Abstract:
This article illustrates how the University of Applied Sciences for Police and Public Administration (North Rhine-Westphalia) reacts to its increasingly heterogeneous student body. It sheds light on the challenges arising from the growing demand for qualified specialists in the public sector and external requirements. The university of public administration, like other universities, is faced with the conflicting expectations of its stakeholders (such as the Ministry of the Interior, recruitment authorities, the general public, etc.) and attempts to address these through measures relating to curricular and extracurricular aspects. As a result, curricular adjustments are identified at a formal level, often due to pending accreditation procedures, but usually only involving incremental changes such as the introduction of additional free attempts at examinations. The more significant extra-curricular measures include the introduction of tutorials, (compulsory) mock examinations and digital learning opportunities, which can be implemented more flexibly and quickly with the aim of increasing studyability. The university of applied sciences is thus responding to dilemmas between the demands on the quality of teaching and acceptance of degrees, the diversity of the student body and limited resources. This is achieved with a partial decoupling between the formal structure and the practical measures. Higher education institutions endeavour to meet external expectations while using informal internal adjustments in order to maintain minimal room for manoeuvre.
Über die Autor*innen:
- Lars Heilsberger
Prof. Dr., Professor für Politikwissenschaft und Governance, Hochschule für Polizei und öffentliche Verwaltung NRW. Forschung: Analyse von Governancesystemen, Public Management, Hochschulsteuerung sowie organisationstheoretische Fragestellungen - Stefan Hollenberg
Prof. Dr., Professor für Psychologie und Statistik, Hochschule für Polizei und öffentliche Verwaltung NRW. Forschung: Evaluationsstudien, forensische Fragestellungen und aktuelle psychologische Themen im Zusammenhang mit der Corona-Pandemie - Markus Seyfried
Prof. Dr., Professor für Politikwissenschaft und Governance, Hochschule für Polizei und öffentliche Verwaltung NRW. Forschung: öffentliche Organisationen mit den Schwerpunkten Organisationstheorie, Unabhängigkeit, Evaluation, Qualitätsmanagement und Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung
