62

September 2012

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ARTICLES

AQU Catalunya in compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines

Editorial board - AQU Catalunya

In accordance with the ENQA membership criteria, and to be listed with the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), European agencies are required to undergo an international external review once every five years, in compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Pursuant to the regulations in Spain, only quality assurance that are full members of ENQA listed with EQAR can carry out the validation (ex-ante accreditation) of recognised university degree programmes and qualifications.

AQU Catalunya underwent its second1 international external review in 2012. In the light of the documentary and oral evidence it considered, the ENQA Review Panel was satisfied that AQU Catalunya is in compliance with the ESG and ENQA Membership Provisions to continue as a full member of the association from 2012 to 2017. The outcome of the review, which is set out in the Report of the panel of the ENQA coordinated review of the Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya (AQU Catalunya), is international recognition of the work of the Catalan universities and the Agency to enhance quality.

For the purposes of the external review, agencies must either completely or substantially comply with the ESG. The review panel studied the Agency's compliance with sixteen standards, of which it noted that the Agency fully complies with fourteen and substantially complies with two, namely, 2.1: The effectiveness of internal quality assurance processes for external quality assurance procedures, and 3.6: Independence. The Review Panel was therefore satisfied that AQU Catalunya is in compliance with the ENQA Membership Provisions.

The panel's evaluation of the Agency's compliance with the various standards is as follows:

Standards and Guidelines

In addition to the analysis of the standards, the external review report pointed out that the Agency had made significant improvements during the five years following the review of 2007, during which time it made considerable progress (the review of 2007 covered compliance with eight standards, of which the Agency was considered to be fully compliant in two and substantially compliant in six). According to the 2012 report, the strong points of the Agency are:

  • It is a dynamic agency, which takes every opportunity to improve its own work and enhance quality in higher education institutions.
  • It is a 'learning organisation' with the capacity and the will to review its operations and improve them in the light of experience.
  • It puts great effort into building up strong relationships with stakeholders and has created an atmosphere of trust with public and private universities.
  • The Agency's staff is motivated and has a constructive attitude towards the current budgetary restrictions.
  • Excellent use is made of IT for internal and external communication.

With regard to the two standards that the Agency was substantially but not totally compliant in, in the case of 2.1., the panel recommended that the VSMA Framework needs to be improved with more aspects of internal quality assurance procedures of higher education, and in relation to standard 3.6., that it is incumbent on the government of Catalonia, through a new law to modify the Agency that is currently pending parliamentary procedure, to improve the process whereby the review commission chairs (presidents) are appointed.

Three fragments of the Report of the panel of the ENQA coordinated review of the Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya (AQU Catalunya) are reproduced below as a summary of the review outcome (the executive summary, the introduction to the analysis of compliance with the ESG, and the panel's conclusions).

Executive Summary

The review of AQU Catalunya was of type 'B', and in addition to the usual ENQA membership criteria, considered the Agency's responsibility for various aspects of the assessment of staff.

In the light of the documentary and oral evidence it considered, the Review Panel is satisfied that AQU Catalunya is in compliance with the ENQA Membership Provisions. Overall, the panel notes that the agency fully complies with ESG 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5; and substantially complies with ESG 3.1 and 3.6.

AQU Catalunya has made very great progress since the review of 2007, when it was last considered for ENQA membership.

It is the Review Panel's understanding that AQU Catalunya is a dynamic agency, which takes every opportunity to improve its own work and enhance quality in Higher Education Institutions. AQU Catalunya involves representatives of universities fully in its work. Its methodology, procedures and reports are readily available in a variety of formats, including a well structured website.

In relation to the assessment of academic staff, the Panel considered that procedures are proportionate and fulfil their aims. Procedures, criteria and appeals procedures are published on the AQU Catalunya website.

The panel considers that some aspects of the academic staff assessment function could be better integrated and thus welcomes plans in a new Bill for the merger of the 'commissions' responsible."

Compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines

The following judgements are based on the self-evaluation document, analysis of AQU Catalunya documents, and interviews during the site visit (the schedule is attached in Annex 1). The Review Panel was grateful for AQU's very open approach, which facilitated free and frank communication in all interviews.

The Panel considered that AQU Catalunya is a dynamic agency oriented towards the enhancement of quality in higher education institutions and improving its own work. In recent years AQU Catalunya has successfully integrated feedback and review mechanisms into its activities.

In particular the Panel was impressed by high level of motivation of AQU Catalunya staff, and the excellent use of IT for internal and external communication. AQU Catalunya puts great effort into building up strong relationships with stakeholders and has created an atmosphere of trust with public and private universities.

AQU is a regular and often a leading contributor to the different ENQA initiatives and events. The AQU Catalunya self-evaluation report was informative and well written. The Review Panel experienced some difficulty with access to AQU Catalunya documents in English translation, but this was largely overcome since one member of the Review Panel was Spanish, and two more fluent in the language. Spanish language expertise was also helpful in interviews.

AQU Catalunya has made great progress since it was last considered for ENQA membership, in 2007. The 2007 review found that AQU Catalunya had little sense of strategic direction, external pressure forcing it into uncoordinated short-term activities. The Agency was fully compliant with ESG 3.2 and 3.8 only. With regard to the remaining ESG, the 2007 review panel made a number of criticisms, for example, lack of strategic planning (ESG 2.2), no publication of final results of ex-ante evaluations of master's programmes (ESG 2.5), low level of accountability in follow-up procedures (ESG 2.6), no periodic activities (ESG 3.3), and miscellaneous activities assigned by law with no clear priorities (ESG 3.5). The present review found that AQU Catalunya has made significant improvements in all these areas.

Conclusion and development

In the light of the documentary and oral evidence, the Review Panel is satisfied that, in the performance of its functions, AQU Catalunya is in compliance with the ENQA Membership Provisions. The Panel therefore recommends to the Board of ENQA that AQU Catalunya should have Full Membership of ENQA confirmed for a further period of five years.

1 The first one, which it also successfully complied with, was in 2007.

ENQA EQAR ISO

Generalitat de Catalunya

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© 2012 AQU Catalunya - Legal number B-21.910-2008