Tasks

 

The Department of Quality Management (QM) was founded in 2005 and, since October 2015, has been assigned to the Vice Rectorate for Organisational Development, Gender & Diversity.

Its main tasks are the

  • collection (e.g. via surveys),
  • analysis, and
  • processing

of data and information for the rectorate.

In regard to these activities, the following have traditionally been areas of special attention:

  • studies and teaching
  • advancement and appreciation of the arts (“EEK”)
  • research

 

The department routinely employs a range of measures & procedures which are continuously evaluated and improved upon. These include:

 

Implementation of a quality management system and handling of external quality controls (audit)

In 2015, the existing measures described above – as well as others which are yet to be implemented (also in the university’s remaining areas of activity) – have been subsumed under an overarching and university-wide quality management system (QMS). Continuously updating and improving this system is another important responsibility of the department.

The "European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area" (ESG) provide the basis for these efforts. The implementation as well as the (further) development of this system were prerequisites for the successful certification of the QMS as part of the first official audit of the mdw in 2019. In addition to the preparation of necessary documents for this mandatory audit, the Department of Quality Management also supported the rectorate in related organisational matters.

 

Preparation of the intellectual capital report (“Wissensbilanz”) and support with strategy papers

At university-level, the Department of Quality Management is also responsible for drafting the intellectual capital report. In addition, it supports the rectorate in the preparation of other documents relevant to management (e.g. development plan, performance agreement).

 

Interface for and promoter of quality culture at the mdw

Another important task lies in the communication with all members of the university with the aim of actively promoting the establishment and consolidation of a university-wide quality culture.

In this context, the Department of Quality Management also provides support for a wide variety of surveys, questionnaires, and process design activities on the part of other organisational units.

 

Range of Services: Support for Surveys

According to the Evaluation Regulations, the Department of Quality Management, as a neutral party, is supposed to be involved in all phases of evaluations in an advisory and conceptualizing role, insofar as resources permit (Evaluationsordnung §4 (3)). From this, the department derives its mandate as point of contact for all institutes, centres, and administrative units/departments when it comes to questions regarding university-internal surveys or surveys otherwise relevant to administration at the mdw. If you consider conducting a survey and/or are interested in cooperation with our department, we are looking forward to hearing from you at qm@mdw.ac.at or kronberger@mdw.ac.at.

We can support you in all phases of the survey process, as long as lead times are met and implementation/processing times are observed.