XHochschule in a nutshell
XHochschule is the national German standard for the digital exchange of data and documents between institutions of higher education. It provides semantic data structures for diplomas, certificates of enrollment and the like. It is part of the agenda for standardization of the German IT-Planning Council (IT-Planungsrat) and is being developed under the auspices of the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The project XHochschule spans the entire process from needs assessment to the design of technical specifications.
XHochschule is one element of XBildung (webpage in German only), a common umbrella for all data exchange standards in the education domain in Germany. XBildung also encompass XSchule (data exchange in primary and secondary education, webpage in German only) and XBerufsbildung (data exchange for vocational education, webpage in German only).
What does the X stand for?
X stands for XML in Public Administrations (XÖV, XML in der Öffentlichen Verwaltung). XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language that is readable by both computers and humans. XÖV is a framework to apply this markup language on national level and a means to fully digitize and seamlessly map administrative services. All involved parties in a specific field must agree on the scope and format of the information to be exchanged - in other words, XHochschule is a collection of instructions on how documents are structured and what they contain.
What is the goal?
The goal is already embedded in the name XHochschule - to enable seamless and fully digital data exchange using an XML-based standard. Throughout their studies, a student receives many certificates and documents such as enrollment certificates, certificates for pension and health insurance, and diplomas, which they need to present and/or submit to various recipients on different occasions, see the XHochschule-journey. If the documents are in a format that complies with the XHochschule standard, steps like making certified copies or scanning the documents can be omitted. It is also possible for the data exchange to take place directly between the two involved authorities or institutions. Numerous work steps can thus be significantly streamlined.
How does XHochschule develop the standard, and what is the current status?
XHochschule focuses on transparency and participation. In coordination with representatives from the higher education sector, an initial needs assessment was conducted, which culminated in a standardization strategy. From the strategy, technical models are created, which are systematically and graphically presented within a specification. These first versions of the specification were reviewed and continuously adjusted in standardization meetings. Representatives from universities, manufacturers of campus management systems, and representatives of education administrations participate in the needs assessment through workshops and GitHub. A version 1.0 for productive usage has been released in early 2024.
