“Quality Dialogue 2021 – Dual study programs from the perspective of accreditation”

The response to the event was great: under the moderation of Mr. Jan-Martin Wiarda, almost 300 participants listened to the speakers and panellists, asked questions and took part in the discussion. We would like to thank you for this and look forward to the next edition of the Quality Dialogue next year with a new topic.

The presentation by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Arens-Fischer can be found here.
The two murals can be found here and here, the mentimeter can be found here.

Contents

Dual study program models have become firmly established at German higher education institutions. However, they are very differentiated from one another. Their classification into training-integrated, practice-integrated and career-integrated study programmes already makes the different target groups and didactic objectives clear in the term.
The increase in the number of dual study programmes has also been accompanied by a broad educational policy discussion on the evaluation and design of these models, which has found its way into the legal basis for accreditation in the reorganization of the accreditation system with the term “dovetailing”. In the regulations of the old system, these study programmes were still largely undefined and were to be assessed as “study programmes with a special profile claim” in the accreditation process with reference to their own specific objectives. In contrast, the specimen decree now provides a framework for their accreditation in its explanatory statement: “A study programme may be designated and advertised as ‘dual’ if the learning locations (at least the college of cooperative education/vocational academy and the company) are systematically interlinked in terms of content, organization and contract.”
In its second Quality Dialogues, the Accreditation Council would like to shed more light on the significance of this framework for the assessment and evaluation of dual study programmes in accreditation procedures.

Program

Quality dialogue dual – 21 June 2021, 10:00 a.m. to approx. 1:20 p.m.
Moderator: Mr. Jan-Martin Wiarda

10:00 a.m.: Welcome talk: Mr. Wiarda with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Joachim Bargstädt (Chairman of the Accreditation Council, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar) and Dr. Alexander Weber (Coordinator Program Accreditation, Head Office of the Accreditation Council)
10:10 a.m.: Keynote speech: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Arens-Fischer (Head of the Institute for Dual Study Programs, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences) followed by a Q&A session
10:40 a.m.: Short introductory interviews, participants:

11:05 a.m.: Break with wonder.me
11:25 am: Poll
11:35 am: Fish Bowl with participants of the introductory interviews
12:25 p.m.: Break
12:35 p.m.: Panel: initial conclusion, participants:

  • Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Joachim Bargstädt
  • Mr. Timo Gayer
  • Dr. Isabel Rohner, BDA
  • Mr. Raphael Chuleck, graduate of a dual study program

13:20: Feedback and end

  • Quality dialogue

    The Quality Dialogue has been held annually since 2019, on the day before a meeting of the Accreditation Council (most recently: the June meeting). It provides a forum for all topics related to the quality of studies and teaching and is open to all stakeholders involved.

    Topics have included:

    – Feasibility of studies, dropout rates, and academic success (2024)

    – Diversity at universities (2023)

    – Teacher training (2022)

    – Dual study programs from an accreditation perspective (2021)

    – Academic continuing education and lifelong learning (2019)

    There was no Quality Dialogue in 2025.