Quality management

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Strong research reference, already in modules in the first subject semesters.
• Students are trained to independently grasp and clearly analyze complex problem statements, to process them using adequate methods at the current state of science, and to solve them accordingly.
• High proportion of practical training (laboratory and field practicals, excursions, exercises) in the modules (at least 50%).
• The students have the opportunity to participate in the iGEM competition (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition). In this framework, they work independently in a team on a real research project and present their results at an international conference.
• Specific modules for the Master of Education were developed with a school-appropriate interlocking of subject science and subject didactics.

Perspective

• Establishment of courses in which students learn the responsible use of AI tools.
• Teaching staff are supported in the use of AI for teaching.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Statistics was removed from the original module “Statistics, Theory of Science and Ethics” and established as a separate module, so that in the new module “Theory of Science and Ethics,” the topic of “Good Scientific Practice” has significantly more space, and all students receive a solid introduction to the subject already in the bachelor’s studies.
• Rules of scientific record-keeping and data analysis are addressed and practiced in all specialization modules.
• In research internships, the project modules in the bachelor’s and master’s studies, and in the final theses, students learn the practical implementation of the rules of good scientific practice under individual supervision.
• For doctoral students, an e-learning course is offered by the University of Freiburg, in which the topic is treated in a further expanded and deepened manner.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Interactive lectures promote the active engagement with scientific content.
• The high proportion of practical learning forms—often carried out in teamwork—promotes problem-solving competence.
• Students address current research questions in their research internships and final theses. In doing so, they learn to independently familiarize themselves with a topic new to them, to critically evaluate researched information, to develop and implement solution strategies for research questions, and to critically evaluate their results. In this process, they are supported by their supervisor in 1:1 communication.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

• Biology as such is already an interdisciplinary field in which scientists from various directions are active ((bio)chemists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, biologists). Interdisciplinarity is therefore inherent to the study of biology.
• This is also reflected in the thematic breadth of the modules. In addition to the “biological” basic modules, students take modules in chemistry, mathematics, and physics amounting to 42 ECTS points.
• Networking with other faculties and research institutions: cooperation in teaching with UNR and Medicine, MPI-IE, State Viticultural Institute, Excellence Clusters, Collaborative Research Centres (SFBs), and research groups.
• Within the framework of elective modules, students can choose modules from the entire range of courses offered by the university. In this context, the BOK offerings of the ZfS are indispensable.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

During the study of biology, students are familiarized with the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills necessary for a professional activity as a biologist in the broad spectrum of possible work areas. In industry (especially in the areas of pharmaceuticals, plant protection, and biotechnology), biologists work in research and development, sales and marketing, controlling, and strategic fields. Biologists are active in various research fields at universities and at state and semi-state institutions. Furthermore, they are needed, for example, in environmental and nature conservation, plant protection, patent and documentation systems, or with publishers. As teachers, they work in the education sector at schools. The possibilities for employment in a variety of very different fields of work mean that the biology study program cannot be unilaterally aligned with a fixed professional profile, but must enable as much freedom as possible in the choice of specialization directions, focuses, possible key qualifications, and elective modules.

The following characteristics of our degree programs enable our students to acquire transferable competencies:

• High proportion of practical training (laboratory and field practicals, excursions, exercises) in the modules (at least 50%).
• Working in small groups in the practical courses improves their teamwork skills.
• In the specialization modules in the 5th subject semester of the bachelor’s degree programs, examinations consist predominantly of scientific reports (protocols) and seminar presentations, the two pillars of professional scientific communication.
• Commitment to the full university: students can freely choose a certain proportion of their studies from the entire range of courses at the university and thus design their individual study profile.

The following measures support our students in their professional orientation:

• The curriculum provides for the recognition of professional internships as study achievements within the framework of profile modules (B.Sc.) and elective modules (M.Sc.).
• The student council organizes the annual event “B³ – Professional Profiles for Biologists,” where biologists active in various areas present their career paths and professional daily routines.
• We advertise, for example, events of the Biotechnological Students’ Initiative (https://gs.bts-ev.de/freiburg/): With cooperation partners and representatives from industry or academia, the BtS organizes various workshops, seminars, and excursions for students and thus creates interfaces between industry and students.
• We advertise the offers of the Central Student Advisory Service for professional orientation.
• We advertise the online events of the vBIO on the topics of “Professional Orientation” and “Soft Skills.”
• Individual study and career advice is provided to students by the subject study advisory service and the Central Student Advisory Service.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

• The professional diversity of the courses and teachers in the bachelor’s studies promotes the flexibility and adaptability of the students.
• The numerous options for choice in the studies and in the preparation of final theses promote the self-responsibility and independence of the students.
• Expansion of participation within the framework of EUCOR – The European Campus – enables the attendance of courses at partner universities and the experience of different educational cultures.
• Trinational specialization in Biotechnology is possible in the Bachelor’s and Master’s.
• Structured mobility abroad is organized via various programs (Erasmus program, RISE, Promos etc.).
• In the case of individual mobility activities, students are supported by central and decentralized study advisory services as well as the IO regarding financing.
• In the bachelor’s degree programs, the 5th subject semester is suitable for one-semester stays abroad, as students can keep larger time windows free by choosing the corresponding modules. Full-year stays abroad are only possible after the end of the 5th subject semester.
• Semesters abroad can be taken in the M.Sc. Biology without major problems in the 2nd or 3rd semester.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Didactic qualification and willingness for didactic further training is an important criterion when hiring teaching staff.
• Participation in higher education didactic further training events is a condition for habilitation.
• The degree program coordination offers advice and information on didactic further training.
• Higher education didactic further training is increasingly utilized by younger teachers.
• Consistent quality management as a follow-up process of the evaluation, including individual discussions with teachers if necessary.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Many lectures contain concrete examples from research.
• Students are introduced to reading and critically discussing current publications of research results in literature seminars already in the bachelor’s studies.
• Students have the opportunity, already in the bachelor’s studies, to collaborate on concrete research projects within the framework of profile modules and final theses, and thus learn scientific methods, the design and documentation of experiments, as well as the handling and evaluation of scientific data.
• The students have the opportunity to participate in the iGEM competition (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition) and are supported in this by lecturers of the faculty. In this framework, they work independently in a team on a real research project of their own choice and present their results at an international conference.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• The module handbooks contain formulated learning objectives for all courses.
• The learning objectives are formulated according to the taxonomy by Bloom (1973) and express what the students can (should) be able to do after completing the module. The forms of examination are aligned with these learning objectives.
• The course formats serve the achievement of the learning objectives.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

• The use of digital teaching methods has increased significantly in biology, as in all faculties, due to the COVID period and is now firmly anchored in the faculty and well coordinated with the university’s digitalization strategy.
• Support for teachers who wish to introduce digital teaching methods is offered by the degree program coordination and the e-learning department at the computing center.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Online preparatory and refresher courses including supporting tutorials before the start of studies, especially in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, facilitate the entry into the studies.
• Mandatory exercises in natural science basic subjects to build up a learning strategy accompanying the semester.
• A demand-based offer of places in all compulsory courses and sufficient places in the elective area.
• Studyability is central to the scheduling of courses.
• When planning examination dates, appropriate time windows for exam preparation are observed.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• First-semester introduction week, organized by the student council.
• Regular information events by the subject study advisory service on the next study phase.
• Regular information e-mails regarding registration deadlines and exam registration deadlines.
• Service portal “Information on Studies” on ILIAS with information material, videos, and FAQ forum on study organization.
• Service-oriented examination office with short processing times and unbureaucratic examination administration.
• Short distances and close interlocking of study advisory, study coordination, and the examination office (on one corridor).
• Daily office hours of the subject study advisory and Erasmus advisory services.
• Daily office hours of the student council.
• In the case of individual mobility activities, students are supported by central and decentralized study advisory services as well as the IO regarding financing.
• The module handbooks are viewable online even from outside the university and allow a detailed look at the study contents, learning goals, and requirements of the individual modules (https://uni-freiburg.de/bio-en/studies/mhb/).
• The communication options for students are diverse. In addition to personal contact, year-group groups operated by the student council in messenger services are available to them. Furthermore, the student council uses social media for its public relations and networking. The learning platform ILIAS can be used for communication within individual courses and/or modules. A large number of modules are accompanied by voluntary tutorials. These support the students in structuring the teaching material and offer the possibility to ask about and discuss specific content. Students often organize themselves into study groups, making studying a communal experience. For this purpose, the student council’s own libraries with group study rooms as well as the Botanical Garden are important interactive learning sites.
• The student council organizes the annual event “B³ – Professional Profiles for Biologists,” where biologists active in various areas present their career paths and professional daily routines.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Through continuous reinvestments, there is good technical equipment of the lecture, seminar, and course rooms.
• The QSM (Quality Support Measures) that are transferred to the basic budget of the faculty according to Perspective 2020 continue to be used by the Study Commission specifically for teaching.
• Own faculty libraries for specialist literature and textbooks provide the necessary literature and serve as a place of learning.
• The degree program coordination takes over all study-organizational work (creation of the course catalogue while avoiding scheduling conflicts, examination planning, recording the fulfillment of the individual teaching obligation, preparation and implementation of student evaluations etc.), so that the teachers can spend their time on the preparation of teaching content and learning goals.
• Zoological exhibition collection, Botanical Garden including greenhouses and open-air experimental areas at the airfield serve as places of teaching and learning.
• There is a group study room, which is exclusively reserved for use by the students.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

• Biology is a living and future-shaping science with high technological, economic, and societal relevance; therefore, a continuous review or adaptation of the curriculum and the teaching contents to current developments in research and society takes place, with a focus on evidence- and fact-based knowledge acquisition.

Perspective: what will we do in this area in the future?

• An orientation of the study offer towards the needs of science, society, and students has long been one of the quality goals of the faculty, but has gained relevance in recent years, as the dynamic further and new development of research methods that generate and evaluate large amounts of data requires an adaptation of the study offer in order to adequately train students in dealing with large amounts of data.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• Strong involvement of student representatives (Fachschaft) in the implementation of improvement measures and the conception of new teaching formats, courses, and degree programs.
• The faculty uses the following instruments for quality assurance in studies and teaching:
  • annual teaching report, which is presented and discussed in the Study Commission and Faculty Council.
  • centrally organized student course and module evaluation (online via EvaSys).
  • public evaluation reports (without free-text answers; no personal data) under https://uni-freiburg.de/bio-en/studies/qm/.
  • cyclic exam sessions of the Study Commission and module coordinators: strength-weakness analysis of the module evaluations, measures taken, and the effect of changes.
  • lecturer plenary meetings: discussion of far-reaching changes to the study regulations or other teaching-related aspects, presentation of innovative teaching-learning-examination formats.
  • Accreditation: The B.Sc. Biology and M.Sc. Biology degree programs were first program-accredited in 2014 and were approved until 2020. In 2022, delayed due to corona, the internal re-accreditation of all degree programs of the Faculty of Biology took place, and they were approved until September 2029.
• Quality cycles are documented in a more structured and goal-oriented manner.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• very important

Implementation

• International students and teachers are perceived as an enrichment.
• Internationalization through English-language teaching offers in the Master’s degree programs.

Perspective

• Diversity has been understood in the past primarily in terms of international variety. Further development is required here to bring the dimensions of gender diversity and students with different impairments more strongly into focus. It is planned to address this topic regularly in the lecturer meetings and to sensitize teachers to how to handle this topic. In this process, feedback, wishes, and suggestions from the student council (Fachschaft) on the topic of Diversity should particularly be taken into account.
• Translation of the module handbooks of the bachelor’s degree programs into English.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

• Disadvantage compensation for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses is regulated in the examination regulations in all degree programs.
• In addition, for students with health impairments or “care” obligations, flexible solutions are always sought for problems with course formats or dates.
• Barrier-free excursions for students with walking impairments.
• Individual advice for affected persons by the subject study advisory service.

Relevance: How important is this area for us?

• rather important

Implementation

• In the bachelor’s degree programs (B.Sc.), the 5th subject semester is suitable for one-semester stays abroad, as students can keep larger time windows free by choosing the corresponding modules. Full-year stays abroad are only possible after the end of the 5th subject semester.
• Semesters abroad can be taken in the M.Sc. Biology without major problems in the 2nd or 3rd semester.
• Master’s theses abroad are easily possible within the framework of international research collaborations.