How do our students experience their everyday student life? Knowing this is crucial for improving the quality of studying and teaching at the University of Passau. The Quality Development Section regularly conducts surveys at different points in the student life cycle to gain a comprehensive picture of the student experience at the University of Passau.
In the final phase of their studies, students can reflect on their entire programme and give us comprehensive feedback on their experiences at the University. This enables us to determine areas where we are doing well and where there is a need for improvement. The survey carried out in summer semester 2025 provided valuable information on where students would like to see changes.
Below, these measures are presented by faculty/institution and topic.
| Potential for improvement | Planned measures |
|---|---|
| Opening hours: | Targeted extension of opening hours (during exam periods and weekends/public holidays) and timely communication |
| Electronic resources: | Increasing the visibility of digital offerings (quick reference guides, training, usability of the Search Portal) and prioritised closure of gaps in the core packages |
| Loan periods: | More flexible and longer loan periods during the exam periods (more lenient lending terms; automatic reminders) |
| Potential for improvement | Planned measures |
|---|---|
| Practical orientation: | The number of practical phases is prescribed by LPO I (state teacher education regulation) and cannot be changed by the University. The following more extensive and more closely supervised internship formats are offered, such as the Teaching Workshop, the Exercitium Paedagogicum and the Model Curriculum (MC), which can be fully credited towards compulsory practice teaching. A new model project (PrepMe) for secondary school (Mittelschule) teaching will be launched in summer semester 2026. |
| State Examination (Staatsexamen) system: | Possible Bachelor’s and Master’s structures for teacher education are being reviewed; however, the legal prerequisites for replacing the State Examination are currently not in place. This would need to be integrated into a Bachelor's and Master's structure. |
| Preparation for the State Examination (Staatsexamen): | The University is working on expanding the exam preparation offerings and their visibility. |
| Organisation and communication: | The programme coordinators provide support with questions about study planning. Additionally, the University will be introducing factsheets to help students avoid common errors and missed deadlines. Moreover, a regular exam preparation information event is held, providing guidance on how to organise studies and exams. |
| Subject-specific teaching methods and classroom practice training on inclusive education and behaviour management strategies: | Additional courses on this topic are currently being offered as part of the BAS!S 2.0 project |
| Contact methods and support from the Teacher Education Programme section of the Examinations Office: | The Examinations Office has put the direct contact details of examinations officers online again and the examinations officers offer daily telephone hours. |
| Potential for improvement | Planned measures |
|---|---|
| Exam organisation: | Resit exams were phased out at SoBiF (previously PhilF) due to lack of demand. The two-week withdrawal deadline is considered adequate, although exceptions have been made when circumstances warranted them. Extending the withdrawal deadline would disrupt the centrally organised examination process and cause unnecessary additional costs. To avoid overlaps and to ensure that exam dates are announced in good time, the faculty coordinates closely with the KSL unit (Ms Will). Unavoidable overlaps occur in part due to courses being attended in parallel. In future, self-organised examinations should take place in the last or penultimate session if possible, so that any overlaps become transparent. |
| Transparency of central processes, e.g. in connection with dissertations and theses: | For the past three semesters, SoBiF has maintained a continuously updated list of examiners by sub-discipline and module that can be viewed online. Module assignments and responsibilities are clearly set out and published on the faculty website. |
| Course offering/didactics: | At the SoBiF, research and teaching are closely interlinked; project staff and postdoctoral habilitation candidates also teach, and the teaching load for LfBAs (specialised instructors) is to be moderately reduced in order to strengthen research. This keeps course content up to date; professional training measures and cooperation with the ZLF ensure modern teaching practices. Digital courses are standardised via the LEVSa (regulation on teaching obligations), with face-to-face teaching taking precedence; materials are usually made available on Stud.IP. Restrictions on repeat opportunities and module catalogues are the result of the challenging current budget situation of the University of Passau. |
| Practical and professional relevance: | With the JoKo and Stawi Bachelor's programmes and the Teacher Education Programmes, SoBiF already offers strongly practice-oriented programmes. Practical work is also at the centre of further development; projects, workshops and collaborations with external partners regularly take place with the involvement of students. |
| Potential for improvement | Planned measures |
|---|---|
Preparation for the State Examination (Staatsexamen): | Study subsidies enable individual coaching and additional training for candidates who have initially failed their State Examination once. In the exam preparation course, attention is paid to a wide range of topics, corrections are made neutrally, and "UniRep Online" with AI self-training is also available. Transparency and streamlined processes are promoted through revised study regulations (StuPO), a fresh new website, regular circulars by e-mail, weekly consultation hours and a fortnightly student roundtable. Open learning spaces, supervised self-study groups, pseudonymous online forums and a commented, regularly updated degree programme outline make it easier for students to find their bearings. Registration for the State Examination is now done through the Campus Portal; the option to write exams on personal computers and practice sessions using state-provided notebooks – mirroring actual exam conditions – have been introduced as trial runs. |
| Structural reforms: | Passau has been offering the "LL.B. Legal Tech" programme since 2020. According to the State Ministry, a fully integrated Bachelor of Laws programme is only possible following full accreditation (pursuant to BayStudAkkV), and cannot be offered as an additional degree supplementing the State Examination. Under the Die Welt ist mein Campus ("The world is my campus”) initiative, a practice-driven, research-based degree programme is under development. A comprehensive concept is being prepared independently of funding considerations. An "automatic" concurrent/double degree requires legal measures, as is currently the case in Baden-Württemberg; otherwise a new additional degree programme is necessary. The revised study and examination regulation (effective 1 February 2026) addresses key points of criticism; a study reform commission is examining further measures with the involvement of all stakeholders. |
| General conditions: | The University and the Faculty offer a wide range of support programmes for mental stress; the student society "Kopfsache" is also involved in this area. Single Sign-on will be rolled out for the online portals of the Faculty of Law, so that they are (even) better linked to the University's other portals (Stud.IP, Ilias, Campus Portal). |
| Potential for improvement | Planned measures |
|---|---|
| Exam organisation: | Procedures for reducing exam overlaps were introduced in several faculties. |
| Communication and information: | New information formats for international students, along with a restructuring of welcome events, have been scheduled for implementation. |
| Course offering and didactics: | The module catalogues are reviewed and updated on an annual basis. This process has been improved to enhance the presentation of content, course offering and credit eligibility. |
| Practical and professional relevance: | Internship opportunities have been introduced in the B.Sc. Digital Transformation in Business and Society degree programme. |
The results have been discussed with the student committee. Following careful consideration, the faculty has determined no specific measures are currently warranted.
The findings obtained will be compared against previous – particularly, faculty-specific – surveys and additionally discussed with the student representatives. The identified needs for optimisation in the degree programme architecture will be taken into account in more detail in the planning and implementation of the degree programme reform (including the design and introduction of new Master’s degree programmes).
