Digital learning formats are now ubiquitous in higher education, but this very fact presents them with major challenges. Quality assurance is essential here! That is why FIBAA has developed a certification called ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® – an innovative tool for assessing and ensuring the quality of digital learning.
In 2020, FIBAA began the process of developing the certification to raise the profile of digital transformation at universities and educational institutions. The FIBAA quality seal ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® is based on the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) and the ‘Considerations for quality assurance of e-learning provision’ from ‘Occasional Paper 26’ of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). Input from external experts in higher education management and internal FIBAA workshops also contributed to the development of the FIBAA quality seal.
Following successful pilot procedures in 2021 and further certifications since 2022, FIBAA has introduced a revised assessment catalogue in March 2026. Content updates relate, for example, to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in teaching and learning, the consequences of ubiquitous digital forms of teaching and learning with regard to ethical and social issues, and the training and further education of digital skills. In addition, from 2026 onwards, ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® will be assessed according to a maturity model that enables participating universities and continuing education institutions to benchmark their level of digitalisation. Accordingly, the FIBAA quality seal ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® will be awarded in bronze, silver and gold categories.
The FIBAA quality seal ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® in the categories bronze, silver and gold
Points are awarded for the individual criteria according to their classification as ‘visible’, “structured” and ‘sustainable’. The total number of points from all 21 criteria determines whether the FIBAA quality seal ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® is awarded in the bronze, silver or gold category.
Please contact us!
Division Manager Certifications
M.A.
Phone: +49 (0) 151 / 16840282
E-Mail: stephan@fibaa-nospam.org
Languages: German, English
Deputy Division Manager
M.Sc.
Phone: +49 (0) 151 / 585 805 37
E-Mail: butler@fibaa-nospam.org
Languages: German, English, Spanish
Projectmanagement
M.A.
Phone: +49 (0) 228 / 280 356-0
E-Mail: luetgens@fibaa-nospam.org
Languages: German, English, French
We look forward to your enquiry
FIBAA stands for reliable support in quality development.
We look forward to walking the path together with you.
Please send us your enquiry.
Trademark Registration in Switzerland and the EU
Since November 2021, the FIBAA Quality Seal „Excellence in Digital Education“® has been a registered trademark in Switzerland and since March 2022, the FIBAA Quality Seal „Excellence in Digital Education“® has been a registered trademark in the EU.
Certified Higher Education Institutions, educational providers, study programmes and continuing education courses
Certification method
The certification with the FIBAA Quality Seal „Excellence in Digital Education”® is carried out in a peer review process.
Standards, criteria and assessment
In line with a holistic approach, the quality assurance of the digital teaching and learning environment is assessed on the basis of five standards and 21 associated criteria, all of which are set out in a detailed assessment guide. All standards are considered equally important and must work together to create outstanding digital learning experiences. Each criterion is assigned a maturity level based on three successive assessment levels: ‘visible’, “structured” and ‘sustainable’.
Areas of application for the FIBAA Quality Seal “Excellence in Digital Education”®
The certification with the FIBAA Quality Seal „Excellence in Digital Education”® is possible
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at institutional level or for individual study programmes or continuing education courses of Higher Education Institutions or education providers (stand-alone procedure),
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parallel to an institutional or study programme accreditation or the certification of continuing education courses of Higher Education Institutions or education providers (combined procedure),
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in German and in English.
Your benefits
- The FIBAA quality seal ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® takes into account the different perspectives of online teaching and evaluates them according to proven standards and criteria.
- The maturity model with three assessment levels – ‘visible’, “structured” and ‘sustainable’ – provides you with a transparent benchmark of your degree of digitalisation. It provides a clear starting point for further development, including the potential for prioritisation and focus, as well as the creation of a roadmap.
- Not only do you gain insights from the self-assessment, but you also receive valuable suggestions for qualitative further development from a panel of experts and the FIBAA Accreditation and Certification Commission.
- In addition, acquiring the FIBAA quality seal offers the opportunity to drive forward the digital transformation of teaching and learning and to become visible to the outside world as an innovative university or education provider.
- In internal communication, the maturity model provides arguments for a differentiated presentation and positioning.
- In external communication, the FIBAA quality seal ‘Excellence in Digital Education’® in the bronze, silver or gold category is a visible sign of the quality of your educational offering.
“Excellent digital teaching places high demands on people, but also on the technical infrastructure. Central is a modern e-campus, which offers students and teachers a variety of interaction options. It is just as important that there are modern and competence-oriented standards for digital teaching. We look forward to contributing to the evaluation of these criteria as a pilot higher education institution.”
Prof. Dr Ottmar Schneck, Rector and Managing Director of SRH Distance Higher Education Institution
“In the development and implementation of our excellent digital teaching, we take into account the personnel, technical and administrative framework conditions. The didactic design is based on the content of the material to be taught and the needs of the students. The external expertise in the process of obtaining the "Excellence in Digital Education" seal helps to further develop one's own competencies.”
Prof. Jürg Kessler, Rector of the Graubünden Higher Education Institution of Applied Sciences
“From a student perspective, it is particularly important to me that high standards are also ensured in digital teaching and learning formats. The areas of personnel, technology and didactic design must be implemented in a digital strategy for higher education institutions so that students in particular can experience many benefits from digital teaching formats here in the future.”
Julia Ekhardt, student at TU Munich
“Digitisation is changing the world. No stone is left unturned. Teaching, studies and higher education institutions are massively affected. New business models, products, processes and markets are emerging. It is constantly going faster and faster. This makes efficient quality management systems all the more important. Students, alumni and employers have a right to quality and transparency. This is exactly what the new FIBAA Seal is all about. It is great and incredibly important that FIBAA is taking on this innovative subject!”
Prof. Dr Andreas Altmann, Rector of MCI The Entrepreneurial Higher Education Institution®
