ShareAQU Catalunya publishes the report ‘Analysis of external assessments of higher arts education’
The report highlights that higher arts education in Catalonia has undergone significant consolidation over the last decade.
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AQU Catalunya has today published the report Analysis of external assessments of higher arts education. The document provides an overview of higher arts education (HAE) based on information generated through assessment processes as well as other relevant sources in the field. This makes it possible to identify trends, characterise the system and facilitate comparisons with similar studies carried out both in the university sector and in the European context.
Specifically, the report notes that higher arts education in Catalonia has undergone significant consolidation over the last decade, in parallel with the implementation of external quality assurance processes. The main strengths identified in the system include the consolidation of measures aimed at ensuring the academic qualifications and professional experience of teaching staff, the practical orientation of learning processes and the quality of student support services. In addition, the strong links with the arts and cultural sectors constitute a distinctive added value of these programmes. Conversely, the study also highlights structural challenges that continue to affect the development of the sector. For example, the need to strengthen the academic and research dimension of the centres and the need to consolidate a quality culture shared by the entire educational community.
This analysis, carried out by Esther Adot, project manager in AQU Catalunya's Quality Assessment Area, is based on information from the main public institutions involved in the production, processing and analysis of data related to higher education. These institutions include the Department of Education and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (IDESCAT), the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), and AQU Catalunya's databases relating to external assessment processes and satisfaction and employment outcomes surveys.
Within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), higher arts education (HAE) is provided at higher arts education centres. In Catalonia, HAE is provided at centres authorised by the Department of Education and Vocational Training of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In addition, since 2013, HAE in Catalonia has been subject to the quality assurance and continuous improvement cycle (verification, monitoring, modification and accreditation), for both bachelor's and master's degrees. This is important because, prior to Law 1/2024, it was only compulsory for master's-level degrees. Therefore, the fact that bachelor's and master's degrees undergo external assessment at the different stages of their life cycle, including the assessment of their design (verification), implementation (monitoring) and development (accreditation), represents a consolidation of the quality culture.
You can download the report here.