CHE Consult | News

 

Archiv

Analysis of university websites: Foreign prospective students find a lot of information

09 March 2020

On behalf of the CHE Centre for Higher Education Development, CHE Consult has analysed the websites of universities. For this purpose, personas were developed, of  five ideal-type prospective students who were interested in studying business administration. With reference to the personas, a questionnaire consisting of 69 individual questions was created, with which a sample of 32 university websites could be tested. The publication “Hochschulwebsites für heterogene Zielgruppen – Mit Personas Websites strategisch gestalten”, in addition to the analysis, contains eight central recommendations for action.

On behalf of the CHE Centre for Higher Education Development, CHE Consult has analysed the websites of universities. For this purpose, personas were developed for five ideal-typical prospective students who were interested in studying business administration. With reference to the personas, a questionnaire consisting of 69 individual questions was created, with which a sample of 32 university websites could be tested. The publication “Hochschulwebsites für heterogene Zielgruppen – Mit Personas Websites strategisch gestalten” contains eight central recommendations for action in addition to the analysis. (As above)

German universities respond to the individual information needs of prospective students on their websites to varying degrees. Foreign applicants are informed quite comprehensively. Persons without a school leaving certificate, on the other hand, find answers to relevant questions on the websites of the universities to a much lesser extent. This is shown by an analysis of the CHE Centre for Higher Education Development.

In light of the more than 20,000 courses of study currently on offer at around 400 German universities, orientation for prospective students is more important than ever. In addition to comparative overviews such as rankings or the Higher Education Compass, the websites of the universities serve a central orientation function.

A CHE analysis shows that German universities largely satisfy the information needs of foreign applicants. On average, a typical applicant from abroad receives answers to three quarters of relevant questions on the university websites. The situation is considerably worse for potential applicants without a high school diploma.

For the analysis, the CHE created five fictitious applicant profiles as representatives of typical target groups and developed a specific questionnaire for each. A random sample was used to determine which of these questions could be answered by research on the websites of selected universities. Universities of varying types and sizes were considered in the sample.

The ideal applicant profiles have proven to be very insightful. The remarkable insight they produced is that state universities tend to focus more on the special situation of students with children, from abroad or persons with a strong interest in research. Students without a high school diploma or with a more pragmatic and everyday-oriented view of their studies will find less relevant information on the net.

Private universities, according to the results of the sample, offer less concrete information on the net. The authors see a possible explanation for this finding in the fact that private universities pursue the strategy of quickly entering into direct dialogue with potential students and therefore do not attempt to answer as many questions as possible on the internet.

“It is a positive sign that at some universities the diversity on campus is also reflected in the specifically prepared information offered on the website”, co-author Ulrich Müller said, evaluating the results. “After all, what good is the best course of study if potential applicants do not feel they are being addressed with the relevant information and their questions are not being taken up,” says the head of political analysis at CHE.

The authors see potential for improvement in the structure of the websites. In many cases, the structure of the university itself, for example in terms of their faculties or departments, also dominates the structure of the website. However, this logic is not immediately comprehensible to prospective students and makes it more difficult to find relevant information or may lead to redundancies and contradictions.

One of the eight central recommendations of the analysis is therefore the organisation of university websites according to the specific needs of target groups. The use of fictitious profiles, so-called personas, as used in the CHE analysis, can provide valuable assistance here.

“The diversity among students will continue to increase,” predicts CHE expert Ulrich Müller. “Especially universiiesthat are located far from urban centers,, which have to fight harder for students, can score points with well-prepared information offers on the internet for specific target groups”, says Müller.

Erasmus+ Higher Education Impact Study

16 February 2020

CHE Consult and ICF Consulting have jointly prepared the Erasmus+ Higher Education Impact Study from January 2017 to April 2019. The study measures and analyses the impact that the Erasmus+ programme has on students who study abroad with the programme. It focuses on the development of individual competences, employability and a common European identity. In addition, the study analyses the effects of Erasmus+ mobility on the use of innovative teaching and learning methods by academic staff and the effects of the programme on institutions.

The study examined four main target groups and several subgroups: Erasmus+ students before and after their stay abroad, graduates with Erasmus+ experience, academic and non-academic staff and institutions involved in Erasmus+ projects. The results of the study are based on almost 77,000 responses. The participants include 47,000 students, 12,000 graduates and 10,000 employees of institutions.

During their stay abroad, Erasmus+ students explore what they would like to do in their lives. They experience new teaching and learning methods and strive for higher educational qualifications than non-mobile students. More than 70% of students say that they have a better idea of what they want to do in their future career after they participate in the Erasmus+ programme abroad. One quarter said they had reoriented their studies after the stay, with the experience abroad helping them. Erasmus+ also has an impact on students‘ personal life: One in five graduates said they met their partners during the Erasmus+ period abroad.

Erasmus+ students improved their labour market-related skills and their competences in terms of social cohesion. 9 out of 10 of the students interviewed said that they had improved in terms of adaptability, interaction with people from other cultures, communication skills and problem-solving abilities. More than half improved their digital literacy. 9 out of 10 graduates report that they use the skills and experience acquired during their Erasmus+ study in their current job. In terms of personal development, social engagement and openness to other cultures, Erasmus+ has a stronger impact than other mobility programmes.

Graduates with Erasmus+ experience find a job slightly faster than the control group without mobility experience in their studies. 3 out of 4 graduates with Erasmus+ experience believe that the stay abroad was beneficial in finding theirjob after graduation. 40 percent of those who completed an internship in the framework of Erasmus+ were offered an employment contract by the company at which they completed their placement.

Erasmus+ Academic mobility also improves the teaching and learning practices, as well as the broad skills and competences of higher education staff. 43% of academic staff who taught or learned abroad through the Erasmus+ programme integrated at least one new teaching method into their work, such as work-based learning for example. 60 per cent of teachers who participate in Erasmus+ at some point involve employees of companies in their teaching. This is a significantly higher proportion than the control group of teachers without corresponding experience abroad, where this happens in 40 percent of cases. The effects go beyond the change in participants’ practice. More than 80 per cent of the employees who are mobile abroad state that Erasmus+ has led to improvements in the development of innovative curricula and modern teaching practices in their faculty or department.

Market and potential analyses for eight study courses at the TH OWL

23 January 2020

CHE Consult has conducted market and potential analyses for eight courses of study at the OWL Technical University. The courses examined are the established Bachelor’s degree courses in Open Space Management and Precision Farming, as well as the planned Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses in the fields of mechanical engineering,mechatronics, production and wood technology and energy and climate protection were examined.

The aim of the analyses was to provide insights for the decision on the introduction or further development of the study programmes and to create a basis for a marketing concept that takes into account both the demand and supply situation of the study programmes.

CHE Consult project manager Laura Wallor explains: “Universities are faced with the challenge of differentiating themselves from their competitors with their range of courses, while at the same time attempting to satisfy the interests of students and the labour market. Especially in the engineering sciences, many universities are struggling with declining numbers of first-year students, which stands at odds with the high demand for engineering graduates on the labour market and changing requirements as society becomes more digital. A data-based analysis can support the development of study programmes and marketing measures.“

The market and potential analyses examined general developments at the university and in the region. In addition, CHE Consult analysed each study programme with regard to student demand, relevant competitors and the demand for graduates on the labour market, including the specific requirements that employers are setting for graduates.

To this end, CHE Consult researched and evaluated quantitative and qualitative data and conducted guideline-based interviews with students and employers in the region. The results were summarised and presented in reports specific to the study programme. In addition, CHE Consult presented findings from a synopsis of the individual analyses to the presidential board.

“The results of the analysis provided by CHE Consult allow us to take an objective view of the potential of the new study programmes. The analysis of the specific target groups provides valuable information on sensible focal points in the design of the curricula and for the development of targeted marketing measures,” says Yvonne-Christin Bartel, Vice President for Education and Internationalization at the OWL Technical University.

Study Science Metropolis Hamburg

21 January 2020

Together with the Austrian Institute for Economic Research and on behalf of the “Academy of Sciences Hamburg”, CHE Consult has developed a study that shows how Hamburg can become the “Science Metropolis of the North”. Science is increasingly an important factor in ensuring economic prosperity. What has Hamburg achieved so far and how does the Hamburg metropolitan region compare with other metropolitan regions? The results were presented in Hamburg.

In a comparison of the 50 most important European metropolitan regions, Hamburg’s economy and thus the city’s competitiveness is falling continuously. In order to counteract this development, a consistent increase in research and innovation intensity in Hamburg is necessary.

To this end, the study recommends that Hamburg’s science policymakers develop a long-term, non-partisan and binding overall concept. Higher Education Institutions should be systematically expanded and given greater financial support. Cooperation between scientific institutions and with companies should be strengthened. Research funding should concentrate on clusters that promise economic success. In principle, Hamburg must understand and present itself as a city of science. This could be achieved if the city had the political courage and prioritisation of science to counteract the impending structural change.

The comparison of the metropolitan regions of Hamburg, Berlin, Copenhagen, Munich and Rhine-Main takes into account not only economic data, but also criteria such as research cooperations, patent applications, land policy, university start-ups, etc. and shows that determined science policy can significantly increase the competitiveness of metropolitan regions. As a city once dominated by its port, trade and logistics, Hamburg is one of the most deindustrialised metropolitan regions in Europe.

It is precisely against this background that the importance of science is increasing for Hamburg’s economic power and for securing the city’s prosperity, according to the authors of the study. Hamburg has already taken important steps in recent years and has achieved great success in the Excellence Initiative. However, in order for science to make a decisive contribution to Hamburg’s competitiveness, much more must be invested and the general conditions must be improved. In contrast to comparable regions, the general importance of science has not yet been sufficiently recognised by politics and society in Hamburg.

The study was made possible by funding from the Kühne Foundation, the Joachim Herz Foundation, the Körber Foundation, the Zeit Foundation, the German Chemical Industry Association, Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG as well as the corporate association AGA. The study was initiated by Klaus von Dohnanyi, Wilfried Mayer and Wolfgang Peiner.