ShareAQU Catalunya publishes its first ‘Biosciences Benchmark Document’
The document aims to guide universities in the process of designing and assessing new bachelor's degrees in the field of Biosciences.
.png)
In October, AQU Catalunya published its first benchmark document dedicated to biosciences. This document has been created to make it easier for universities to navigate through the design of new biosciences degrees and, in the case of existing degrees, to facilitate the process of modification. It is intended to serve various stakeholders for a wide range of purposes. Apart from the goals mentioned above, it also aims to inform wider society, particularly future students and employers, about the characteristics of the study programmes and their learning outcomes.
While not prescriptive and not seeking to establish a standard curriculum for all university institutions, it aims to guide them in the design of degrees in this field. Furthermore, as it does not seek to establish specific approaches to teaching, learning and assessment methodologies, institutions may adapt it to their own context and individual training objectives.
This benchmark is part of the VSMA framework, that especially guides the programme assessment processes, which focuses on validating new teaching proposals, monitoring their deployment, evaluating any modifications, and accrediting study programmes cyclically.
The field of Biosciences covers a broad and rapidly evolving disciplinary area. This is a set of fundamental areas of knowledge needed to improve the way we understand, preserve and promote life on Earth and resolve social and environmental challenges. Bioscience courses play a crucial role in the understanding of life and in applying biological knowledge to medicine, agriculture, industry and research. The future of Bioscience studies is promising, given that research in these disciplines is essential to address global challenges, such as health, environmental sustainability and technological advancement. These studies are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as health, environmental sustainability, technological progress, economic growth and quality education.
This Biosciences Benchmark Document published by AQU Catalunya was written by María Paloma Morán Martínez, Joan Francesc Barquinero Estruch, Carmen Fenoll Comes and Néstor Vicente Torres Darias with the collaboration of Josep Manel Torres and Teresa Pitarch Jovani.