Background
The “Excellent Education” award is accorded on the basis of scientific criteria and constructs. It is based on the accumulated findings of numerous empirical studies by recognized universities, institutes and associations, and is therefore based on a broad basis in terms of content.
THE ESSENCE OF EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Excellent education is more than preventing dissatisfaction
A well-equipped place to learn does not guarantee a satisfactory learning environment and does not justify a satisfactory learning experience. The factors like – premises, laboratories, library, sanitation – are perceived as normal whereas factors like – transportation, canteen, air conditioning, hobby classes – are hardly significant for whether a student evaluates an educational institution as exceptionally attractive. Other influencing factors such as appreciation or recognition are responsible for this. If the students experience there influencing factors as being below average, this does not necessarily lead to complete dissatisfaction of the students. However, if you want to answer the question of excellence in education, it makes sense to focus more on factors that can also have a significant positive effect on individual learning success.
THE CONTENT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Which aspects of excellence are rated?
When surveying the students and the teachers of the organisations who apply for the “Excellent Education” award, we put a spotlight on a total of 4 factors those are the most relevant to “learning” by rating them using marks. If one wishes, we also offer an option to evaluate additional 16 different areas through a total of 64 questions. Our focus is on illustrating basic assessments of exactly those factors in which students differ significantly from each other in terms of their learning experience.
The scientific base
Numerous studies form the basis of the survey.
When designing the survey, we were guided by the results of numerous studies that were carried out at various universities and institutes or under the responsibility of associations or other organizations. The review and evaluation of various empirical findings on the subject of “Excellent Education” ultimately made it possible to design a survey whose core content ultimately reflects the essential facets for the evaluation of a learning institution from the perspective of the students learning in there. We deliberately refrain from recording common indices for estimating learning environment, such as modern technique or additional offers. We do not want to record satisfaction indirectly through specific indicators, but rather make it transparent directly based on concrete evaluations of daily experiences at educational institutions.