Integrated quality management

The integrated quality management of TU Darmstadt is of particular importance due to the autonomy status of the university and since the system accreditation (in March 2017). It supports the development of the university by using the results of quality assurance measures for strategic decisions.

Professor Dr. Tanja Brühl,
President of Technical University of Darmstadt

“Professional, integrated quality management plays a key role in the organizational and scientific development of the university. The integrated quality management at TU Darmstadt follows a participatory approach that includes all areas, units and status groups of the university."

Prof. Dr. Tanja Brühl, Präsidentin der Technischen Universität Darmstadt
Picture: Katrin Binner

The integrated quality management comprises the areas of research, study and teaching, promotion of early career researchers, management and administration and includes departments, central services and central administration. As an autonomous and system-accredited university, TU Darmstadt assumes a high degree of responsibility for quality development, especially in the areas of study and teaching.

Strategy quality cycle in integrated quality management
Strategy quality cycle in integrated quality management

As part of integrated quality management, the Executive Board are agreed objectives between departments and central services. This enables a close coupling of quality assurance and quality development and strategy formation. Monitoring ensures the sustainable implementation of the target agreements.

The link between quality assurance and strategy can be illustrated by the four phases of the strategy quality cycle. Questions of quality assessment arise from the strategic analysis (1). Findings and recommendations of the evaluation are translated into action goals (2). The effectiveness of quality assurance results from the implementation of concrete measures (3), the success of which is monitored (4).

The integrated quality management of TU Darmstadt:

  • uses the autonomy of the university responsibly by using the results of quality assurance measures for strategic decisions at all levels, thus promoting the development of the university,
  • thus supporting the strategic development of departments and central units,
  • ensures transparency regarding the development of departments, central units and central administration,
  • follows a participatory and deliberative approach that involves all areas, units and status groups of the university,
  • contributes significantly to the development of degree programmes in line with the strategic priorities of the departments.

Participation and transparency are central principles of TU Darmstadt's integrated quality management.

Integrated quality management follows a participatory approach. It involves all areas, units and status groups of the university in the quality assurance processes. It relies on deliberative negotiation processes in the sense of a common and shared understanding of quality.

The university has clearly defined decision-making processes, competencies and responsibilities in its control system and its internal quality assurance system. The central actors of integrated quality management are:

2004
  • Introduction of course evaluations
2008
  • Introduction of the graduate survey (via INCHER)
2009
  • Introduction of institutional evaluation
  • Adoption of the principles for study and teaching
  • Introduction of the procedure for the reaccreditation of degree programmes, release of degree programmes and the approval process
2010
  • Adoption of guidelines for the field of course evaluations at TU Darmstadt
2012
  • Adoption of the principles for an integrated quality management of TU Darmstadt
2014
  • Start of the preparation for a system accreditation of TU Darmstadt
  • Adoption of the second guidelines for the field of course evaluations at TU Darmstadt
2015
  • Further development of integrated quality management with university-wide participation
2016
  • Start of the second cycle of institutional evaluations of the departments
  • Adoption of TU criteria for the quality assurance of degree programmes
2017
  • System Accreditation quality seal awarded to TU Darmstadt
  • Introduction of the TU student survey
2021
  • Preparation for system reaccreditation of the TU Darmstadt
  • Further development of integrated quality management
2022
  • Revision of the TU criteria for quality assurance of study programmes
  • Principles for study and teaching were updated within the framework of the study and teaching strategy process
2023
  • Start of the second cycle of institutional evaluations of the central facilities
2024
  • TU Darmstadt receives system re-accreditation

This is how we do quality management

System Accreditation

Institutional Evaluation

Quality assurance of study programmes

Surveys

Teaching Day

“inQM” Advisory Board