A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

93

April 2019

The latest figures on the satisfaction of graduates from universities in Catalonia, which include the 2016, 2017 and 2018 cohorts, have recently been released.

The fieldwork was carried out this winter (2018/2019) and, for the first time, all twelve universities in the higher education system in Catalonia participated in the survey. Another important development was that 34 affiliated schools and institutes (out of a total of 50) also took part, with the satisfaction survey becoming increasingly consolidated as a comparable and useful instrument that is common to the higher education system as a whole. 88% of the graduate population from these cohorts were covered by the study.

Population, sample, response rate and sample error of the 2016-2018 graduate survey

The analysis of recent graduate satisfaction is a necessity for the system, for both institutions and government authorities, in terms of the quality assurance of higher education and the continuous empirical evidence-based enhancement of programmes, students and their educational guidance.

The detailed information can be consulted on the EUC Dades web portal, which provides satisfaction ratings for each university and all degree courses. As the overall outcomes of the 2018 survey are very similar to those of the 2017 survey, a more complete survey study with a comparison with the first graduate satisfaction report published in 2018, will not be published until two years from now. Nevertheless, several of the main outcomes and the latest available figures are given below:

• Overall recent graduate satisfaction was 7.1 out of 10. Satisfaction was higher in Experimental Sciences (7.6), and lower in Engineering and Humanities (6.8).
• Graduate satisfaction was highest for learning outcomes (7.0) whereas room for improvement was most notable in aspects associated with teaching and learning (5.8).
• Tutoring, course coordination, systems for assessment and the response to complaints were rated the lowest, whereas library services, the virtual campus and personal skills acquisition were rated the highest.
• The main strong and weak points according to discipline were as follows:

Main strong and weak points according to discipline (first degrees 2016-2018)

Second survey of master's degrees

The second survey study of master's graduate satisfaction was carried out in parallel with the field work for the survey of first/bachelor degrees. Given that more than 5,000 responses are now available, the figures and main outcomes of subsequent surveys can be released for use by the university community in decision-making and enhancement procedures.

Population, sample, response rate and sample error of the 2017-2018 master's graduate survey

For more information

Torrents, Dani (2018). What do recent graduates think about their student experience at university? elButlletí [AQU Catalunya online newsletter]