Project data

Project name:	Quality Pact for Teaching - Q3 Diversity
Running time:	01/2017 - 12/2019
Project organiser:
Project management:	Prof Dr Cordula Borbe Prof Dr Sebastian Möller-Dreischer
Employee:
Project partners:
Funding amount:
Third-party donors:	Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Summary of the project

Funded by the Teaching Quality Pact, the project deals with the question of how diversity can be better addressed and implemented as a topic at the university and in society in the form of measures, awareness-raising, research, etc.

In 2019, the position focussed on working on the "Diversity" action plan with a focus on implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. To this end, needs were identified in a participatory process with members and interest groups of the university as well as in networking with external organisations and other universities. These were translated into over 30 individual measures in six fields of action to be tackled by the university from 2019 to 2021. In the course of this, diversity was identified and promoted as an important cross-cutting issue in university development.

As part of the implementation of the action plan, a study was designed to collect equality and diversity data (with a focus on students with disabilities and chronic illnesses), further training on the topic of "diversity-friendly teaching" was organised for qualification purposes, and public relations work was carried out on the topic of "diversity".

As part of the project, the introductory study week (STEW) at the university was further developed following initial experiences after a new conceptualisation in the previous year. As the moment of first contact between new students and the university, STEW plays a central role in the further course of studies. The further training is a 6.5-hour training course for tutors, in which they are prepared to accompany new first-year students to a successful start to their university life. Building on the previous year's evaluation, the focus of the training was changed slightly and the point of "critical thinking" and critical reflection was strengthened and the topic of "academic work", which was still rather abstract in the first week of study, was weakened.

In addition, content-related and supportive work with students, student groups such as Amnesty International and the student counselling service, and teaching staff, as well as raising awareness of the topic of diversity at the university, was an important part of the work. This included participation in the "Achtung und Respekt - Für mich! For you! For everyone!", which was organised by the Thuringian Equality Competence Network in 2019 and in which Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences also took part. During this week, students on the "Public Management" degree programme received further training on the topic of "Diversity in administration" and attended a film screening. Other events were also supported, such as the excursion week, during which the project employee accompanied a group of students.

Furthermore, there was continuous cooperation with the university's Equal Opportunities Officer and Press and Public Relations Officer as well as support for the newly created position of Diversity Officer at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences with regard to the planning, organisation and implementation of measures for the family-friendly and diversity-sensitive design of studies, academic careers, working conditions and administrative work as well as public relations. Collaboration with external networks was also promoted. This resulted in cooperation with the Thuringian Equality Competence Network, but above all, the connection to the newly founded network of diversity officers at Thuringian universities was strengthened.

International networking also took place: in 2019, support was provided for the "JEU" project, which connects Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences with a number of European partner institutions. JEU is a cooperation between NGOs and universities from seven European countries with the aim of helping to create a more inclusive and respectful Europe. It does this by raising awareness and empowering young people and teachers on topics such as European citizenship, gender equality and environmental protection. Over a period of three years, "serious games", educational video games, will be developed for young people in middle and upper secondary schools. These games will then be played in classroom contexts in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal, Poland and Germany. The project is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Agency.