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"The author presents a case study of efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at Kassel University. The study resulted from an extended internship - an internship of at least eight weeks' duration was an obligatory part of the MAHE Program - and examines the potentials and limitations of improving the teaching- and learning-based profile of Kassel University. The theoretical and conceptual part of the contribution discusses institutional profile-building of German universities and what it means in terms of potentials and limitations to establish a profile based on teaching and learning rather than research, global competitiveness or a high position on ranking scales. In addition, the heterogeneous disciplinary cultures (of the university?) are taken into account. The author identifies three factors that influence the decision for a profile based on excellence in teaching and learning: resources, heterogeneity of disciplinary cultures, and level of research. The author concludes that young, middle-sized universities like Kassel are often under pressure to excel in all functions (teaching, research, services), but there being considerable limitations to do this, a careful decision is needed on the function to focus in order to establish a profile if at all." (excerpt)

"This article examines the potentials and limitations of enhancing a teaching- and learning-based profile at a young, middle-sized university in Germany. The current development of the German higher education system points towards an increasing separation of the teaching function and the research function at universities. This separation might lead to a steady decline of the importance of teaching and learning. In a growing national and international competition for reputation and resources, universities seem to focus primarily on their research function today. Given this situation, the author wants to contribute to answer the question, how a better balance between a university's teaching function and its research function can be achieved. He assumes that it is necessary and useful to enhance a university's teaching- and learning-based profile in this regard. The article aims to explore under what conditions and in which way young, middle-sized universities can establish and enhance a teaching- and learning-based profile. This question should be answered with a qualitative study at University Kassel. University Kassel represents the case of young, middle-sized universities in Germany, with little chances to succeed in the competition for research 'excellence', and no ambition to become a pure 'teaching institution'. The empirical study was conducted according to the principles of the Grounded Theory. The data for the study was collected with seven expert interviews with representatives from the university's faculties and the university management, mainly administration, respectively. The method of Theoretical Sampling was used to select the experts, the data was collected according to the principle of Theoretical Saturation, and it was analysed with a five-step coding process." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

"The author presents a case study of efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at Kassel University. The study resulted from an extended internship - an internship of at least eight weeks' duration was an obligatory part of the MAHE Program - and examines the potentials and limitations of improving the teaching- and learning-based profile of Kassel University. The theoretical and conceptual part of the contribution discusses institutional profile-building of German universities and what it means in terms of potentials and limitations to establish a profile based on teaching and learning rather than research, global competitiveness or a high position on ranking scales. In addition, the heterogeneous disciplinary cultures (of the university?) are taken into account. The author identifies three factors that influence the decision for a profile based on excellence in teaching and learning: resources, heterogeneity of disciplinary cultures, and level of research. The author concludes that young, middle-sized universities like Kassel are often under pressure to excel in all functions (teaching, research, services), but there being considerable limitations to do this, a careful decision is needed on the function to focus in order to establish a profile if at all." (excerpt).