Assessments and Examinations at the University of Basel

Quality criteria for assessments and examinations at the University of Basel

Grafik mit der Aufschrift "Assessment Literacy"

1. Students are aware of the expectations and requirements for the respective assessment and know which content and competencies are relevant for the assessment.

2. Students have the opportunity to clarify these expectations and requirements prior to the assessment so that they can structure their learning accordingly.

Grafik mit der Aufschrift "assessment feedback"

3. The learning activities preceding the assessment gives students the opportunity to self-assess and therefore evaluate their own skills and knowledge with regard to the requirements and expectations for the respective assessment.

4. The assessment itself provides students with information on their own performance in relation to the performance targets.

5. The instruction and the assessment are closely linked.

6. The assessment is functional, fair and objective. It is designed such that factors unrelated to candidates’ learning and skills cannot affect candidate performance.

7. The assessment is designed to provide an appropriate means of evaluating the distribution of knowledge and skills among the students.

These quality criteria for assessments and examinations apply at the University of Basel as of 2021. The seven quality criteria are based on internationally recognized quality standards and are designed to account for the context and the teaching and assessment practices at the University of Basel.
The quality criteria were formulated based on hearings with 150 teaching staff and students from all faculties. Following discussion with the Deans of Studies (“Plattform Studiendekane”), the President’s Office approved the quality criteria as the basis for evaluating assessments and examinations in June 2021.

Quality assurance for assessments and examinations – provisions for universities and higher education institutions in Switzerland

The government’s Higher Education Act (HEdA) requires that higher education institutions set criteria and implement tools that enable them to ensure and develop the quality of assessments and examinations.

“The quality assurance system shall ensure compliance with the criteria for admission, for the assessment of the student performance and for issuing final diplomas according to the mission of the higher education institution or other institution within the higher education sector. These criteria shall be defined, communicated and applied systematically, transparently and consistently.” (Quality standards for institutional accreditation, Area 3 Teaching, research and services, standard 3.4)

Quality assurance for assessments and examinations within faculties

Standards for evaluating assessments and examinations

The process of quality assurance for evaluating assessments and examinations at the University of Basel was approved by the Teaching Committee (“Kommission Lehre”) on 28 April, by the Deans of Studies (“Plattform Studiendekane”) on 9 June 2021 and by the President’s Office on 22 June 2021.The standards developed up to that point were tested in pilot projects at the faculties and specified in the document Standards Qualitätsmanagement Leistungsüberprüfungen an der Universität Basel". The standards were adopted by the Teaching Committee on April 17, 2024, and acknowledged by the Rectorate on August 20, 2024.

Development of Evaluation instruments

The Office of Educational Development supports the faculties in designing and developing tools and faculty-specific standards for the evaluation of assessments and examinations. Pilot projects for this purpose have been underway since the fall semester of 2020.

Teaching Exchange Meetings ("Standortgespräch Lehre")

Once a year, every faculty discusses the quality of its assessments and examinations with the President’s Office as part of a Teaching Exchange Meeting. This discussion is based on the key figures or survey results on the quality of assessments and examinations, which are analyzed by the subject area committees responsible for teaching (teaching committees, curriculum committees and examination committees) for the respective Office of the Dean of Studies.

The Office of Educational Development provides a template for subject areas and faculties, along with a guide to interpreting key figures. On request, the team also advises the subject areas on interpreting key figures and advises teaching staff on interpreting the evaluation results and developing their assessments and examinations.

Quality Development

Quality Management for assessments and examinations supports the feedback culture between teaching staff and students, as well as between departments, faculties, and the rectorate. The assessment tools used (such as student questionnaires, key performance indicators, focus group interviews, etc.) help teaching staff further develop their assessments and examinations.

Support for teaching staff at all faculties:

The Educational Development Team supports teaching staff in designing and further developing their own exams and assessments through workshops and consultation.
The Educational Development Team offers both early-career researchers and experienced teaching staff the opportunity to evaluate their own exams and assessments (Contact: alessandro.dallacqua@unibas.ch).

Support for faculties and departments:

The Educational Development Team supports faculties, degree programs, and departments in the further development and evaluation of individual exams and assessments.
The Educational Development Team supports faculties, degree programs, and departments in the further development and evaluation of multiple exams and assessments within the curricular context.

Advanced training courses for teaching staff and further materials:

Further information, materials and learning and teaching workshops on the topic of assessments and examinations are available in the Knowledge Hub under "Assessment und Feedback" (on the intranet – VPN required, in German only).