Why quality enhancement?
In line with HMT Leipzig's claim to excellence, optimising the provision of services and the effective use of resources are central objectives of the university. To further systematically establish and develop excellence, HMT Leipzig is therefore setting up a quality enhancement system.
The basic assumption here is that the responsibility for the quality of a service lies primarily with the person or persons involved in the respective service. This is a fundamental principle of the university. The task of quality management is therefore to support the respective service providers in improving the quality of their work results.
The quality concept
Quality, generally defined as the degree to which defined objectives are achieved, is a multidimensional construct in the higher education sector. The evaluation reflects the interests and expectations of the stakeholder groups involved (applicants, students, teaching staff, employees, potential employers, the state, society, etc.). In addition to the professional standards, HMT Leipzig's mission statement, the university development plan and the state and constitutional framework conditions must therefore be used as the basis for defining the quality objectives. Furthermore, the system for quality development at HMT Leipzig is orientated towards the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015).
The objectives or quality criteria can relate to the result, the processes and/or the structures, between which there are diverse conditions and interdependencies.
The System
The quality enhancement system should cover the following areas (including cross-cutting tasks such as inclusion and equality):
- Teaching and studies,
- artistic practice and research,
- Services (central departments, administration, including quality management itself).
To this end, feedback cycles are established for these areas and implemented systematically and according to plan. In this respect, quality development is understood as a continuous task that includes the planning, implementation, review and further development (PDCA cycle or Deming circle) of services, processes and structures.
