elButlletí

A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

97

April 2020

Martí Casadesús today presented the Agency's staff with a review of the Agency's activities in 2019 and the challenges that will need to be addressed in the current year (2020). The director presented an analysis of all the activities and projects planned and completed throughout 2019, together with everything that is planned for the current year.

As regards the review of 2019, the director underlined the fact that more than 90% of the activities envisaged in the Agency's 2019 Action Plan [ca] were undertaken and completed. These included:

• Institutional quality: work was started on the methodology for institutional accreditation; all review and evaluation methodologies were revised to include the gender perspective, e-education, student-centred learning and all relevant regulatory changes; work was undertaken on the guidelines for obtaining accreditation from the World Federation for Medical Education.
• Quality of teaching staff and teaching: preparatory work was undertaken for the introduction of e-administration in all quality assurance procedures; continued support was given to the Serra Húnter programme; the appeals procedure was revised in line with e-administration; and there was a 34% increase in the number of applications compared to 2018.
• Knowledge generation: the 2020 graduate employment outcomes survey was prepared and the findings of the survey of the opinions and perceptions of employers regarding the education by graduates were presented; the recent graduate satisfaction survey was undertaken; and the Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Catalonia, was published, together with the General Framework for incorporating the Gender Perspective in Higher Education Teaching and a report on Profiles of tenure-track lecturers 2013-2017.
• Internationalisation: the Agency continued to host the Secretariat of the INQAAHE network; both of the DEQAR and LIREQA; projects were continued; and work on the Skills 4 Employability project was started.

The director also went over the main challenges that the Agency will need to address in 2020. These include:

• Provide momentum for institutional accreditation and organise the 117 planned site visits.
• Implement e-administration, handle the increase in the number of applications and continue with the accreditation of the teaching assessment handbooks used by HEIs in Catalonia.
• Carry out the 2020 graduate employment outcomes survey and the survey of graduate employment outcomes 20 years after graduation, both of which will take into account the gender perspective; set up the Catalan Talent Observatory; and combine the various EUC websites into one.