About QuiS

QuiS is a program of the Hessian state government to promote quality in teaching and learning and to foster targeted teaching development. Teaching at universities is currently influenced by various factors: the diversity of the student body, changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the interplay of analog and digital teaching methods, the integration of AI, and the increasing flexibility of study programs.

QuiS supports Hessian universities in developing concepts for these – and other – topics, and promotes pilot projects and implementation steps. Increasing permeability within the education system, enabling students to pursue studies on an equal footing, and guiding them to a successful degree are key objectives of the program.

QuiS stands for "High quality in studies and teaching, good framework conditions for studying". The program is financed over five years with more than 130 million euros from funds of the future contract "Strengthening studies and teaching".

The QuiS program ("High quality in studies and teaching, good framework conditions for studying")

• promotes equal opportunities and equality in studies
• aims to facilitate the transitions from school to university and between vocational and academic education
• promotes study orientation and contributes to improving academic success
• strengthens the initial study phase and student advising
• contributes to improving study conditions and making studies more flexible
• promotes the internationalization of studies and student mobility
• focuses on the quality of teaching and supports its further development

Even high school students can benefit from QuiS and get to know universities and fields of study through specially developed projects. For prospective students, there are resources to help them orient themselves and choose the right subject. Teachers receive information and contacts so they can support their students in choosing a course of study.

The main target group is students . The study and teaching formats, as well as the counselling and coaching services developed in the QuiS programs, are geared towards the different prerequisites, life circumstances and interests, and thus contribute to the successful completion of the students' studies.

lecturers and staff at universities with the freedom and experimental spaces to test new teaching and mentoring concepts or to combine digital formats with face-to-face teaching and intensive discussion. At the same time, QuiS promotes professional development in higher education didactics as well as inter-university collaboration among lecturers and staff.

Universities , to adapt their study structures more flexibly to the learning progress, experiences, and daily lives of their students. The program also promotes the continuous development of studies and teaching – the so-called quality assurance – as well as university-wide centers where students acquire interdisciplinary skills (such as key competencies, academic writing, and methodological application). Finally, QuiS fosters exchange between Hessian universities and provides particular support for collaborative projects.

QuiS21

QuiS's central funding program supports teaching and learning initiatives that are tailored to the specific interests and needs of students and highlight the teaching profiles of individual universities. Projects supported include those focused on diversity and inclusion, gender equality in STEM subjects, study orientation and entry into higher education, and internationalization.

A particular focus is placed on university collaborations. For example, a study program at adapted paces, offered by all Hessian universities of applied sciences, is promoted. (Regional) cooperation between universities in the area of ​​study orientation is supported, and the development of e-learning environments is funded.

As part of the QuiS21 funding program, universities can also test hybrid concepts that combine in-person teaching and digital events. This aims to make the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic applicable to future teaching. Approximately 14 million euros are available for this purpose.

The allocation of funds was competitive: The project proposals were evaluated by the six external scientists of the Student Success Commission.

The total duration of QuiS21 extends from mid-2021 to the end of 2025. During this period, the program line is endowed with approximately 100 million euros.

QuiS_Flex

29 percent of students spend less than 25 hours per week on their studies, 26 percent have completed vocational training, and 11 percent have health impairments – diverse educational backgrounds and life circumstances demonstrate the need for more flexible study and teaching methods. This applies in several respects: content, methodology, timing, and location. To achieve improvements on all these levels, the different student groups must be examined and their precise needs analyzed, concepts and pilot programs developed, and new formats for organization, teaching, and student support tested. QuiS_Flex is providing universities with approximately €14 million over three years for this purpose.

This sum also includes a cross-university budget intended to promote exchange between universities and enable them to hold joint workshops, develop new instruments for curriculum development, or commission studies.

The QuiS_Flex funding program was developed in two workshops of the “Commission for Student Success” – jointly by university management, students, external experts and the HMWK.

QuiSDuaL

Students pursuing a dual study program combine university studies with practical phases in a company. This not only offers financial advantages and intensive practical experience, but also gives young people outside of major cities the opportunity to study and work in their home region. QuiSDuaL supports dual study programs, particularly in rural areas, with €2.5 million annually. During the period of the Hessian Higher Education Pact 2021-2025, this funding is parameter-based, determined by the number of dual study students in rural areas.

QuiS_Plus

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students required special support, coaching, or psychological assistance – for example, because they became more sensitive to stress, found it harder to motivate themselves, or even considered dropping out of their studies. In 2021, universities received approximately €1 million through the QuiS_Plus program for additional counseling and support services, as well as measures to promote social networking and interaction among students.

As a result of societal changes, both the demands on university teaching and the opportunities to contribute to greater permeability and equality of opportunity in the education system through good teaching and study conditions are increasing.

To adequately address the multiple demands and changes within the higher education system, QuiS relies on a cooperative approach in which the 14 Hessian universities collaborate closely with each other and the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture. Together, they analyze current developments and needs to develop funding programs. In addition to the perspectives of university leaders and researchers, those of students and external experts are also incorporated into the development of these programs.

The Commission for Student Success is the most important forum for cooperation between universities and the Ministry of Science within the QuiS program. It serves as a platform for the exchange and discussion of current issues in university teaching, contributes to the development of QuiS funding programs, and thus provides impetus for the further development of studies and teaching.

What will university teaching look like after the pandemic? How can studies be made more flexible? What impact will AI have on higher education? The forum has addressed these and similar topics so far. With its Commission on Student Success, the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture is focusing on the quality of teaching and learning and their further development.

The Commission includes:

• the vice presidents for studies and teaching of the 14 Hessian universities,
• Students from different types of higher education institutions,
• a representative of the state conference of Hessian university women's and equal opportunities officers
• six external teaching experts
• Representatives of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art

The members of the external expert panel that has been advising QuiS since 2021 are:

• Prof. Dr. Karin Donhauser (HU Berlin), Chair
• Prof. Dr. Andrea Bührmann (University of Göttingen)
• Prof. Dr. Sylvia Heuchemer (TH Cologne)
• Prof. Dr. Susanne Rode-Breymann (hMtM Hannover)
• Prof. Dr. Ansgar Kirsch (FH Aachen)
• Dr. Peter Salden (Ruhr University Bochum)

All universities under the auspices of the state of Hesse participate in one or more QuiS funding programs. These are the Technical University Of Darmstadt , Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Justus Liebig University Giessen, University of Kassel, Philipps University Marburg, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Offenbach University of Art and Design, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, Städelschule Frankfurt University of Fine Arts, and Geisenheim University.