HSD Hochschule Döpfer is a higher education institution with high academic standards in teaching and research, and with young, adaptable structures that enable constant reorientation and the rapid integration of innovative ideas. This ensures a high degree of flexibility and responsiveness in quality assurance and institutional development, which is shaped primarily by the institution’s key members: our students, graduates, staff and partners. They
- distinguish themselves through their practical, methodological and academic skills, as well as their willingness to pursue professional and personal development,
- cultivate their academic curiosity,
- develop and implement innovative concepts, methods and visions for forward-looking teaching and practice,
- face the challenges of the modern, digitalised and globalised world,
- possess communication and collaboration skills,
- live by and promote a humane, appreciative, open and peaceful coexistence within society,
- are capable of critical thinking and self-reflection,
- advocate an enlightened world view
and thus pave the way for our aspiration to a qualified, competence-oriented degree and a strong research presence!
We combine our aspirations with the following objectives of the HSD:
- Alignment with national and international quality standards
- Continuous development of degree programmes and curricula, taking into account academic and professional requirements
- Compulsory practical elements to strengthen the practical focus and the teaching of practice-related ‘hard and soft skills’
- Constant expansion of close cooperation with industry partners
- Acquisition of cross-disciplinary skills to support personal development, complementing subject-specific qualifications
- Holistic support for students through partnerships with placement organisations and employers
- Social reflection based on the subject-specific and interdisciplinary qualifications acquired
- Offering academic university courses as a contribution to lifelong learning
- Use of continuing education certificates to promote professional development
- Appointment of professors based on criteria relating to their research expertise, their methodological and pedagogical approaches, their professional experience, and their involvement in academic and professional networks
- Selection of external lecturers based on criteria such as their methodological and pedagogical approaches, their practical professional experience, and their involvement in academic and professional networks
- Support for lecturers and a requirement for them to engage in continuous professional development and training in their specialist fields and with regard to teaching methodologies
- Freedom for lecturers to engage in research, teaching and academic activities
- Active involvement of lecturers in quality assurance and institutional development
- Generation of interprofessional synergies
- Involving prospective students, current students and graduates in the processes of programme quality development (including teaching evaluation) and institutional development
- A collaborative approach to aligning the university’s objectives with forward-looking guidelines
- Enabling all university members to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement in an accessible manner
- Transparent communication and information
- Maintenance of an alumni network
- Mandatory involvement of students and/or university partners in councils and committees
- Focusing research through a university-wide, coordinated and transparent research strategy
- Targeted support services to boost research activity
- Teaching research skills and the ability to reflect critically in academic contexts
- Stimulating students’ interest in research and methodology through opportunities for methodological training and the incorporation of appropriate methods for implementing research-based teaching and learning
- Transfer of current scientific findings into teaching by firmly embedding research-led sequences, adapted to the level of the degree programme, into courses
- Transfer of scientific findings into practice through practical reflection during the course of study
- Supporting students in organising study abroad placements as part of their degree programme
- Continuously developing partnerships with universities and non-university research institutions
- Participation in (inter)national research projects, where possible involving students
- Promoting “internationalisation at home” by incorporating international and intercultural perspectives into teaching and research
- A dynamic cycle of quality management and systematic university governance, taking into account internal and external developments
- Quality management as an interface function, a tool for achieving objectives and the basis for accreditation
- Involving all university stakeholders in quality development
- Subject-specific and cross-disciplinary professional development as an integral part of quality development
- Communicating quality as a defining feature of the university to the outside world (fulfilling the ‘third mission’)
- Creating a working and learning environment that is free from prejudice, respectful and embraces diversity as an opportunity for all members (students, Staff, university partners) of the institution, with openness and respect for diverse educational and life experiences
- Ensuring equal opportunities for all members of the university, regardless of gender, background, position, sexual orientation, age, family commitments, religion and varying physical or mental abilities
- Taking personal circumstances into account when shaping working and study conditions
- Promoting open academic and social discourse and imparting skills for dealing with complex challenges and ambiguity in teaching and everyday activities
- Teaching and learning in small groups with individual support, in a format that is as accessible as possible, with direct points of contact and ‘short lines of communication’