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Logo des Projektes ELLpH in den Farben der Universitäten und Zentren der Verbundpartner: Blau, Grün und Rot.
Männliche und weibliche Studierenden-Icons, welche miteinander und einem mittig angeordnetem Graduiertenhut vernetzt sind. © Smile Studio AP​/​stock.adobe.com

Project description

Subject of the project

In Germany there are around 110 state-recognized private higher education institutions, which currently educate around 10% of all students – with a rising tendency. However, to date, there is a lack of research on private higher education in Germany. Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research funds research projects on private universities as part of a funding priority for research into science and higher education (WiHo research). The joint research project ELLpH investigates factors influencing the implementation of new teaching and learning concepts at private higher education institutions (HEIs).

State of research

Teaching at private higher education institutions (HEIs) is becoming increasingly important in Europe, but it is comparatively underdeveloped in Germany from an international perspective (1,2). Further, there is a significant gap in the literature on private HEIs in the German context, partly because it is a highly heterogeneous higher education sector (3). 

The literature emphasizes the potential of private HEIs as drivers of reform, as their independence from the state gives them more freedom of action (4). Accordingly, private HEIs can be expected to have less security in terms of funding and greater scope for influence by external stakeholders (5), which in turn forces them to adapt more quickly to their environment (6). 

Teaching and learning concepts have already been extensively explored (7,8), but hardly at private HEIs. Exceptions are a few case analyses (9,10) or concept papers (11).

 

Research questions

The research project ELLpH investigates factors influencing the implementation of new teaching and learning concepts at private higher education institutions (HEIs) and poses the following research questions:

  1. What does the external and internal governance of private HEIs look like? What influence do owners, foundations, or funders have on teaching and learning concepts?
  2. Which organizational framework conditions support the implementation of new teaching and learning concepts?
  3. What do teaching and learning concepts at private HEIs look like? Which didactic principles are manifested in these teaching and learning concepts? How do teachers implement these concepts?
  4. Which requirements of what types of stakeholders are incorporated into the teaching and learning concepts? Are new social trends taken up more quickly?
  5. What are the expectations of the students with regard to the teaching and learning concepts?
  6. What are the expectations of teachers with regard to teaching and learning concepts?
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