Student Course Evaluation

 

Bonus fund allocation based on student course evaluations has taken place at the Faculty of Medicine since 2005 for human medicine, dentistry, logopedics and teaching and research logopedics, and biomedical engineering courses of study. A system of performance-oriented fund allocation in teaching or LOML was built. As a result a total of 50000 euros were awarded to courses in 2005, with which students were particularly satisfied. In 2008 the funds were increased to 100000 euros, in 2009 to 200000 euros, and in 2010 to 300000 euros. The funds are to be used to improve courses and are booked in the clinical and institutes' budget for the next year through an estimated increase.

Funds are allocated based on the faculty-wide course critique that students anonymously submit online. Students are asked how often they took a certain class and how much time they invested in independently studying. Additional questions refer to the quality of individual types of courses. Students may submit suggestions for improvement, praise, and criticism. Furthermore, topic relevance, the course presentation and structure, agreement among instructors, and the personal learning effect for individual students is surveyed. The students end the survey by assigning the a grade to the overall course. Since 2008 funds are allocated not only to courses but also for involvement in the steering committee, the review board, and work as a system block leader (total of 45000 euros). The remaining funds are allocated for courses in the medicine model course of study (75 percent), 15 percent to dentistry, and 5 percent each for the teaching and research logopedics course of study (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) and the Master of Science in biomedical engineering.

The list of the student course evaluation is publicized by the Medicine Student Representative Council, an "Info Lehre" email, and in the teaching report. All involved subject disciplines and lecturers must approve fund allocation in the event of interdisciplinary courses, such as system blocks.

Funds from the federal state for research and teaching are to be allocated more based on performance in the future. A difference should be made between a basis budget, which covers the institutes' and departments' teaching responsibilities, a performance-oriented portion in research or LOM-F, and a performance-oriented portion in teaching or LOM-L. Both of these portions will be evaluated and funded more in the future than they have till this point. Discussions about possible models for this have taken place within the faculty since 2009.