Environment analysis
The content on this page was translated automatically.
Comparison of courses offered by other universities with planned or existing Kassel courses.
In order to systematically record a degree program, a detailed assessment of the current situation with comparisons of the courses offered by other universities in this subject area is useful. An analysis of the modules offered as well as their structure and embedding in the degree program, various specializations and a consideration of the content and modular integration of internships, possibly with a comparison of the embedding at other universities or colleges, also provides important information about the positioning of the degree program under consideration.
Central questions for an environment analysis include
- How is the degree program structured in comparison to degree programs, especially from the region or neighboring universities?
- What makes the Kassel degree program special compared to similar programs at other universities? What are its unique selling points?
- How is the internship integrated into the curriculum at other universities?
For the context analysis, the first question to be answered is with which universities a comparison is to be made in order to be able to make clear content-related and geographical distinctions during the research and to be able to narrow down the group of comparison universities.
- The HRK University Compass databasecan be used to analyze the environment. This service is primarily aimed at prospective students. However, the data and information provided are just as helpful for developing a study program. It can be filtered specifically according to criteria that are relevant for a comparison. It is possible to search for degree courses as well as for universities. The advanced search also allows you to narrow down the search by subject group or define a geographical search radius.
- The database of the Accreditation Council contains in particular data on the accreditation or re-accreditation of study programs and higher education institutions. However, additional information and documents such as expert reports are also stored in some cases. All accredited study programs at German universities can be found here. Creating your own account allows you to export the results of your individual search in table format. This is particularly useful for overview searches with many hits.
- More detailed information, e.g. from examination regulations and module handbooks, is provided by the universities on their websites. Some universities also publish figures on the development of students in individual degree programs or departments on their websites. It is advisable to use the search function on the websites (search term e.g. student statistics).
- Figures on the development of students, first-year students and graduates are provided by the Federal Statistical Office(Genesis online database). Here, too, it is worth creating an account in order to export larger amounts of data for further work. In the subject area of education, research and culture, particularly frequently requested and up-to-date data on graphics and publications are also prepared. The State Statistical Office is also responsible for the federal state of Hesse. In addition, data can be requested from the Development Planning Department in Academic Controlling.
- If the environment is not to be limited geographically, other criteria can be used for the comparison. For example, the CHE ranking can be used to compare with universities that have performed particularly well here. In addition, the "CHE University Data" website can provide further inspiration. The website offers a data-based insight into the current higher education landscape at federal and state level. It includes data from both the CHE and the Federal Statistical Office.
Link: Department II Quality Management: Instruments of Quality Development, External Surveys
For the environmental analysis, the geographical environment should first be determined:
Should a comparison be made with universities in the immediate vicinity, at national level or even at international level?
The following procedure can serve as an example for the procedure within Germany.
In a first step, all degree programs at tertiary educational institutions a) within a radius of 100 km and b) extended by a radius of 150 km are searched for the relevant degree programs at the University of Kassel using the search mask of the HRK University Compass database. For smaller study programs, it may also be useful to extend the search c) to the national level. These study programs are listed in a table with the following criteria
- Name of degree program,
- degree,
- form of study,
- mode of admission,
- start date and
- standard period of study.
Once the geographical area has been defined, the second step is to narrow down the subjects. For all study options within a radius of 100 km, specializationoptions, terminology, competence profiles and/or special features are supplemented by consulting the digital information materials (e.g. examination regulations, module handbook) of the relevant university, as well as for those study options at universities within a radius of 150 km. If the view is to be extended to national level, the same procedure is followed here. For study programs that consist of a combination of different subjects, e.g. a 2-subject Bachelor's degree, it is advisable to also survey the possible combined subjects for a comparison.
Practice has shown that a table in Word has proven to be better than a survey in Excel for this procedure, as the special features can be better presented in this way, among other things. However, the table, which can be exported from the Accreditation Council's database, also offers a good, differently structured overview.
By looking at individual aspects such as the embedding of a work placement and its preparation, support and follow-up in the curriculum or focal points in the orientation of the curriculum, the environment analysis can be focused on these points of interest.
In order to identify particularly successful competitors that can be compared with the respective Kassel profile, it can be useful to identify and analyze a top group for the respective subject with the help of the CHE university ranking. However, this raises the question of the decisive criteria according to which the top group should be selected. Once these criteria have been defined by the experts in the departments, the next step is to identify successful competitors at a national level and analyze their profile in comparison to Kassel.
Preparation of results
This procedure can be used to work out the unique selling points of the Kassel study program. Thanks to the compiled overview of the comparative universities, it can be clarified, for example, whether there are differences per federal state, whether the study type is rather rare or more common, and the same applies to the chosen study program name. It can also be worked out, for example, how the respective specialization and the range of modules are designed. These findings can then be brought into line with the study program concept of the University of Kassel.
Download an example template for the environment analysis
The results of the environment analysis are included in question 1, question 5, question 8, question 15, question 20 and question 22 of the study program concept.
Examples
Question:
How is the internship integrated into the degree program?
Procedure:
It is of interest whether an internship is included in the curriculum of the degree program and, if so, in which section of the degree program and to what credit point extent. It is also relevant whether preparatory and follow-up courses as well as accompanying courses are included in the study program. It should also be clarified whether the internship is intended as an examination or coursework.
In order to show these aspects, it is useful to create a table with the respective universities to be compared. This table pays particular attention to the internship. For each university selected, the following sections should be created
- Internship,
- recommended semester,
- preparatory course,
- accompanying course,
- follow-up course,
- credit points
- and examination or course work.
The relevant study and examination regulations and module handbooks are used to complete this table.
Question:
What is the structure of the degree program at other universities?
What specializations are offered in the course at different universities?
Procedure:
The answers to these two questions can be easily combined. In order to record the structure and/or specializations of other universities, it is helpful to generate a table that focuses on the study structure and/or the respective specializations of the universities to be compared.
The study structure can be made tangible by entering the arrangement of modules and courses in the table. Modules are often grouped thematically and can include lectures, seminars, tutorials or practicals, which are shown in the table.
The following sections are also suitable
- Focus areas,
- rotation
- and study structure
are suitable for a brief overview. In this way, it is possible to clarify which specializations the respective university offers, the frequency with which these and other modules and/or courses are offered and the number of credit points involved.
It is helpful to look at the different specializations of the selected universities in order to further refine your profile. The first step is to determine the areas of focus. The second step is to look at the scope of the specializations and how often they are offered.
In the case of undergraduate Bachelor's degree programmes, it can also be made clear whether a single-subject, two-subject or three-subject Bachelor's degree is offered or what accompanying courses are provided.
The module handbooks and study and examination regulations also form the data basis here.
Question:
What is the name of similar degree programs at other universities?
What should the new degree program be called?
Procedure:
Especially when developing interdisciplinary or English-language Master's degree programs, the question of an appropriate name for the program arises. It is fundamentally important that a degree program is found by prospective students and that advertising reaches the target group. Further information on this can be found in the Student Marketing and Student Life Cycle Management toolbox.
In addition, the question arises as to how you want to position yourself in the field of existing degree programs. Depending on how extensively the environment has been dealt with so far, it may be worthwhile to examine the environment at the "superficial" level of the degree program titles.
For a planned English-language Master's degree course in the field of sustainability, an environment analysis was carried out with a focus on course names. Using German and English search terms (including sustain, nachhalt, transform, zukunft), the Accreditation Council's database was filtered for currently accredited degree programs in Germany.
The titles of the study programs were then displayed in word clouds. These clouds provided an insight into the naming of current study programs (see Fig. 1 word cloud "transition" and Fig. 2 word cloud "sustain")
For example, it turned out that the term "transition" was hardly ever used to name degree programs at the time of the research. Furthermore, an overview of the subject classification of degree programs with "sustain" in their title was created. Subsequently, degree programs that were considered to be very similar to the planned degree program on the basis of their title were examined in more detail. The aim was to see whether the intended name matched comparable degree programs.
Image: University of Kassel
Image: University of KasselQuestion:
What are the admission requirements for comparable degree programs in the field?
Procedure:
When it comes to determining or revising the admission requirements, it is worth taking a look at the environment, for example for degree programs that include language practice modules.
To find out whether there are universities that offer language courses for students without language skills in the language to be studied, we searched the HRK University Compass for comparable Bachelor's degree courses. On the universities' homepages, we researched both the information on the admission requirements and the language practice modules in the degree program. This enabled us to create an overview containing the following information:
- What language level is required? How must it be proven?
- Are there opportunities to catch up? If so, which ones?
- Do you have to organize the catching up of language skills yourself or does the university offer courses?
- Does the required language level correspond to the requirements for the first language practice module in the degree program?
- Can language skills that go beyond the requirements be credited or is it possible to enter an advanced language practice module?
- Are there adapted study plans for students with lower or higher language skills than required?
In addition to a comprehensive overview in text format, a streamlined table with the important information is also useful here, especially when analyzing many degree programs.
Question:
Do the admission requirements in the Master's program match the Bachelor's graduates?
Procedure:
For interdisciplinary Master's degree programs, it is worth conducting an environmental analysis to determine which Bachelor's graduates should be addressed by the new degree program. On the one hand, the necessary requirements for a successful entry into the Master's program are determined in the process of developing the degree program. On the other hand, in order to forecast demand, it is necessary to determine which graduates from one's own and other universities are potentially addressed by the new program. In this context, it must be clarified whether the respective graduates have the necessary prerequisites.
Depending on the study program, the environment should be narrowed down regionally or the European or international higher education area should also be included (especially in the case of English-language programs). In order to clarify the question of whether the necessary prerequisites are acquired during the course, the module handbook must usually be examined. As this is a very (time) consuming process, careful consideration should be given to which Bachelor's degree programs are included in the analysis. It is worth presenting the results of the research in table form in order to obtain an overview of any missing prerequisites. If it turns out that there is a gap between the prerequisites required for the Master's course and the skills acquired in the Bachelor's courses, the overview can form the basis for discussion on how to deal with the lack of fit. For example, study plans for students with missing prerequisites can be developed and published in advance.
To ensure permeability within the University of Kassel, the skills acquired in the Bachelor's degree should match the requirements of the corresponding Master's courses.
Question:
How have student numbers developed in the surrounding area?
Procedure:
Especially for the demand forecast, but also to be able to classify the (quantitative) relevance of the Kassel degree program, an overview of the development of the degree programs based on the number of first semester students, the total number of students, but also the number of graduates is helpful. The different sources are a challenge when compiling the data. Figures at federal and state level are provided by the respective statistics office. If you are interested in figures from individual universities, you need to check whether they are available on their homepages.
A compilation of the development of first semester numbers in the field of computer science at Hessian universities has shown, for example, that not all institutions publish comparable figures. It is therefore necessary to look at each individual case to see which figures are needed and whether these are made available. We recommend using the search function on the homepages of the individual universities under the keywords "Studierendenzahlen", "Studierendenstatistik", "Zahlenspiegel" or "Zahlen, Daten, Fakten".