A bimonthly publication of AQU Catalunya

44

September 2009

This is the first report of these characteristics drawn up jointly by the twelve quality assurance agencies in Spain on the basis of the principle of transparency, whereby the agencies are accountable for their review programmes, as laid down by the European standards and guidelines.

The report states that quality assurance at the present time affects all elements in the higher education system, from academic staff to institutions and degree programmes, and all of the stakeholders in the system (public authorities, universities, the Universities Council and quality assurance agencies) are involved.

The report is divided up into five main chapters; the first sets the Spanish higher education system and the principles of quality assurance in context; the second present the results of the evaluation of degree programmes for the purposes of authorisation (Bachelor, Master's and PhD), together with other programme evaluations; the third deals with the assessment of teaching and research staff for different purposes (national accreditation for recruitment to university teaching posts, pre-contract assessment for recruitment by a university, assessment for contractual appointment to the post of professor emeritus, and salary bonuses granted by the authorities in the Autonomous Communities); the fourth introduces the two currently active programmes (AUDIT and DOCENTIA) on quality assurance systems used with degree programmes at the national level; and the fifth deals with the challenges and prospects for the future. A glossary and a series of tables with data and figures are given in the Appendices. A concluding chapter deals with other review activities carried out by the quality assurance agencies within the framework of their programmes of activity.

 Report on the state of external quality review in Spanish universities, 2008 [es]

 Report on the state of external quality review in Spanish universities, 2008. AUDIT [es] — Javier Bará