Annual Conference 2024

A quality feature for the Austrian higher education area

Programme

from 09:00 Registration

and informal networking over coffee and pastries

10:00 - 10:20 Opening & Welcome

Video message by Martin Polaschek, Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research

Thomas Bieger, President, AQ Austria

10:20 - 10:30  Keynote: Visions for a strong culture of academic and artistic integrity in the Austrian higher education area

Alina Rieder, Student, University of Vienna

10:30 - 11:00 Keynote: A whole-level approach to academic integrity: Structures and processes for ethics, transparency and integrity in higher education institutions

Michael Draper, Director of the Swansea Academy of Inclusivity and Learner Success, Swansea University (UK) & Co-Chair of the UK Welsh Integrity and Assessment Network, Member of the UK QAA Academic Integrity Advisory Group, Council of Europe ETINED Expert

11:00 - 12:15 Panel discussion

Towards a culture of academic and artistic integrity in the Austrian higher education sector

Moderation: Eva Werner, Vice President, AQ Austria

12:15 - 13:30 Lunch Break

13:30 - 15:00 Four parallel forums

Forum 1: Institutional strategies for a culture of scientific and artistic integrity

This forum will be held in German.

This forum is dedicated to addressing the current challenges of institutionalizing a culture of academic and artistic integrity at Austrian higher education institutions. It will examine recent developments in this area and explore possible strategies for addressing these challenges. The focus will be on how academic and artistic integrity can be embedded as part of a higher education institution's quality management system.

Elisabeth Haslinger-Baumann, Vice Rector for Research and Development, FH Campus Wien | University of Applied Sciences

Raffael Iturrizaga, Office of Research (Academic Integrity), ETH Zurich

Markus Petsche, University Disciplinary Committee, Central European University

Moderation: Horea Balomiri, AQ Austria

Forum 2: Academic integrity in AI-enhanced teaching & learning environments

This forum will be held in English.

This forum focuses on the dynamic relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), ethics and academic integrity in higher education settings. By moving forward from the “doom or gloom” discourse around the use of AI, this session acknowledges the opportunities AI can bring to education while also recognising the challenges and risks, the interplay between new technologies and the principles of academic integrity can create.

Specifically, the session will raise the questions of:

The forum will engage with national and international experts on the ethical use of AI in higher education settings, with a focus on teaching, learning & assessment in particular. Lightning talks and interactive discussions will cover new paradigms around the ethical use of AI in academic writing and the development of policies that promote inclusive settings, without limiting opportunities for innovation. By the end of the session, participants will have discussed holistic approaches to AI implementation, which can foster and shape academic integrity preventatively and positively.

Sonja Bjelobaba, Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics, Uppsala University; Vice-president of European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI) 

Petra Szucsich, Competence Center STEM & Literacy (K:MID), University College of Teacher Education Vienna

Moderation: Ulrike Najar, AQ Austria

Forum 3: Academic misconduct: Legal framework, handling and prevention in teaching and learning 

This forum will be held in German.

Based on the amendment to the Higher Education Act 2024 ("Gesetzesnovellierung 2024") and a presentation of the legal framework in force since July of this year, short presentations will focus on how academic misconduct is practically addressed at higher education institutions. Concrete examples from practice will be presented from a legal perspective. Subsequently, the question of what prevention options exist concerning the legally provided culture of academic honesty and quality will be explored.

The following questions will be addressed and discussed with experts from all university sectors:

Werner Hauser, Department Coordinator  for Law, FH JOANNEUM; Chair of the Appeals Committee of AQ Austria (online participation)

Andreas Janko, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Johannes Kepler University Linz; Member of the AQ Austria Board

Anna-Katharina Rothwangl, Managing Director of the Ombuds Office for Students, Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research

Falk Schrödl, Associate University Professor of Anatomy, Ombudsperson for Academic Integrity, Paracelsus Medical University

Katharina Soukup-Altrichter, Vice Rector for Teaching and Research, University of Education Upper Austria

Moderation: Alwine Hofstetter, AQ Austria

Forum 4:  Integrity in artistic studies, teaching and research: Challenges for colleges and universities with an artistic specialisation

This forum will be held in German.

The Higher Education Act 2024 ("Hochschulrechtspaket 2024") has established integrity as a central quality criterion for academic and artistic studies, teaching, and research operations within the Austrian higher education sector. This commitment is enshrined in the Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (HS-QSG) and applies to all types of higher education institutions. In addition to adhering to good academic and artistic practice, this should encompass fostering a culture of academic and artistic honestiy and quality. Detailed regulations on integrity in academic and artistic studies, teaching, and research will now also be incorporated into the statutes of higher education institutions.

This forum focuses on artistic studies, teaching and research. We will discuss the specific questions and challenges that arise for art colleges and universities in the context of integrity.

The focus is on the following questions:

Rosemarie Brucher, Vice Rector for Research & Head of the Center for Science and Research, Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna

Elisabeth Gutjahr, Rector, Mozarteum University and Vice-President, Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC)

Pamela Scorzin, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Design, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Moderation: Eva Maria Freiberger, AQ Austria

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee Break

15:30 - 16:00 Flashlights from the forums

Forum 1: Markus Petsche, Professor at the Legal Department and University Disciplinary Committee, Central European University

Forum 2: Petra Szucsich, Competence Center STEM & Literacy (K:MID), University College of Teacher Education Vienna

Forum 3: Andreas Janko, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Johannes Kepler University Linz; Member of the AQ Austria Board

Forum 4: Elisabeth Gutjahr, Rector, Mozarteum University and Vice-President, Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC)

Moderation: Dietlinde Kastelliz, AQ Austria

16:00 - 16:30  Conclusions:

Ensuring and promoting academic and artistic integrity: How quality assurance agencies can take action

Yvonne Overdevest, Senior policy advisor, Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders; Co-Chair of the ENQA working group on academic integrity

Jürgen Petersen, Managing Director, AQ Austria

Moderation: Agnes Witzani, AQ Austria

After 16:30 Closing statement

Eva Werner, Vice President, AQ Austria

Networking over wine and snacks

Graphic Recording: Frances Blüml, Visual Facilitator, visuell.gedacht.

Livestream and interpreting (sign language interpreting, German-English interpreting) will be provided.

In order to register for the conference please contact jahrestagung24@aq.ac.at. Registration ends 10 September 2024. The conference fee is € 170,-. A reduced rate of € 60,- is available for students. Forum 2 will be held in English (the other forums are in German only).