Tutorials help students settle into their studies and contribute to improving the quality of teaching education. The way in which tutors are prepared for their roles and the quality standards that apply are to be further developed nationwide in future, in order to meet the new substantive and structural requirements for tutorial work. To this end, the ‘Network for Tutoring at Universities’ is collaborating with the ‘Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching’ (StIL). The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR), with its tutorial programme and its director Heike Kröpke – who is also the network’s spokesperson – is closely involved in this collaboration.
As part of the project ‘Strengthening Tutoring at Universities and Promoting Equal Opportunities’, the aim is to pool experience from tutoring activities across the country more effectively and utilise it for the further development of university teaching. Plans include, amongst other things, a student-centred onboarding concept, the further development of training programmes and greater networking amongst universities. Discussions on current and future challenges, such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI), also play a role. Furthermore, the aim is to empower students to play an active role in shaping the culture of teaching and learning. The funding programme runs until August 2029 and amounts to around 260,000 euros.
“The collaboration between the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching and the Tutoring Network brings together different perspectives and experiences. Whilst the Foundation provides impetus for the further development of higher education teaching, the Network contributes experience gained from practical tutoring work at universities. Together, we can develop, test and establish new approaches in the long term to improve the training of tutors and enhance the quality of teaching education,” explains Heike Kröpke.
The network has already been supported by StIL from April 2023 to June 2026 as part of the ‘Focus on Networks’ funding programme. This new partnership will see the collaboration continued and further developed.
A key objective is the introduction to a standardised national certificate for tutors and the establishment of a national tutor award. Furthermore, there are plans to make greater use of open educational resources (OER). All these measures are intended to safeguard the quality of tutoring work in the long term and to contribute to greater equality of opportunity in studies.
The tutoring programme at the Hochschule Niederrhein has been active for years in the training and certification of tutors and is a flagship initiative across Germany: In February 2024, it became the first programme of its kind in Germany to be re-accredited by the Accreditation Commission of the German Society for Higher Education Didactics (dghd).
Further information on the Hochschule Niederrhein’s tutoring programme: https://www.hs-niederrhein.de/tutorenprogramm/
