Renewed quality guidelines, adapted teaching report format and successful university didactics course at the HSZG.
The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) consistently focuses on the continuous improvement of quality in studies and teaching. In order to live up to this claim, two central measures were advanced in the current academic year: the updating of the quality guidelines and the adaptation of the teaching reporting system.
In addition, the basic course for the Saxon University Didactics Certificate was offered for the first time at the Zittau site and successfully completed.
All these initiatives follow the principle of the continuous improvement process and ensure that the HSZG will continue to be perceived as an excellent educational location in the region and beyond.
The existing version of the university's quality guidelines for the core area of education from 2016 was further developed in a working group set up specifically for this purpose, consisting of the Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs, Professor Sophia Keil, the QM employee Dr. Peggy Sommer and other experts. The following strategic priorities of the HSZG were specifically included:
Digitalization
sustainability
equal opportunities
internationalization
Service orientation
The renewed quality guidelines, the adapted teaching report format and the basic course for the Saxon University Didactics Certificate are important milestones on our path to continuous further development of quality in studies and teaching.
”Convinced of the great importance of the further development of the quality guidelines, Prof. Keil continues: "Our quality guidelines form the basis for the orientation of teaching staff and teaching at the HSZG. The targeted further development enables even greater adaptation to the needs of our students and the requirements of the future. Against this backdrop, I am particularly pleased that so many of our university's teaching staff from different departments have already completed the basic course to obtain the Saxon University Didactics Certificate from the Saxon University Didactics Association and that there is generally a continuous interest in the further training courses on offer."
The faculties' teaching reports are a key quality assurance tool. In 2024, the reporting system was converted into a checklist format as part of a pilot process. In future, each faculty's teaching report will consist of a compilation of course-specific checklists that document the most important developments and measures. Another novelty is the involvement of the study commissions, in which student members also participate, in the preparation of the report.
The new structure of the teaching reports will give us a quick, fact-based overview of quality improvement in the degree programs in the future. The involvement of relevant committees and the focus on specific measures will enable more efficient management.
”The main contents of the teaching reports for the past reporting period, in particular the various measures for student recruitment and the further development of degree programs and teaching, are published in excerpts on the HSZG homepage. The optimized report format offers decisive advantages: better integration into existing structures, less work and, of course, compliance with legal obligations.
In the spirit of lifelong learning, the HSZG offers its teaching staff a wide range of opportunities to improve the quality of teaching. One offer is the acquisition of the Saxon University Didactics Certificatefrom Hochschuldidaktik Sachsen (HDS), which is aimed at teachers of all experience levels and subject areas and aims to systematically expand teaching skills and increase the level of professionalization of teaching activities at Saxon universities.
Universities that continuously reflect on and develop their teaching quality remain attractive educational locations for future generations. The targeted adaptation of quality guidelines and the integration of innovative teaching formats help to meet the requirements of a changing educational landscape.
”In the winter semester 2024/2025, the basic course of the Saxon University Didactics Certificate Program was also held at the Zittau location for the first time following its successful implementation at the Görlitz campus. The basic course includes various forms of work such as individual kick-off and feedback meetings, face-to-face workshops, peer observation, online self-learning phases and the creation of a learning portfolio. The aim of the basic course is to acquire, test and reflect on the fundamentals of didactic action.
The next HDS basic course at the HSZG is planned for the summer semester 2026.
By participating in these courses, the HSZG strengthens the teaching skills of its staff and promotes the continuous development of teaching quality.
