KIWi Compass

Quality of academic partner institutions

© DAAD

Definition of the Criterion

What is meant by ‘Quality of academic partner institutions’?

Key Questions

A. Reputation of the foreign higher education institution

  • Where does the institution stand in international and national rankings, where available?
  • Is information available on how many publications there are in peer-reviewed journals?
  • How much research funding has the partner institution been able to raise from national and international third parties?

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B. Quality of teaching and research

  • Is adequate basic funding available? How significant is third-party funding, such as funding from tuition fees and research commissions?
  • How does the institution guarantee the freedom of teaching and research?
  • Do disadvantaged groups have sufficient access to the institution?
  • Which academic issues does the partner institution focus on? Does it demonstrate excellence in research in any academic departments?
  • Which fields present particularly high levels of complementarity with your own institution?
  • What particular opportunities arise from access to equipment, field research options or rights to award doctorates where these are not available in your own institution?
  • Does the higher education institution belong to regional research or innovation clusters on which your institution can capitalise?
  • Does the higher education institution transparently communicate the selection and assessment criteria for scholarships and co-funding, where appropriate? Are selection decisions made in a professional and transparent way?

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C. Internationalisation

  • Has the foreign higher education or research institution developed an internationalisation strategy?
  • Does the internationalisation strategy prioritise cooperation with Germany, with your own academic discipline or with your type of institution (universities of applied sciences)?
  • Is the strategy being implemented? Are there any resources and incentives for internationalisation?

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Notes on the sub-criteria

A. Reputation

The position of a partner higher education institution in international and national rankings offers an initial way into this question. It is important here to scrutinise the selection criteria and weightings applied, as these can cause considerable variation in the different ranking positions. Some rankings weight on marketing aspects heavily (Webometrics, for example) but say little about quality, although such aspects may make a difference to the partner’s regional reputation. Of greater importance in academic circles are the scope and frequency of an institution’s publishing activities and its fundraising for research.

One-to-one conversations with representatives of the DAAD’s global network and headquarters staff, which can be arranged through the Centre for International Academic Cooperation hotline and ticket system, are a good opportunity to find out about the reputation of a foreign higher education institution. The DAAD provides further support for higher education institutions through the regional peer-to-peer events arranged by the Centre for International Academic Cooperation, as well as country-specific services provided by the International DAAD Academy, which facilitates exchange with specific higher education institutions abroad.

It is also possible to obtain information from higher education associations and funding institutions in partner countries about the higher education landscape and the reputations of higher education and research institutions in that host country. The ‘education partnerships and partner organisations’ and ‘relevant institutions’ chapters of the DAAD Education System Analyses (BSA and BSAi) are particularly relevant sources of information about partner countries in this regard. The chapters cover major international education providers and their activities, key partner organisations of German institutions, potential partner institutions, responsible funding bodies and intermediaries, higher education associations and stakeholders.

In many cases cooperation comes about through professional contacts between individuals. Information contained in bibliometric databases may be referred to in order to assess individual research profiles. Examples of these are the databases of peer-reviewed literature Web of ScienceScopus and Dimensions, where full access is available on a paid-for basis. The DFG’s GEPRIS database offers another relevant source of information on individual and institutional research profiles.

B. Quality of teaching and research

When assessing the quality of teaching and research, ethical perspectives are no less important than academic considerations. Such perspectives concern, for example, the content and design of study programmes and curricula, freedom in teaching and research, equal access to higher education and to the practice of teaching and research, data protection for students, researchers and higher education institution staff, along with the involvement and advancement of alumni. Other points of reference include levels of fundraising from third parties and national research indices, where these exist. DAAD Offices exist in many countries, possessing the expertise needed to provide tailored support to higher education institutions looking for suitable partner institutions.

C. Level of internationalisation

As regards the sub-criterion of internationalisation, two aspects should be given particular consideration: firstly, the number and nature of higher education cooperation projects with the partner university concerned, and secondly funding programmes for student and researcher mobility. The number of international students and academics are also significant indicators that help to assess the level of internationalisation for the partner institution concerned.

The internationalisation strategy of a prospective partner higher education institution (if one exists) demands particular attention. It can be possible to discern from such strategies whether the higher education institution sees its international activities only as a recruitment tool or if there is a deeper understanding of internationalisation as a transformative process for the institution as a whole. They also show if administrative structures are also the focus of internationalisation activities and not just teaching and research. It is increasingly the case that higher education institutions’ internationalisation strategies also concern key issues such as digitalisation, sustainability and diversity. These make it possible to identify the level of overlap between the two institutions in those fields that shape higher education practice.

References

This section lists some reference sources to facilitate initial evaluations. The most important sub-criteria are supplied first, followed by the information available from each source. By way of qualification, it should be noted that easily-accessible written resources are not always available worldwide for the sub-criteria listed below. With this in mind, the DAAD continues to expand its comprehensive advice services by offering opportunities for one-to-one conversations such as those provided by the Centre for International Academic Cooperation.

A. Reputation

Reputation Rankings

DAAD Education System Analyses (BSA) and Analyses of Individual Education Systems (BSAi)

DFG GEPRIS database

Bibliometric databases

B. Quality of teaching and research
C. Level of internationalisation

Centre for International Academic Cooperation (KIWi) and the DAAD network of experts at home and abroad

DAAD Networking Conference

International DAAD Academy (iDA)

GATE-Germany

C. Level of internationalisation

German Rectors’ Conference, International university partnerships

Further criteria