Evaluation Policy

Introduction

Various legal regulations contain more or less explicit requirements for universities to evaluate studies and teaching in order to ensure that the educational mandate is being fulfilled. These politically shaped formulations represent obligations whose implementation ties up valuable resources. In the interests of the educational mission, a solution should therefore be sought that conserves resources as much as possible. However, a simple ad hoc solution is hardly compatible with the standards of a university. The development of procedures for the evaluation of studies and teaching is more comparable to the development of psychodiagnostic tests, as only such procedures can meet the diverse expectations associated with evaluation in the long term.

Legal framework

Section 5 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (NHG) stipulates in its first paragraph that the evaluation of studies requires the involvement of an independent organization. Since the early 1990s, the Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (ZEvA), founded by the universities of Lower Saxony, has developed standards for this purpose. In the current version of the NHG, the evaluation of courses before the end of each semester has also been regulated in a new second paragraph of § 5 (Section 5).

In Germany, medical studies conclude with a state examination. For this reason, the essential elements of the study programs are regulated nationwide in the Licensing Regulations for Physicians (ÄAppO). With the introduction of the 9th amendment to the ÄAppO, the faculties were given the opportunity to develop individual profiles by designing their curricula and establishing model degree programs. At the same time, the evaluation of teaching became mandatory. The general federal regulation is very brief, consisting of two sentences: "Courses are to be regularly evaluated with regard to their success. The results are to be made public." (§2 para. 9 ÄAppO). In addition, § 41 Para. 2 no. 4 ÄAppO stipulates that "an appropriate accompanying and final evaluation of the model degree program must be ensured."

Regulations of the MHH

The combination of these legal foundations creates the need to develop a mix of different procedures and to implement standardized processes for the evaluation of the medical degree program in Lower Saxony. The updated regulations for the evaluation of studies and teaching (pdf), adopted in December 2022, were therefore aligned with the evaluation standards of the German Evaluation Society. With the introduction of the model medical degree program (HannibaL), these general evaluation regulations were supplemented by program-specific regulations in order to take into account the particular characteristics and legal requirements of a model degree program and to strenghten acceptance of the evaluation of studies and teaching at MHH (pdf). Taken together, both sets of regulations largely comply with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance.