Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya

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ENQA standards and guidelines

The European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education was established in 2000 to promote European co-operation in the field of quality assurance. In November 2004 the General Assembly transformed the Network into the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

In the Berlin Communiqué of 19 September 2003 the Ministers of the Bologna Process signatory states invited the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) through its members, in cooperation with the EUA, EURASHE, and ESIB, to develop "an agreed set of standards, procedures and guidelines on quality assurance and to explore ways of ensuring an adequate peer review system for quality assurance and/or accreditation agencies or bodies." Two years later, ENQA published the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

In 2012 BUSINESSEUROPE, Education International, ENQA, ESU, EUA, EURASHE and the EQAR were invited by the Bucharest Ministerial Conference to prepare an initial revised proposal of the ESG in order to increase its transparency and to promote a broader participation as well as to take into account any input since the early stages of the process. 

The review process

During the external review, the Agency is required to produce a self-evaluation report, the purpose of which is to show how it measures up to the ENQA membership criteria/ESG.

During the external review, ENQA appoints a review panel composed of experts who are totally independent of (no conflict of interests with) AQU Catalunya and have a sufficient level of knowledge, experience and expertise to conduct the review to a high standard. The panel assesses the self-evaluation report, makes a site visit to the agency and draws up an external review report in which it gives its opinion of the degree of compliance with each standard, according to the evidence obtained in the self-evaluation report, the site visit and any additional documentation consulted.

The agency must implement any enhancement recommendations given in the final ENQA-endorsed review report during the five-year period following the international review.

• 2012 review
• 2007 review

2012 review

The ENQA external review panel that evaluated the Agency has submitted its final report which, following the analysis of the detailed evidence given in the self evaluation report and a comparison with the interviews with the different groups, concludes that AQU Catalunya is in compliance with the European standards and the ENQA membership provisions to continue as a full member of the association during the five-year period from 2012-2017.

 PDF Report of the panel of the ENQA coordinated review of the Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya (AQU Catalunya) (July 2012)

 PDF SELF-EVALUATION REPORT 2012. External review for the reconfirmation of AQU Catalunya as a full member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (April 2012)

 PDF AQU Catalunya international external review 2012 [ca]

2007 review

An external review of AQU Catalunya was carried out by ENQA in 2007. Institutional and programme review, together with teaching and research, were all covered by this review.

Date	Report
September 2009	PDF ENQA review. Progress report of AQU Catalunya
September 2007	PDF Comments by AQU Catalunya regarding the Report of the panel reviewing the Agency for Quality Assurance in the Catalan University System
August 2007	PDF Report of the panel of ENQA coordinated review of the Agency for Quality Assurance in the Catalan University System
March 2007	PDF AQU Catalunya self-evaluation report

26.3.2013