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Butlletí

A bimonthly publication of AQU Catalunya

65

March 2013

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EDITORIAL

The AQU Catalunya budget for 2013

The current general economic situation, and in particular the way it is affecting the universities, has led us to thinking that this month's editorial is a good opportunity to share with our readers the budgetary situation of AQU Catalunya and the measures that the Agency has recently had to adopt to ensure the entity's viability. From 2009 and 2012, capital and current transfers to the Agency from the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan government) went down by 25%.

This reduction is significant, particularly if one takes into account that transfers from the Generalitat account for 95% of the Agency's revenue, compared to the fees for university teaching staff assessment and evaluation, which only account for around 1% of the total.

Although the Agency's budget accounts for less than 0.35% of the budget set aside by the Generalitat de Catalunya for the universities in Catalonia, we are of the opinion that the added value generated by the Agency more than compensates for this investment, as AQU Catalunya is fully competent in developing external quality assurance processes in Catalonia.


AQU NEWS

ARTICLES

  • Teaching assessment in Catalonia: taking stock and looking ahead to future challenges
    This year sees the tenth anniversary of the setting in motion of the teaching assessment programme in Catalan universities. Now is therefore a good time to take stock and recognise the important work carried out by all of the agents concerned (vice-rectors' offices, quality units, the education science institutes within the universities, review panels in the universities and the Agency, etc.).
    Esteve Arboix Codina - Head of Teaching Staff and Research at AQU Catalunya
  • Mainstream online processing of teacher assessment procedures
    In February the first call for applications was made in 2013 for the issue of reports for tenure-track teachers, which will be processed in its entirety online through the Generalitat de Catalunya's on-line applications website (OVT). This call will bring to a close the process of migration from CAT 365 to the Generalitat's GSIT portal, which is accessed through the OVT and incorporates all online processing of procedures dealing with university teacher assessment.
    Editorial board - AQU Catalunya
 

OPINION

  • Reflections on the use of the teaching assessment handbooks at the UPC/BarcelonaTech University

    Gabriel Bugeda Castelltort

    It has been five years since the UPC (BarcelonaTech University) began to assess teaching by staff at the university according to the teaching handbook. The handbook was developed according to the guidelines laid down by AQU, approved by the university's Governing Council and subsequently endorsed by the Agency. Up until the present time, the handbook has been used in the assessment of approximately 1,500 applications. The five special review panels involved in this process are currently being renewed and reaccredited. The teaching assessment handbook is also being updated to include the solution to various situations that were unforeseen and that have arisen over the past five years, including the introduction of new EHEA qualifications with the new unit measurements for teaching (ECTS credits), new contractual teaching positions, etc. Now is therefore a good time to reflect on its introduction, use and results.

 

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