Utilisation of Teaching Capacities

The data compiled for the calculation of admission numbers can be used to determine the degree in which the teaching resources of each Lehreinheit (teaching unit) are utilised. The indicator used for this is percentage ratio between the staff resources available to the Lehreinheit and the amount of teaching required to serve current students. All values are usually given per semester.

The information on teaching resources for each Lehreinheit is taken from HR data.

Parameters for the calculation of teaching demand include the Curricularwerte (curricular values) of the degree programmes, the shares that each teaching unit has in the programme, the number of enrolled students and the number of semesters needed to complete the programme.

Example (part 1):

• Course X takes 6 semesters to complete. 210 students are enrolled.
• The course's total curricular value is 1,7 SWS.
• Lehreinheit A has a share of 1,5 SWS.
• Lehreinheit B has a share of 0,2 SWS.

Both the curricular value and the shares of the participating Lehreinheiten refer to one individual student, and to the entire duration of the course. As a consequence, the average amount of teaching needed for one semester is determined by multiplying these figures by the number of students, and by subsequently dividing the result by the number of semesters.

Example (part 2): Average amount of teaching needed in course X in one semester:

• Lehreinheit A: 1,5 SWS x 210 / 6 = 52,5 SWS
• Lehreinheit B: 0,2 SWS x 210 / 6 = 52,5 SWS = 7 SWS

Similar calculations are made for each study programme, using the respective curricular values, semester and student numbers.

The demand from all study programmes that are served by a Lehreinheit adds up to the total teaching demand it needs to fulfill.

Example (part 3): Teaching required from Lehreinheit A, which serves three different prgrammes:

In order to calculate the utilization rate of a Lehreinheit, the teaching demand (D) is divided by the available teaching resources (S).

Example (part 4): Capacity utilisation of Lehreinheit A with 96 SWS teaching capacity:

D = S:  The utilization rate is 100 %, all teaching resources are fully used.

S > D: Teaching demand exceeds existing teaching resources. Class sizes are on average larger than standard. There may be a case for admissions restrictions. 

S < D. Teaching resources are not fully utilised. Class sizes are on average smaller than standard.