Evaluation Cycle
Within the framework of the so-called evaluation cycle, regular surveys are conducted of as many stakeholders as possible and centrally managed by the UAS service unit Higher Education Development. The used survey methods are primarily quantitative.
In order to obtain as complete a picture as possible of the processes and the entire institution of the St. Pölten UAS, external perspectives are just as relevant as internal perspectives.
Every year, the results of the evaluation cycle are processed in the form of evaluation workshops, for example with the Executive Board, Heads of Departments and Academic Directors, but also with the student representatives. This promotes the active discussion of evaluation results at almost all levels of the UAS and facilitates a participatory culture of quality management.
Graphic: Evaluation Cycle
1 U-Multirank
2 UAS in-house survey
3 KOAB graduate survey
Evaluation workshop: compilation of results
The Stakeholders of the Evaluation Cycle
Graduates
The
Kooperationsprojekt Absolventenstudien (kurz KOAB) (cooperative project on graduate surveys), KOAB for short, is a research project coordinated by the Institute of Applied Statistics with the participation of more than 60 higher education institutions in German-speaking countries. Graduates of all study and master-degree further education programmes are surveyed.
Internship Providers and Company Partners
The survey of internship providers and company partners is currently implemented at regular intervals for all bachelor programmes at the St. Pölten UAS. The online survey includes a core questionnaire that surveys students’ social competences and industry perspectives in a standardised manner. In addition, the survey includes a subject-specific section for each study programme.
U-Multirank, Students
The U-Multirank university ranking comprises an institutional ranking and, independently of this, a subject-related ranking. Currently, around 1,900 higher education institutions from more than 90 countries are evaluated and compared with regard to five predefined topics:
- Teaching & Learning,
- Research,
- Knowledge Transfer,
- International Orientation, and
- Regional Engagement.
As part of the subject-related ranking, an online survey of students is conducted.
Prospective Students and Applicants
The surveys of prospective students and applicants are carried out at regular intervals at the beginning of the academic year in the form of an online survey by the
UAS service unit Marketing and Communications – with professional support from the
UAS service unit Higher Education Development.
Teaching Staff
The full-time and part-time teaching staff of the St. Pölten UAS are also surveyed.
Current Evaluation Results
Graduates
- 2020/21
- Participation: 368 persons | Response rate: 45 %
The St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences received good ratings in all areas; the overall satisfaction of graduates is 1.95 on a five-point answer scale and can thus be understood as high. The retrospective evaluation of the study conditions, student support elements and acquired competences was overall very good to good – a similarly high level of satisfaction was already observed in these areas in the previous year. Current job satisfaction is highest in the categories “achieved professional position” and “current work tasks”.
Internship Providers and Company Partners
- 2021
- Participation: 242 persons | Response rate: 37 %
Overall, the St. Pölten UAS achieved a mean value of 1.28 on a six-point rating scale for overall satisfaction with the interns – this expresses a very high level of satisfaction on the part of the internship providers and company partners. All categories associated with the question about the implementation and expansion of knowledge were rated (very) good –learning ability (mean value 1.21) and active problem solving (1.26) received particularly good ratings.
U-Multirank
As part of the U-Multirank university ranking, the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences entered an international comparison for the academic year 2020/21. By means of a quantitative survey, the entire institution was evaluated over the period from September 2020 to January 2021 according to five topic areas (allocation to five ranking groups from “A” to “E”) and was able to achieve good to excellent results in each area. As a medium-sized university and with a relatively young history, the St. Pölten UAS stood out in particular for its diverse range of courses. The top performance ratings (rank A indicators) across various areas (4 out of 5) prove the broad spectrum of the university. The St. Pölten UAS performed particularly well in the area of “teaching and learning” (two “A” indicators and three “B” indicators). According to the survey, there is also a very good “gender balance”. Through the practised gender equality and the profound education, women have access to very good and also new career opportunities.
Prospective Students and Applicants
- Prospective students 2020/21
In an open question, prospective students most frequently named the terms “good”, “modern” and “innovative” as their first associations with the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences. When asked about the overall characteristics of the UAS, associations such as “modern” and “student-friendly” were rated as particularly applicable (the mean value in each case was 1.7 on a six-point scale).
The characteristics of the UAS as a whole that were perceived as most applicable were “modern” and “student-friendly” (the mean value in each case was 1.5 on a six-point scale). The statements “A modern education in keeping with the times is offered” and “The education is of high quality” (both 1.4) received the best ratings (agreement on a scale of 1 = completely agree to 6 = completely disagree), closely followed by “Students receive a practical training” and “The graduates have very good job prospects” (both 1.5).
Teaching Staff
- 2020/21
- Participation: 286 persons | response rate: 22 %
The general satisfaction with the personal teaching situation at the St. Pölten UAS was surveyed as an important satisfaction indicator: The result is a mean value of 2.0 on the six-point rating scale and thus shows an overall high level of satisfaction. Satisfaction with the support received during the summer semester 2020 (the first semester that was strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic) was also surveyed: The support for technical concerns (mean value 1.8), organisational concerns (1.9), and didactic concerns (2.1) received good ratings. Overall, the teachers surveyed are (very) satisfied with the support services provided by the St. Pölten UAS.
