Following a three-semester cycle, departments have the opportunity to have their entire course offering evaluated by students (department-wide course evaluation).
Department-Wide Course Evaluation
Following a three-semester cycle, departments have the opportunity to have their entire course offering evaluated by students (department-wide course evaluation).
Schedule
Department-wide course evaluations are typically conducted on a three-semester cycle. This cycle ensures that Bachelor students are surveyed at least twice and Master students at least once during their studies. A three-semester survey cycle also allows for alternating surveys between winter and summer semesters, taking into account the course offerings in each subject.
The current and future (planned) evaluation periods can be found in the table below:
| Department | Semester |
| 01: Catholic and Protestant Theology | SoSe 2025, WiSe 2026/27 |
| 02: Social Sciences, Media and Sports | WiSe 2024/25, SoSe 2026 |
| 03: Law and Economics | WiSe 2024/25, SoSe 2026 |
| 04: University Medicine | Every semester |
| 05: Philosophy and Philology | SoSe 2024; SoSe 2026 |
| 06: Translation, Language and Cultural Studies | WiSe 2024/25; SoSe 2026 |
| 07: History and Cultural Studies | SoSe 2024; WiSe 2025/26 |
| 08: Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science | Every semester |
| 09: Chemistry, Pharmacy and Earth Sciences | SoSe 2024; WiSe 2025/26 |
| 10: Biology | WiSe 2022/23 + SoSe 2023; WiSe 2025/26 + SoSe 2026 |
It is generally recommended to conduct the course evaluation after approximately two-thirds of the lecture period. This gives instructors sufficient time to carry out the evaluation and subsequently discuss the results with students. Deviations from the suggested timeframe can be communicated to the ZQ at any time by departments (e.g., for courses held outside the lecture period or the suggested timeframe).
Selection of Courses
There are various options for selecting courses:
(1) Full survey: All courses offered in the current semester are included in the department-wide course evaluation.
(2) The department internally selects specific courses to be included in the department-wide course evaluation.
The decision rests with the department; the ZQ provides advisory support.
Recommendation for Implementation in the Course
To achieve the highest possible participation in the course evaluation, we recommend that instructors invite students to evaluate the course during a class session. Since students typically provide their feedback via a mobile device (such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop), it is advisable to inform students in advance about the evaluation date so that as many students as possible can bring a mobile device.
In the case of asynchronous teaching, the invitation to evaluate the course (including the evaluation period) should be announced within the recorded lecture.
Access Data for the Survey
Instructors receive a link and a QR code for each course selected for evaluation. Additionally, we provide specific instructions for conducting the course evaluation. This information and the access data are sent to instructors via email through our evaluation system.
Questionnaire
The course evaluation questionnaire includes questions and items covering various aspects such as:
- Teaching and learning interaction (e.g., content delivery, student motivation, support),
- Resources (e.g., course framework, student interest in course content), or
- Achievement of (teaching) objectives (e.g., exam preparation, knowledge acquisition).
Results
Instructors receive their course evaluation results immediately after the evaluation period ends. Results at the program level will be available no later than the end of the semester. Typically, the Dean receives the results at both the program level and for individual courses, unless otherwise agreed.
The ZQ supports departments, if needed, in interpreting the results and can facilitate contact with the university’s teaching and learning center.