Results of the course evaluation from the winter semester 2020/2021

The semester is coming to an end, all exams are finished, last assignments are typed and also the team of the course evaluation finishes its work and dares a short summary about the now already second Corona semester:

First of all, a big thank you goes to all students and lecturers who participated so actively! In total, 133 Bachelor’s and 126 Master’s courses were evaluated in the winter term 20/21. This is almost a new record! The last time the numbers were slightly higher was five semesters ago. The large number of responses is particularly pleasing, as the course evaluation is a central element of quality assurance and only through exchange and discourse things can be improved.

It is also noteworthy that the courses continue to be rated very well on average despite COVID-19 and the uncertainties that come with it. It is particularly positive that the students feel very well taken care off despite distance learning and state that they learn a lot in the courses and have the opportunity to ask questions at any time. In addition, the students’ own technical equipment is on average considered to be very well suited for following the lectures.

At the beginning of the semester, WiSo did not give up hope of being able to offer at least some face-to-face courses. The students’ assessment of the concept of the events (hybrid or digital form or in presence) was to be queried in the course evaluation. Relatively quickly, however, it was necessary to switch to a digital format across the board. The feedback on the corresponding question in the Bachelor evaluations is very positive. This could indicate that the digital concepts were perceived as appropriate to the situation.

One point that is rated somewhat worse on average is the variety of the technical media used in the courses. In fact, a maximum of two different tools are used in 60% of all evaluated courses. Mainly web conferencing tools (e.g. Zoom) are used in the courses. These are used in just over 80% of the events. Text documents are also frequently used (in 60% of the events). StudOn learning modules had their finest hour in the summer term 2020 (approx. 22%), but were used much less frequently in the winter term 20/21 (approx. 7%). However, audio files experienced an upswing and were used in approx. 25% of the courses in winter term. However, the variety of technical possibilities has apparently not yet been exhausted. Lecturers who want to expand their repertoire can, for example, find inspiration and exchange ideas in the community area: WiSo Digitalization in Teaching on StudOn.