July 2012
At three o'clock on the dot on 29 March, as scheduled in the timetable of meetings, the international external panel that was reviewing AQU Catalunya for the renewal of its membership to ENQA and the EQAR register completed its site visit to the Agency. As has been explained over this last year, it is highly important for AQU Catalunya to successfully undergo this review, as it was with the previous review in 2007, because it is a prerequisite for carrying out validation (ex-ante accreditation) of recognised university degree programmes.
During the two-day long review, interviews were held with around fifty people including the president and members of the Agency's Board of Management; officials from the Secretariat for Universities and Research; chairs and members of the Agency's quality assurance commissions for degree programmes and teaching; programme and institution reviewers; heads of university quality units; members of the Students Advisory Committee (CAE); and the management and staff of AQU Catalunya.
At the end of the visit, the review panel told us several of the more relevant issues that will be included in the final external review report, which I'd like to share:
Out of all of these aspects, I'd like to point out the review panel's impression of the Agency as being a learning organisation. This, in our opinion, endorses a modus operandi in which we believe in, i.e. knowing how to listen in order to improve, especially in the most controversial of matters. And, above all, by extolling those who, from their particular vantage point, believe in this way of doing things and have applied it to the point where it is perceived from outside.
With utmost discretion, due to the fact that we still don't have the final report, which is due at the end of July, nor the resolutions from ENQA or EQAR that are scheduled for autumn, we are inclined to think that the outcome of the review will probably be favourable. Nevertheless, the report will undoubtedly include recommendations for improvement that, as the Agency has already demonstrated, it will commit to and, with the involvement of everybody, make the relevant improvements.
The president and I wish to thank the AQU staff, the academics, professionals, students, quality units, vice-rectors in charge of quality, officials from the universities and the Catalan government, and everybody involved in quality assurance and enhancement for their work in this process, including the preparations for and during the two intense days of the actual review, and also for their work yesterday, the day before yesterday, several months ago and over the past few years, without which it would have been impossible for the Agency to have become what it is today.
And from my standpoint as a teacher, which I am always aware and made aware of, a very particular thank you on behalf of the universities and the students and graduates of Catalan universities. Thank you to the Agency, the education authorities (Administration) and universities for their work, because Catalan universities are now better and have a higher standing in the world of today, which is both global and very complicated.
It's a shame that the work already done does not exonerate us, at least just a small amount, from what still remains to be done in both the quality assurance of degree programmes and teaching! One example that is within reach however and now requires just one final effort for it to be completed is what even the members of the panel themselves referred to in a familiar way as the "framework". There is still room for improvement of the VSMA Framework for the validation, monitoring, modification and accreditation of recognised degree programmes in terms of process simplification, and agreement is needed prior to the end of the year regarding establishing the process for degree programme accreditation.
We have to live up to the impression that we have given to the external review panel, and if they see us as a learning organisation it is now up to us to learn, in spite of the current difficulties, how to design processes that are sustainable, viable and constructive for improving higher education in Catalonia. I am convinced we know how to do this, and doubly so if this great team can sustain its enthusiasm for quality in the universities.