JGU Mainz sets new standards in international university exchange!

JGU Mainz sets new standards in international university exchange!

The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has strengthened its international connections as part of an innovative project in the field of higher education. In 2016, JGU was selected by the Accreditation Council to further develop the accreditation system in Germany. This project is manifested in the “Collegial Audit” project, which is intended to promote exchange with partner universities and has now won the University of Glasgow as the second institution after Maastricht University in 2019.

Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch, President of JGU, emphasizes the relevance of international exchange for the quality of teaching and studies. This dialogue is particularly important in order to meet the challenges of a heterogeneous student body and the social changes in society. Universities are increasingly faced with the need to address topics such as generative AI and the sustainable design of the economy and society.

Quality development through collegial audit

In the context of the collegial audit, it becomes clear that differences in the prior subject knowledge of students at universities are increasing. JGU has responded to this by developing the “Master with Profile” model, which creates flexible study structures to address knowledge and skills gaps. Prof. Dr. Stephan Jolie, Vice President for Studies and Teaching, emphasizes the importance of students designing their own educational path.

To promote exchange, teachers from different disciplines have developed cooperation approaches. These initiatives deepen the dialogue about diversity and making study programs more flexible. The results of this collaboration will be presented to the JGU Senate in order to initiate strategic considerations for flexibility and skills development.

Institutional Quality Audit (IQA) and its benefits

A central aspect in the further development of the accreditation system is the HRK resolution of 2012, which speaks of a need for stronger self-assessment within quality assurance at universities. The development of system accreditation into an Institutional Quality Audit (IQA) is proposed. The aim of the IQA is to promote quality in teaching and learning through a continuous improvement process.

The IQA offers teachers and students the freedom to design these processes and strengthens the autonomy of universities. It connects universities with self-defined goals and strategies and applies the standards of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG). Upon successful completion of the IQA, a “quality label” is awarded, which serves as an orientation for future students, parents and employers.

The IQA auditors consist of a core group of university representatives, academic experts, students and labor market representatives. Your tasks include qualitative assessments of the university's internal quality management system. The self-assessment report documents the vision, mission and quality goals and serves as the basis for the following audits, which are repeated every seven years.

In order to increase the transparency of the accreditation process, the Accreditation Council has introduced a database of accredited study programs. The results of the accreditations are published in accordance with the current legal situation. For study programs that are not listed, there could be reasons such as pending accreditation procedures or expired accreditations. These developments help to sustainably strengthen trust in the quality of study programs. uni-mainz.de, hrk.de, akkreditierungsrat.de