On 08.10.2025 , the ninth edition of the format “Accreditation Council in Dialogue” took place, which was dedicated to the “Topic of the day: System accreditation – efficiency of QM systems”.
Efficiency and effectiveness are important indicators of the quality of a QM system at a higher level. Effectiveness is the subject of the review in the course of system accreditation, while efficiency plays a significantly subordinate role – if at all. The criteria of the specimen decree deliberately allow for the accreditation of both lean and complex QM systems, as the higher education institutions themselves should decide on the design of their QM systems.
However, this also means that if the necessary resources are available for an overly complex and resource-intensive QM system, the criteria do not provide a basis for a critical assessment, at least at first glance. Nevertheless, a system-accredited higher education institution must demonstrate that it regularly reviews its QM system in terms of its functionality and effectiveness and further develops it on the basis of a continuous evaluation of the processes laid out in the system and a data-supported monitoring of the results.
At its event, the Accreditation Council gave representatives of higher education institutions that are already system accredited or are on the way to system accreditation the opportunity to speak, who dealt with the efficiency and effectiveness of QM measures in the further development of their QM systems and reported on their experiences.
Following three short presentations, the university representatives discussed the importance of efficiency in internal university QM and the interaction between system accreditation and efficient quality development with the Chairperson of the Accreditation Council on a virtual podium together with around 225 participants.
Program:
15:00: Welcome and introduction
- Prof. Dr. Birgit Friedl, Deputy Member of the Accreditation Council, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
15:05: Short presentations
- Prof. Dr. Dario Anselmetti, Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching, Bielefeld University
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Werner, University of Applied Management
- Prof. Dr. Marianne Frick, Professor and Head of QM, HSD Döpfer University of Applied Sciences
15:35: Panel discussion
- Prof. Dr. Marianne Frick, Professor and Head of QM, HSD Döpfer University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Werner, University of Applied Management, Ismaning, former Vice President for Studies and Teaching
- Prof. Dr. Klaus Sandmann, Vice-Rector for Studies, Teaching and University Development, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Joachim Bargstädt, Chairman of the Accreditation Council, Bonn
- Mira Schneider-Damian, Head of Department Quality Management Studies and Teaching, Bielefeld University
16:25: Closing remarks
- Prof. Dr. Birgit Friedl, Deputy Member of the Accreditation Council, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Moderation
- Prof. Dr. Philipp Pohlenz, permanent guest on the Accreditation Council, Professor of Higher Education Research and Professionalization of Academic Teaching, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Here you can find the presentation of Prof. Frick, the presentation of Prof. Sandmann and the presentation of Prof. Anselmetti.