94

July 2019

EDITORIAL

AQU Catalunya collaborates for the first time with VIA UNIVERSITŔRIA II

Martí Casadesús - Director

The first "Via Universitària" project was started by the Vives Network of Universities and the Bofill Foundation in 2013, the main goal of which was to gain a better understanding of the profile of students in the universities that form part of the network where the Catalan language is spoken, their study conditions and environments, as well as their satisfaction with their university and teaching. This involved establishing the number of hours they spend studying, how many students work and study at the same time, where they live, their use of university services, etc.

The project is based on a lengthy online survey of the twenty universities in the Network and has many points in common with the Eurostudent project, a study carried out in most European countries, although in Spain it was considered expedient not to participate.

The findings of the project are quite exceptional and extraordinarily important inasmuch they enable universities to better understand the needs of students and align their services according to the students' expectations. In certain cases this can be done without the need for any additional resources by better directing and focusing what is already in place in line the students' needs and requirements. The profile of students has, after all, changed radically in recent years and it continues to change, and so there is a clear need for up-to-date monitoring of their needs and requirements.

At the request of the Vives Network of Universities, AQU Catalunya actively participated in the Via Universitària II project in 2018 , together with AQUA and Fundació Bancària La Caixa. More specifically, we were involved in the collection and tabulation of all the surveys, using a methodology comparable to the one the Agency has been using for years in its graduate destination surveys. This led to two important improvements: on the one hand, a considerable reduction in the costs of the project and, on the other, the ability to classify all of the data using the same structure used by AQU Catalunya for many years. For universities, this meant ease of use of the data, which are appropriately structured according to degree programme, for detailed analysis and to draw conclusions. They are also made available to researchers interested in analysing different relevant aspects such as equity, gender, commitment to study, how students fund their studies, the evaluation of teaching methodologies and assessment activities, involvement in and connection with the university, etc.

I encourage you to read the report (in Catalan), which gives the main conclusions of the project and is very easy and quick to read.

As a result of close cooperation like this between the entire university system, we have a much better understanding today of university students in Catalonia and their lives. Best use should be made of this information and knowledge, which is unique in Spain, for the day-to-day improvement of universities and other higher education institutions, and in particular the quality of teaching .
 

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