News

News

  • Issue 21/1 of the Journal for Higher Education Development published

    Posted on 2026-03-07

    A new issue of the Journal of Higher Education Development has been published: Issue 21/1/2026 on the topic of "Transformative Learning in the Higher Education Context", edited by Ingrid Geier, Robert Hummer, Sandra Milz and Alessandro Barberi:

    https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/issue/view/95

    At a time when challenges such as social inequality, environmental degradation and climate change are becoming increasingly acute, higher education institutions have a responsibility to contribute to addressing these issues. Especially in times of crisis, when many new courses must be set, it is crucial that universities enable independent and reflective anticipation of what is to come. Teacher training must also equip teachers with the appropriate skills and willingness to initiate change towards a sustainable and just future. Challenges of the type described above can be conceptually summarised under the term "epoch-typical key problems". When it comes to critically and reflectively examining these challenges within the framework of higher education institutions and thereby making them transformable, the concept of transformative learning (TL) plays a key role. TL can – according to its claim – make an educational contribution to a socio-ecological transformation of society that strives for a good life for all.

  • Ausgabe 20/4 der Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung veröffentlicht

    Posted on 2025-12-07

    Eine neue Ausgabe der Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung wurde veröffentlicht: Heft 20/4/2025 zum Thema „New Models of the university innovative structures, adaptive responses, and strategic behavior“, herausgegeben von Barbara Sporn, Tatiana Fumasoli, René Krempkow & Liudvika Leišytė

    https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/issue/view/94

    Da Universitäten weltweit mit noch nie dagewesenen Herausforderungen und Veränderungen konfrontiert sind – von technologischen Umwälzungen bis hin zu veränderten gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen und der Rolle der Internationalisierung – ist es wichtig, die Rolle, die Struktur und den Zweck von Hochschuleinrichtungen kritisch zu bewerten. Diese Ausgabe der ZFHE präsentiert Beiträgen, die sich mit den sich entwickelnden Modellen von Hochschulen und den verschiedenen Arten, wie sie sich verändern und/oder an ein sich schnell veränderndes Umfeld anpassen, auseinandersetzen.

  • Issue 20/1 of the Journal for Higher Education Development published

    Posted on 2025-05-25

    A new issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung has been published: Issue 20/1 (March 2025) on "Psychological insights for university teaching", edited by Immanuel Ulrich, Carla Bohndick, Josef Buchner, Roland H. Grabner, Elisabeth Mayweg-Paus, Martina Mörth and Tobias Ringeisen.

    The authors of our issue 20/1 address psychological aspects of planning and implementing courses, discuss teaching methods in this regard and analyse the role and function of performance assessments at a high level. In this context, the reflection of teaching - by teachers and students -, the concrete use of language in teaching and the promotion of personal resources are also the subject of debate. In particular, the emotional aspects of learning are analysed in terms of the social integration of learners and their possibilities for pedagogical self-regulation. With all these perspectives on our topic, it is therefore more than clear that the findings of psychology are of eminent importance for the development of higher education.

  • Issue 19/1 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2024-03-28

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 19/1 (March 2024) on "Digital Competences – The Role these ‚Future Skills‘ play in Higher Education: Definition and Relevance, Assessment and Promotion", edited by Pascale Stephanie Petri, René Krempkow, Martin Ebner & Barbara Getto.

  • Issue 18/Special Issue Research of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2023-11-29

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 18/Special Issue Research (November 2023) on "Digitalisierung in der Forschung – Projekte österreichischer Hochschulen 2020–2024", edited by Ilire Hasani-Mavriqi & Susanne Blumesberger.

    About the issue:

    The Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research (BMBWF) has allocated a total of 50 million euros in funding to 34 projects chosen through a rigorous review process as part of the nationwide call for proposals „Projects for Digital and Social Transformation in the Higher Education Sector“ in 2020. The funding is designated for innovative collaborative projects expected to bring about a lasting impact on the higher education system by 2024.

    The journal ZFHE is providing an avenue for these projects to share their outcomes and insights with a broad academic audience through three special issues in an open-access publication format. These issues specifically focus on the three realms of digitization projects: teaching, research, and administration. The current emphasis is on projects related to research.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will also be available in bookshops as a print publication. For more information, visit https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print.

  • Issue 18/Special Issue Higher Education of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2023-04-30

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 18/Special Issue Higher Education (April 2023) on "Digitalisierung der Hochschullehre – Projekte österreichischer Hochschulen 2020–2024", edited by Martin Ebner & Charlotte Zwiauer.

     

    About the issue:

    As part of the Austria-wide call for "Projects for digital and social transformation in higher education" of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF), a total of 50 million euros in funding was awarded in 2020 for in summary 34 projects. Funding is provided for forward-looking cooperative projects that aim to have a structurally transformative effect on Higher Education within their duration until 2024. This edition now offers the projects from the field of Higher Education the opportunity to make their project results and experiences accessible to a broad audience. In addition, it presents the extent to which the respective project contributes to the digital and social transformation of Austrian higher education and thus creates added value for the Austrian higher education landscape.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will also be available in bookshops as a print publication. For more information, visit https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print.

  • Issue 18/1 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2023-03-27

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 18/1 (March 2023) on "Massive Open Online Courses und ihre Rolle in der digitalen (Hochschul-)Lehre", edited by Martin Ebner, Thomas Staubitz, Markus Koschutnig-Ebner & Sebastian Serth.

     

    About the issue:

    Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs for short, are online courses with a large number of participants that are usually made available free of charge on special platforms. Starting with Sebastian Thrun’s course on artificial intelligence with more than 160,000 participants, MOOCs became increasingly popular. Particularly since the COVID19 pandemic, they have become an indispensable part of university life and often are an integral part of university courses. MOOCs serve in a broad range of various ways to support continuing education, workshops or joint lectures. This issue of ZFHE called for contributions around MOOCs and thus provides insights into the manifold developments. In the current issue, you will find exciting contributions with experience reports, latest findings, further developments and didactic applications. We invite you to join us in further exploring this innovative, promising and sustainable topic.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will also be available in bookshops as a print publication. For more information, visit https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print.

  • Issue 17/4 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2022-12-14

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 17/4 (December 2022) on "Hochschulzugang und Studium nicht-traditioneller Studierender – Die Situation in Österreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz", edited by Walburga Katharina Freitag, Christian Kerst & Jessica Ordemann.

     

    About the issue:

    Providing access to higher education and establishing a conducive framework for lifelong learning are important goals of the European Higher Education Area. In the D-A-CH countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), the group of  “non-traditional students” includes graduates of technical and vocational training without a school-based university entrance qualification, employees, family workers and “learners in later life”. Based on current data, and operating from the perspective of diversity and inequality theory, the papers in this issue examine university access regulations, students’ time budgets, the effects of care responsibility, and student dropouts, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. Papers also discuss a learning program conducted at sea, as well as new ways potential educators can access teacher education opportunities for technical and vocational schools. The contributions represent deep dives in what is still an emerging field.

     

    In addition to the online version, the issue will also be available in bookshops as a print publication. For more information, visit https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print.

  • Issue 17/3 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2022-10-31

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 17/3 (October 2022) on " Akademische Kultur und Wissenschaftsfreiheit angesichts der Digitalisierung von Lehren und Lernen", edited by Ines Langemeyer, Ernst Schraube & Peter Tremp.

     

    About the issue:

    University learning and teaching, conversations during study, artificial intelligence, plagiarism, and academic freedom are questions under which the contributions of this special issue address the transformations of academic culture in the face of digitalization. What is in transformation, however, has not stopped to be in transformation. In constructivist terms, the authors take the chance of a second-order observation. Whether we are only in a transitory stage or have already reached another stage of development, depends also on the awareness with which we engage in the processes of digitalization. The volume presents ideas how to rethink the challenges of the future from new angles and contributes to the scientific examination of ad hoc digitalization during the pandemic

    In addition to the online version, the issue will also be available in bookshops as a print publication. For more information, visit https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print.

  • Issue 17/2 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2022-06-29

    A new issue of the Journal for Higher Education Development has been published. As an open-topic edition, issue 17/2 (June 2022), titled "Contributions to Higher Education Development", is edited by René Krempkow, Elena Wilhelm and Olaf Zawacki-Richter.

    About the issue:

    This issue consists entirely of free contributions resulting from an open call for papers. This is a first for the ZFHE and was enabled by the significant increase in submissions for free papers in recent years. The 15 articles can nevertheless be roughly divided into three thematic clusters, according to which the issue is structured: "Individualisation, competence orientation and new forms of teaching and learning", "Social and academic inclusion" and "Staff qualification and development". With such a thematic breadth, we are optimistic that every reader will find something of personal interest. We wish you an inspiring read and a relaxing summer!

    In addition to the online version, the issue will also be available in bookshops as a print publication. For more information, visit https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print.

  • Issue 17/1 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2022-03-30

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 17/1 (March 2022) on "Prüfen im Kontext kompetenzorientierter Hochschulbildung", edited by Karin Sonnleitner and Martin Gartmeier.

    About the Issue:

    Examinations are a central part of the everyday life of teachers and students at colleges and universities. Consequently, examinations must also be considered in the discussion around the quality of teaching and learning. Competency-based testing at universities means addressing the question of whether students have developed competencies in a way that enables them to solve relevant problems. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors have been forced to restructure their teaching and use online formats for exams as well. As a result, long-virulent scholarly discourses about online teaching and online exams have gained new momentum and poignancy. In 13 contributions, the authors deal with the theoretical foundations of different examination formats and refer to practical examples from different disciplines.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 16/4 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2021-12-19

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 16/4 (December 2021) on "Studierbarkeit und Studienerfolg – zwischen Konzepten, Analysen und Steuerungspraxis", edited by René Krempkow, Oliver Vettori and Imke Buß.

    About the Issue:

    Studyability and academic success have been among the most discussed topics around teaching and studying at universities in German-speaking countries since the so-called Bologna Process gained momentum. In particular, ensuring studyability is increasingly demanded in higher education policy and accreditation, whereby discussions on (factors influencing) study success are also repeatedly referred to. At the same time, there is still no consensus on concepts, analytical approaches, and appropriate control approaches. The 14 contributions in this issue are devoted to these topics. The assembled selection of submissions thus reflects the broad spectrum of submissions of conceptual as well as empirical contributions, as well as reports from practice, each of which can contribute in its own way and overall to further higher education development.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 16/3 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2021-10-29

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: Issue 16/3 (October 2021) on "Cultivating a culture of experimentation in higher-education teaching and learning", edited by Robert Kordts, Dietrich Wagner, Claudio Sidler, Karen Tinsner-Fuchs, Bernadette Dilger & Taiga Brahm.

    About the issue:

    How will the experience of COVID-related online teaching play out in the future? What are the possibilities for cultural change in higher education teaching and learning outside the crisis? This volume brings together nine international contributions that examine current developments at different levels (students, courses, institution) and with different methodological approaches.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 16/1 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2021-03-29

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 16/1 (March 2021) on "Effectiveness of instructional interventions in higher education", edited by Jan Elen and Manfred Prenzel.

    Answering the question of effectiveness of educational interventions is no easy task for a multitude of reasons. The effectiveness of an intervention depends not only on the intervention itself but also, for example, on the target group, the available infrastructure, the current legislation, the time of implementation or the expertise of the teachers. This special issue shows the diversity in the goals pursued and the interventions used to achieve them. It also shows methodological differences in effectiveness research and argues the need for nuanced interpretation and for explicitly considering the context for the intervention.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 15/4 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2020-12-18

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 15/4 (December 2020) on "Promoting educational development, rewarding excellence in teaching", edited by Gabi Reinmann and Peter Tremp.

    In addition to the online version, the issue is available as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 15/3 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2020-10-30

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 15/3 (October 2020) on "Diversität an Hochschulen – Chancen und Herausforderungen auf dem Weg zu exzellenten und inklusiven Hochschulen", edited by Regina Aichinger, Frank Linde and Nicole Auferkorte-Michaelis.

    In addition to the online version, the issue is available as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 15/2 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2020-06-19

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 15/2 (June) on "Forschendes Lernen im Spannungsfeld von Wissenschaftsorientierung und Berufsbezug", edited by Harald A. Mieg and Peter Tremp.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

     

  • Issue 15/1 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2020-03-24

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 15/1 (March 2020) on "Forschungsperspektiven auf Digitalisierung in Hochschulen", edited by Sandra Hofhues, Mandy Schiefner-Rohs, Sandra Aßmann and Taiga Brahm.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 14/4 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2019-12-16

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 14/4 (December 2019) on "Hochschuldidaktik der wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung", edited by Eva Cendon, Uwe Elsholz and Anita Mörth.

    In addition to the online version, the issue will be available soon as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 14/3 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2019-11-15

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 14/3 (November 2019) on "Flexibles Lernen an Hochschulen gestalten", edited by Claude Müller, Petra Barthelmess, Christian Berger, Gunther Kucza, Maximilian Müller and Philipp Sieber (ZHAW).

    In addition to the online version, the issue is available as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).

  • Issue 13/4 of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung published

    Posted on 2018-12-20

    The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development / ZFHE) was just published: issue 13/4 (Dezember 2018) on "Über die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen von Aufnahmeverfahrenim Hochschulbereich", edited by Martin Arendasy, Gisela Kriegler-Kastelic and Dennis Mocigemba.

    In addition to the online version, the issue is available as a print publication in bookstores (see https://www.zfhe.at/index.php/zfhe/print).