The faculty first conducted a self-evaluation, followed by an evaluation of research performance and focus topics by international peers. During a site visit, the evaluators conducted a series of interviews with the rectorate and faculty members.
The four-member review panel, chaired by Professor Marc Depaepe (KU Leuven), summarised their assessment as follows:
“The panel is very impressed, first by the outstanding research in philosophy and, second by the substantial improvement in research by the education department.
The philosophy department’s research is impressive in its diversity and topicality and its strong relevance for today’s society. This research performance is all the more remarkable given the huge volume of students within the department and the associated workload for its members. We are also impressed by the way that, although there is a greater volume of analytical rather than continental philosophy, there is a broad research orientation. The panel has the impression that the doctoral school is functioning well.
The department of education successfully combines the local and the global and seeks to join the international platform whilst staying true to Germanic traditions and fulfilling its obligations to Central Europe. We are happy that the education department is aware of its need for transition and commend its initiation of this process by seeking to develop a research and publications strategy in order to become more involved on international platforms. Although it was not part of our assignment to evaluate the Centre of Teacher Education (CTE), it is clear that co-operation between the department of education and CTE will offer opportunities for students to have a PhD in education that would open up a dynamic for inter-disciplinary research as well as the possibility to engage with national and international networks and enhance employability.”
The report contains a number of recommendations for further improvements in the areas of research, internationalisation, interdisciplinary cooperation, the establishment of a doctoral school in the field of educational science, as well as study and teaching, among others. The evaluation results were discussed and measures were included in the implementation agreement between the rectorate and the faculty with implications for development planning, appointments and target agreements. Implementation monitoring is part of the target agreement process.
The peer report and the faculty's statement are available to university members at https://www.qs.univie.ac.at/en/evaluation/faculties-centres/evaluation-reports/.
