A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

93

April 2019

The new Code of Ethics of the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya/AQU Catalunya) was endorsed by AQU Catalunya's Governing Board at its meeting on 2 May 2019.

The working group commissioned with the drafting of the Code of Ethics consisted of Dr. Esther Giménez-Salinas, Professor Emeritus of Criminal Law and Criminology at the Ramon Llull University, Dr. Begoña Román, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Barcelona, and Dr. Marina Garcés, Associate Professor of Studies in Arts and Humanities at the Open University of Catalonia. The secretary to the working group was Jordi Escolar, legal adviser to AQU Catalunya and secretary of the Appeals Committee.

The joint work of these top experts, with their combined multidisciplinary insight, has resulted in a Code of Ethics that is pluralistic and of in-depth insight, and gives an added level of meaning to the wording of the text.

Various codes of ethics from different areas in the public sector were analysed, together with the latest trends in the field of applied ethics, during the process of drawing up and conceptualising the new ethical code. A draft proposal for AQU Catalunya's new Code of Ethics was then referred to the Agency's Advisory Committee.

In accordance with the context outlined in the draft proposal, the working group agreed on the importance of establishing a series of fundamental principles on which to base the drawing up of the Code itself, which were simplicity, inspiration, guidance and the spirit of continuous improvement and enhancement. In keeping with these fundamental principles, the Code of Ethics is divided into four sections: an introduction, the values, the commitments and the assurance of compliance.

The introduction explains the way in which the Agency's various codes of ethics have evolved, the various sections into which the new the Code of Ethics is divided and structured, together with the definition of what is understood by values and commitments.

In the section on values describes, on the one hand, the fundamental values, defined as the intrinsic characteristics that guide decision-making, namely, dignity, independence, impartiality, integrity, innovation and continuous improvement, public service, diversity, equity and trust. It then goes on to describe the instrumental values, which refer to the means and processes that underlie the pursuit of the Agency's aims, namely, transparency and accountability, cooperation, efficiency, internationalisation and competence.

Of particular noteworthiness is the introduction of the word dignity as an informative and core value in the new Code of Ethics, which has a twofold purpose: the application of dignity to individuals undergoing assessment, outside contributors and staff, on the one hand, and respect for institutions, on the other.

The third part of the Code of Ethics deals with the commitments, or the practical application of the values, that promote ethical conduct and are conducive to good practices. One of the main new developments in AQU Catalunya's Code of Ethics is the conception that "the commitment to values and the feeling of being impelled by something that is one's own is ethically transforming and one becomes the subject of his/her actions."

The last part of the Code of Ethics sets out the assurance of compliance mechanisms, which is the weak point in many documents like this. The focus here is on the need for stimulus for better training in ethics; the assurance of compliance; and monitoring and regular review.

In conclusion, and as it states in the code itself, AQU Catalunya's new Code of Ethics has been conceived as an ethical roadmap. In other words, it describes an attitude and a vision through which a series of commitments are fostered and made specific and thereby serve as a key instrument to reinforce and underpin the work and activities of AQU Catalunya as a quality assurance agency.