System-accredited university
Hochschule RheinMain has been system-accredited since the winter semester 2022/2023
As a system-accredited university
- Hochschule RheinMain has an eight-year accredited QM system for Studies and Teaching.
- RheinMain University of Applied Sciences has the right to accredit its degree programs itself and to award the quality seal of the Accreditation Council.
- Hochschule RheinMain replaces the external accreditation of individual degree programs with its internal accreditation procedures.
The internal accreditation procedure is described below:
8-year quality cycle
In the re-accreditation quality cycle, each degree program goes through an eight-year cycle in two phases. In the first phase, the focus is on qualitative further development in line with Hochschule RheinMain's self-image of teaching and learning (teaching mission statement). The second phase focuses in particular on the assessment criteria of the Study Accreditation Ordinance.
Study program review 1
A program review takes place at every stage of the eight-year quality cycle. Over a longer period of time, the Degree Program Head works intensively with other stakeholders (students, teaching staff, Examination Board and other participants) to further develop the degree program. In degree program review 1, the specialization is on the implementation of recommendations from the last accreditation and the further development of the design of the degree program in line with the criteria of the self-image of teaching and learning. A key element of the program review is student participation. A modular system of formats has been developed for this purpose, from which the Degree Program Head can choose the most suitable format.
Quality discussion 1
In quality discussion 1, all open fields of action are discussed and ideas for improving a degree program are developed together. The quality review ends with a joint, binding development agreement in which measures for implementation in phase 2 of the quality cycle are recorded. The Quality Review thus provides impetus for measures to improve the quality of studies.
Participants in Quality Review 1 are the Degree Program Head, the Dean for Academic Affairs, a student representative, the Vice-President for Studies, Teaching and International Affairs, the Academic Quality Development team and the Quality Assurance Unit.
Quality discussion 2
After the study program review 2 and the participation of external experts, the quality discussion 2 takes place. In addition to the participants from Quality Review 1, a representative of the Examination Board is also involved here, as the admission statutes and examination regulations are considered, among other things. As in Quality Interview 1, the agenda is defined via the identified fields of action, whereby the focus here is on the fulfillment of the examination criteria. In the minutes of the quality discussion, any tasks that still need to be completed are recorded, which are incorporated into the finalization of the accreditation documents.
Accreditation decision / seal
After successfully completing the internal accreditation procedure, the Committee for Quality Assurance (KQS), the internal accreditation committee of Hochschule RheinMain, awards the seal of the Accreditation Council to the respective degree program for a period of eight years. The independent committee is made up of professorial representatives from the five faculties, two students and the Vice-President for Studies and Teaching, who each have one vote. The head of the Quality Assurance Unit (PQS) is an advisory member without voting rights.
The KQS makes the decision on awarding the seal on the basis of the assessment criteria. During the examination, assessment and accreditation of degree programs, the KQS focuses on the fields of action identified for each degree program. If necessary, conditions and recommendations can be issued.
External experts
In accordance with the requirements of the Study Accreditation Ordinance, the re-accreditation quality cycle always provides for the involvement of external experts. The exchange with academics, representatives of professional practice as well as alumni and students is indispensable for the further development of a degree program concept. In this way, a degree program is critically examined and evaluated by external expertise. In order to ensure that the degree programs can design the participation of external experts according to their subject-specific cultural characteristics, a modular system of formats has been developed from which the Degree Program Head can choose.
Internal service units
The expertise of the central service units is consulted at various points during the quality cycle. This is done on a software basis by asking the service units to comment on so-called fields of action. Fields of action are the central element for the (further) development of degree programs at Hochschule RheinMain. These are open questions that are identified at various points and by various stakeholders over the course of the eight-year quality cycle and linked to test criteria and / or criteria related to the self-image of teaching and learning. Conversely, the service units are regularly informed about the progress of the process at certain points in time.
The central service units include the International Office, the Competence & Career Center, the Didactics and Digital Teaching Team, Evaluation and University Statistics, the Equal Opportunity Representative, University Communications, the IT and Media Center, the Legal Department, the Language Center, the Admissions Office, Academic Quality Development and the Student Advisory Service.
Reports
The data basis for the further development of the degree programs and the quality discussions is provided by the annual, indicator-based data report and the more comprehensive degree program report, which is prepared twice every eight years. The data report summarizes results from the surveys conducted on Studies and Teaching as well as examination data and data from university statistics. It is structured along the student life cycle and includes key figures on structural data relating to the student body, course of study, academic success, career entry and student and graduate satisfaction. The data listed is preceded by a summary of statistical anomalies. The study program report is based on the structure of the self-image of teaching and learning. It contains, for example, key figures on teaching and lecturers, types of teaching and examination, practical orientation, academic quality, studyability, student diversity and interdisciplinary components of the degree program. The data basis for the degree program report is formed by the results of the surveys conducted as well as prepared key figures from various other data sources, e.g. the electronic module handbook. A field of action report can also be created at any time on the basis of the fields of action. By working on the fields of action step by step, the continuous quality improvement of a degree program is commented on and documented.