Project

Increase student success

Who are we?

We see ourselves as an independent, internal university unit for applied higher education research with the overarching aim of identifying factors that determine student success. We focus on the following aspects:

 

  • Evidence-based programme and university development: support for degree programmes/departments in answering programme-specific questions and the further development of university-wide survey instruments and the entire monitoring system for teaching and learning
  • Development of building blocks to improve student success
  • Initiation of projects for the further development of teaching in cooperation with the Senate Committee for Quality and Teaching
  • Networking and transfer

We pursue a participatory approach based on the paradigm of action research (Unger, 2014). We are available as partners to answer intrinsically motivated questions. We contribute our methodological expertise by designing and conducting qualitative and quantitative studies. The exact questions and subject-specific expertise lie with the study programmes/departments.

Unger, H. (2014). Partizipative Forschung. Einführung in die Forschungspraxis. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

The Team

Kathrin Kilian, M. A. (Project management)

After studying educational science with a minor in business administration and social psychology in Saarbrücken, I worked at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern both as a research assistant in teaching and research with a focus on learning and educational counselling, skills development, systemic counselling and methods as well as school development research and as a Bologna consultant for the Vice President for Studies and Teaching.
Since April 2012, I have been working as a consultant to the university management at the University of Apllied Science Kaiserslautern, where I have been leading the project ‘Increasing student success’ since 2016.

 

Hanna Hettrich, Dipl.-Soz.Wiss. (Scientific project assistant)

I have been working on the ‘Increasing student success’ project since September 2016. Previously, I worked as a research assistant at CEval at Saarland University and Saarland University of Applied Sciences, where I worked on various projects in the fields of education and social affairs, labour and development cooperation. In the past, as well as currently, my work focussed on evaluation and basic research.

 

Yvonne Berkle, M. Sc. (Scientific project assistant)

I have been working in the team ‘Increasing Student Success’ at the University of Apllied Science Kaiserslautern since February 2017. Before working at the University of Apllied Science Kaiserslautern, I studied Psychology (B.Sc.) and then Educational Technology (M.Sc.) at Saarland University. During my studies, I worked as a student assistant at the Chair of General Psychology and Methodology and later, during my Master's degree, at the Chair of Educational Technology and Knowledge Management.

 

Johanna Woll, B. A. (Scientific project assistant)

I have been working on the ‘Increasing student success’ project since August 2018. Previously, I was deputy site manager and project manager at a non-profit organisation for five years and was jointly responsible for conceptual development and project implementation in the field of adult education and career guidance. I completed my degree in social sciences with psychology as a second subject at the Humboldt University of Berlin. I am currently completing a part-time Master's degree in Organisation and Communication at the Distance and Independent Studies Center of the Technical University of Kaiserslautern.

Anja Helf (Project staff member)

I have been working on the ‘Increasing student success’ project since October 2018. After training as an insurance saleswoman in Munich, I spent eight years as a sales promoter in the management circle for the sales force and as a trainer for software applications at Württembergische Versicherung in Rosenheim, Munich and Stuttgart.