ShareAQU Catalunya publishes 2022 Appeals Commission Report
Its 6 members and the 48 people who support the commission received two appeals regarding university degree programmes and 181 in regard to teaching staff. The year 2022 was the first in which a satisfaction survey was carried out among the experts who collaborate with the commission.
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AQU Catalunya has published the 2022 Appeals Commission report. This commission is in charge of resolving the allegations and appeals filed against the agreements of the Research Assessment Commission, the Institutional and Programme Review Commission, its specific commissions and other assessment commissions. The commission, comprising five university professors with the rank of full professor and the secretary, who is an AQU Catalunya staff member, met on seven occasions throughout 2022. To help them with the preliminary work of reviewing the assessment files, the Appeals Commission has a group of 45 external expert reviewers. In addition, three other external aids collaborated in the review of the allegations presented through appeals related to degree programme assessment.
New this 2022, the report also contains the results of the first satisfaction survey given to the group of experts. The aim of the survey is to identify the commission's strengths and weaknesses so that possible proposals for improvement can be made. Of the 33 people who responded, 79% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the appeals review process. However, only 18% agree with the remuneration they receive.
With reference to appeals regarding university degree programmes, the two received in 2022 questioned the ratings given in the accreditation processes. Specifically, it was agreed to reject the appeal against the ratings of certain standards in the cross-cutting external assessment report of a doctoral school of a university, and it was agreed to accept the modification of the rating of a standard in the accreditation renewal report of a doctoral degree. In regard to teaching staff, 3,011 assessment applications were submitted in 2022. Of these, 734 were given an unfavourable report, of which 181 submitted an appeal, equivalent to 25% of the total. In terms of figures, the majority of the appeals were related to reports for tenure-eligible lecturers.
Finally, there were 14 people who, between 2018 and 2022, did not agree with the decision on an appeal they had filed with the Appeals Commission and who took it to administrative litigation. In 2022, four appeals were submitted to the administrative litigation courts; three appeals corresponding to previous years were upheld and, between the appeals presented in 2022 and one appeal pending from previous years, there are a total of 5 appeals with a decision pending.
