German council urges focus on teaching quality

Report proposes overhaul of academic learning to ensure students can tackle future challenges

Germany’s Council of Science and Humanities has urged universities to focus more on teaching quality, in order to ensure they deliver a “holistic educational process” to students.

The council said that academic teaching should improve student agency and lean towards interaction in smaller groups. Students should actively participate and learn to deal with complex problems and challenges independently, the council, Germany’s main science and education governmental advisory body, said in its Recommendations for a Sustainable Design of Studies and Teaching.