Bachelor's students give Kassel University better grades than ever before

This is the third time that the University of Kassel has surveyed its Bachelor students. The results show a clear trend: Whereas in 2010, shortly after the introduction of the new degree programs, only 27 percent of respondents were (very) satisfied, by 2013 the figure had risen to 49 percent. Now the figure has risen once again to 55 percent. At the same time, the proportion of those who expressed negative opinions fell from 30 percent to 15 percent and now 12 percent. In previous years, teacher training and master's students at the University of Kassel had also given good marks in other surveys, so that a positive picture now emerges across all types of degree.

Bachelor's students now rated "access to compulsory courses" (2.2 on a grading scale of 1 to 5), "cooperation with fellow students" (2.3), "coordination of content in modules" (2.4) and "availability of literature" (2.4) particularly well. The most significant improvement compared to 2010 was seen in the evaluation of the "number of participants in courses" (from 3.5 to 2.9). Among the few negatively rated items was the "space available for self-study and group work" (3.6). 

"The results show: The University of Kassel is an excellent place to study," Vice President Prof. Dr. Andreas Hänlein was pleased to say. "We take this as evidence that we have now coped well with the conversion of degree programs to the bachelor's/master's system. We have also found viable answers to the challenges of rising student numbers in recent years, for example by hiring additional scientists and ensuring good quality management of the degree programs." For the coming years, the university expects a further improvement in the study situation through the completion of new buildings. For example, the new building for architecture, urban planning and landscape planning, a self-study center, and the remodeling of the library are currently creating more space for reading, studying and working.

2,091 students took part in the survey in the 2015 summer semester, which corresponds to 18 percent of all bachelor students. Hardly any other university surveys its students as comprehensively and in such detail as the University of Kassel, which collaborates with the International Centre for Higher Education Research (INCHER-Kassel) for this purpose.

Download graphic:
http://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2015/Grafik_Zufrieden.png
http://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2015/grafik_Zufrieden.jpg

Link to the current BA Survey:
http://www.uni-kassel.de/themen/survey.html

Link to the Master Survey, the Teacher Survey and the older Bachelor Surveys:
http://www.uni-kassel.de/themen/lehr-und-studienqualitaet/instrumente-der-qualitaetssicherung/dialog/survey/survey.html

Image (Photo: Blafield) at:
http://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2014/Semsterstart.jpg

Contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communication, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de