I have deliberately labelled the issue with the adjective "hard" because, as is often the case, unfortunately, the legislative change has not provided for a transition within a reasonable time frame and with some room for manoeuvre. The Decree is published and it is hoped that everything will go well. And adaptation is neither easy nor immediate. Thus, for example, asking universities to switch from the previous terminology of skill types to that of learning outcomes in European format (knowledge, skills and competence) is not self-evident. This is a very important conceptual change if it is to be done well, and it has huge implications for the preparation of validation reports. The same applies to other issues in the Royal Decree.
To make the change, the supporting technology must be available and, at the time of going to press, university quality management technical staff must use Ministry of Universities computer applications that are not adapted to the provisions of the Royal Decree.
The roll-out of Royal Decree 822/2021 is, at present, somewhat chaotic and the complete opposite of what is suitable for a university system that works for university quality aimed at continuous improvement.
In this respect, the entire Catalan university system is making an enormous effort to carry out this transition. The work carried out by the university technical quality units and by AQU Catalunya technical staff, who are the driving force behind the changes arising from the aforementioned Royal Decree, should be particularly noted and their efforts acknowledged. We know we will get through this. But we would have preferred an easier road.
We have dedicated this newsletter to this topic, given its importance and relevance. We hope that the analyses and reflections will help readers to understand the challenges involved, and guide those working on university quality issues to move forward in the roll-out of all that this regulation entails.