Tasks and Responsibilities in the QM System of the TU Ilmenau

The president represents the university externally and is responsible for fulfilling the university's tasks and ensuring the quality of its work. She or he bears management responsibility within the quality assurance system.

The Vice President for Teaching and Learning is responsible for the university-wide core process "Studies and Teaching", i.e. he/she determines the strategic and operational orientation of quality management, chairs associated committees (Senate Committee for Studies and Teaching, Certification and Accreditation Commission ZAK, working group "QM Representatives"), is responsible for the centrally organized content, instruments and processes for evaluation and is the interface between the Presidential Board and the supporting areas in the administration of the university and in the departments.

The Staff Unit  Digital Processes and Quality Management advises and supports members and affiliates of the University in the performance of their respective duties and responsibilities in quality management in the area of study and teaching. It also acts as the office of ZAK and supports its members in the performance of their duties. It plans, coordinates and controls the necessary procedural steps of internal certification and accreditation.

The Senate is responsible, among other things, for resolutions on the establishment, modification and cancellation of study programs and, in this context, for resolutions on accreditation decisions for each study program.

The Senate Committee for Studies and Teaching is responsible for preparing the resolution on the establishment, modification and cancellation of study programs.

This internal commission is responsible for reviewing the study programs with regard to applicable external and internal requirements within the framework of internal accreditation and for deriving a corresponding accreditation recommendation for the Senate. The ZAK is a commission of the senate and gives the recommendation for accreditation directly to the senate. The Senate Committee for Studies and Teaching is informed of the accreditation recommendation.

Deans chair the Dean's Office, represent the department within the university, decide on matters concerning the department and implement its resolutions. They take care of the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to their department and ensure the quality of the fulfillment of tasks in the department.

Associate deans for studies and teaching are responsible for quality management at the department level. In particular, they ensure that the courses offered comply with the examination and study regulations, that the studies can be carried out properly within the standard period of study, and that the students are adequately supervised. They are responsible for the evaluation of teaching, including student evaluations, as well as for ensuring the accreditation of all study programs of the department.

The council of each department advises and decides on matters of fundamental importance to the department. In particular, it submits proposals to the Senate on the establishment, modification and cancellation of study programs, decides on the enactment of Special Provisions of the Examination and Study Regulations in agreement with the Study Committee, and bears responsibility for the implementation of quality management at the department level, with regard to the study programs assigned to it in cooperation with the relevant study program commissions. The departmenty is responsible for overseeing the accreditation of its degree programs. In this context, the Department Council decides on the application for (re-)accreditation.

Each department has a study commission. This commission supports and advises the dean in fulfilling his or her duties and prepares the faculty council's resolutions in connection with teaching and studies. It is responsible, among other things, for the quality assurance of teaching content. The Study Commission consists of the responsible Associate Dean as chairperson without voting rights and at least two representatives each of the groups of university teachers, students and academic staff with voting rights.

A degree program commission is assigned to each degree program of a department. The degree program commissions deal with quality management and further development of the study program assigned to it. It serves to prepare and support the study commission and the department council of the responsible department in the establishment, modification and cancellation as well as accreditation of a degree program.

The quality management officer of the departements, academic institutions and the student body of the university support the performance of tasks within the framework of quality management, in particular in the design and further development of the quality management system of the university, a cross-faculty further development of quality assurance in studying and teaching and the promotion of the quality culture in studying and teaching.

The working group is a discussion platform for topics of quality development in the area of study and teaching at the university. The working group cooperates with the university management in its management responsibility within the quality assurance system.