Research Group on Higher Education
The Research Group on Higher Education (Arbeitsgruppe Hochschulforschung) exists since 1981. It belongs to the section of social sciences at the University of Konstanz, and emerged from the department socialisation of universities (“Hochschulsozialisation”) belonging to the center I of research on education (Zentrum I für Bildungsforschung SFB 23; 1969 – 1986).
Since 1982 the student survey in Germany has formed the center of our work. In the winter semester 2009/10 it is being done on authority of the German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology already for the 11th time. The main emphasis of our empirical research is laid on students’ situation and on students’ experiences and orientation. Furthermore projects are being carried out which focus on labour market, study, evaluation of teaching, and on the development of the European Area of Higher Education.
Since 2007 a monitor of study quality is being done in cooperation with HIS every year. This is an instrument, developed in detail and having been put to test, to record study quality and evaluation of teaching.
There is a wide spread cooperation existing for instance in order to moderate the Reseau Uni 21 within the frame of FREREF. A questionnaire in English and French is ready to be used for international surveys: International Student Survey in Europe (ISSUE).
Since 2008 we do surveys online which are supported by HIS. The first survey dealt with the change within the European Area of Higher Education.
You will find all our publications in print and our presentations under the item “Publications”. Some can be downloaded as a pdf file.
News are being published regularly in the internet containing current results of the AG Hochschulforschung.
The file of tables serves as a main basis for our analysis. It contains the most important results regarding students’ situation of eleven surveys being done up to now in chronological order. These tables are subdivided into results regarding universities, universities of applied sciences, subject groups, and gender.
Further links lead to other research organizations in social sciences and to institutes which focus on university research, evaluation of teaching, and higher education policy.
