Butlletí

A bimonthly publication of AQU Catalunya

52

January 2011

EDITORIAL

Concerning the debate on governance and university funding in Catalonia

With the publication in the press of a statement signed by all of the vice-chancellors (rectors) of the public universities in Catalonia on governance and university funding, AQU Catalunya feels it necessary to comment briefly on this matter, given its importance and significance.

AQU NEWS

• The assessment of periods of research and technology transfer30.12.2010
• Workshop on student participation in quality assurance processes abroad20.12.2010
• Conclusion of the VSMA Framework presentations at Catalan universities16.12.2010
• Workshop on quality and the specialist libraries of the Generalitat de Catalunya07.12.2010
• Presentation of the certificates from the Second Call of the AUDIT programme26.11.2010
• REACU analyses the criteria for the ex-ante assessment of university degrees and awards18.11.2010
• Report on the state of external quality assurance in Spanish universities, 200915.11.2010
• AQU Catalunya to carry out the ex-ante assessment of recognised degree courses being introduced in the 2011-2012 academic year10.11.2010
• Workshop on the VSMA Framework at the University of Vic and the University of Lleida05.11.2010
• AQU Catalunya shares with ECA good practices on the assessment of learning outcomes04.11.2010

ARTICLES

• Factors for analysing student participation
  The role of students as a transformation agent of university education has been widely recognised in the communiqués and declarations that have defined the development of the European Higher Education Area over the past ten years. In the same vein, but at the level of Catalonia, the institutions and authorities involved in university education (universities, policy makers, quality assurance agencies) have progressively introduced changes and carried out actions that have seen progress made in this regard, with the student body taking a more active part in different levels of action and decision-making.
  Albert Basart Capmany - Secretary of the AQU Student Comission
• FLLLEX Project: The international review of university policies for lifelong learning
  At the European level, coordinated education policies have become more important since the adoption of the Lisbon Strategy, which defined the framework for promoting economic growth and employment in the European Union, in 2000. The quality of the different levels of education, from pre-school to university, has been recognised as being fundamental for the objectives of this strategy to be achieved. In a world that is rapidly changing, however, lifelong learning (LL) has now become a priority, if not a key element in employment and economic development, at the same time that it clearly improves the position of people and enables them to fully participate in present-day society and that of the future.
  Josep Grifoll Saurí - Head of Quality Assessment department

OPINION

• Learning from and understanding your students – watch out for generation Y
  

  Derfel Owen
  Development Officer (Students and Enhancement), QAA

  Big changes are about to take place in UK higher education in response to the government's plans to reform higher education funding, shifting the cost from government grants to student fees. Universities and agencies like QAA are thinking very seriously about how this will affect our relationship with students.

AQU RECOMMENDS

• Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) podcasts
• Examining Quality Culture: Part 1 – Quality Assurance Processes in Higher Education Institutions PDF