Centre for University Didactics and Quality Development in Teaching and Learning
What does ZHQ contribute to the development of teaching?
Teaching expertise
Teaching can be learnt: It is particularly important to us to support lecturers when they start teaching. FH Aachen is therefore organising a basic course in higher education didactics and coaching for newly appointed professors in cooperation with other universities. This enables newly appointed professors to develop their teaching concepts individually from the outset and on the basis of the current state of research on studying and teaching.
In football, a professional never stops training: We also support lecturers in developing their skills at a later stage, e.g. in relation to the use of teaching and learning methods or how to help students better understand very difficult content. In our various formats, we incorporate impulses from educational research, make the experience gained from teaching visible and promote the exchange of ideas at FH Aachen.
- Work areas in ILIAS: "Shaping teaching and learning" | Arriving in teaching (new appointees)
digitalisation
New tools, new questions: the use of media in teaching has always been standard at FH Aachen. In order to utilise the constantly evolving possibilities of digital university teaching, ZHQ employs consultants who support lecturers in the use of media and in the application of our learning management system ILIAS. We also support the creation and use of freely accessible teaching and learning materials ("Open Educational Resources") as well as networking in the educational state of NRW. Furthermore, we are involved in the "Digital University NRW" with the creation of a further education programme for teachers for the digitalised age.
- Work area in ILIAS: Digitalisation in studies and teaching
Rules and guidelines for teaching
In Germany, freedom of teaching prevails, but legal requirements must still be taken into account and the university's own regulations and strategies must be developed. The ZHQ participates in the design of structures and strategies for studying and teaching from a higher education didactics perspective - be it in the process of system accreditation or in the revision of internal university regulations such as the framework examination regulations.
Evaluation
Only those who scrutinise themselves can improve: Another core topic is the moderation and support of feedback processes for quality development in order to shape teaching together. To this end, we develop questionnaires for the systematic evaluation of courses and lectures, degree programmes and faculties. This is always done with reference to educational research on the one hand and in close dialogue with our teaching staff on the other. We evaluate surveys of students, graduates and teaching staff, summarise these and other data sources and prepare the important information for the faculties(programme evaluation video). In addition, we also conduct more open formats such as interviews to gain student perspectives on courses and lectures and make these available to lecturers. Finally, we coordinate external surveys in order to reduce the number of surveys for students.
- Work area in ILIAS: Evaluation & Research
Curriculum development
Teaching as a team effort: In addition to the individual course, the degree programmes as a whole should also be examined on the basis of the following questions, among others: What are the objectives of a degree programme? How do the individual modules in a degree programme interact to achieve this? We work together with lecturers on these questions and on sharpening and further developing degree programmes in so-called curriculum workshops.
- Workspace in ILIAS: Curriculum development
What offers are there for students?
Future Skills
General skills are important for working in the digitalised world: we are pleased that we can also contribute directly to the development of students' skills, whether through our events and learning materials on self-management and academic work, group processes and moderation or "future skills". In our events, we test teaching-learning scenarios in order to be able to offer practice-based counselling. All students at the UAS are invited to take part in the programmes for students and to further develop their interdisciplinary skills.
- Work area in ILIAS: Competence development
Suggestions and complaints centre
Sometimes there are also problems: The Office for Suggestions and Complaints (StAB) is also located at ZHQ: Students can report problems or suggestions here, for which possible solutions are then sought together with the relevant contacts, especially in the faculties. With StAB, FH Aachen has introduced a complaints system that supports the liaison officers in the faculties, especially when cross-faculty issues arise.
