Programme

In the recent years many universities in many countries have developed new tools and forms of Quality Management and enhancement. The inner relationship between managing quality and therefore enhancing it and developing the institution has been a challenge for university leaders and administrative staff. Ever since its founding in 2003 Duisburg-Essen university’s mission to develop a suitable quality management system has been implemented. The history of Duisburg-Essen University might serve as a „role model“ for the possibilities, but for the constraints of higher education development. The merger is a pilot case of a quality based development of an institution within the higher education policy framework. Developing Quality Culture, as defined by the European Boards, is as such time consuming and a challenge to face. It needs detours and hesitations. Like any culture, Quality culture is a place where conflicting interests and concepts become apparent. It opens a space for discussing about Forms and functions of Universities. The development of quality includes on the one hand the opportunity to build up a highly differentiated institution within the Higher Edcuation sector. On the other hand it becomes clear that a sustainable quality culture is only vivid if, and only if, different stakeholders are involved in a dialouge process. Therefore a quality culture is a space of conflicts to be discussed and, in the end, solved.

The conference therefore opens its four panels to lighten up the wide range of quality cultures.

On the four panels the contributions and discussions will mainly

• focus the diversity of opportunities to reach and to maintain quality in a higher education institution (Panel 1)
• discuss the borders of a quality based development (Panel 2)
• check the innovation capacity of a quality based higher education institution (Panel 3)
• explore the areas of tension between societal demands and inner institutional opportunities of Open Universities (Panel 4)

The panelists and speakers are highly reputated international and national scholars and experts. On the first evening the participants will meet for a conference dinner which offers a multitude of networking opportunities.

The conference’s main language is German. Some Contributions by Panelists are in English.

The Agenda can be download here.