes in particular:

1. Format of the quality rounds: The faculties can choose between an open and delegate model.
2. Thematic focal points: Faculties can decide for themselves which aspects of quality are focussed on in the upcoming quality rounds.
3. Additional participation formats: In addition to the mandatory participants, faculties can involve other relevant stakeholders (e.g. alumni, practice partners, university didactic experts).
4. Cycle of quality rounds: Faculties are free to choose a shorter cycle than the prescribed 2 years. In small subjects or on the basis of a target agreement, the cycle can also be extended.
5. Information basis: Various additional evaluation procedures, such as student surveys or status group meetings, can be carried out in preparation for the quality rounds. In the case of a delegate model, the faculties ensure that the delegates of the member groups can obtain an overview of their group members' current assessments of the (partial)degree programme in advance.

Decentralised quality management at the faculties

You can find a detailed description of each faculty’s dQM on the respective website: