ShareThe Commission for Institutional and Programme Assessment holds its third meeting in 2024
AQU Catalunya’s headquarters hosted the third meeting of this year’s Institutional and Programme Review Commission (CAIP). New members were introduced and approval of the benchmarks for Biosciences, Philology and language studies was voted on, among other issues.AQU Catalunya’s headquarters hosted the third meeting of this year’s Institutional and Programme Review Commission (CAIP). New members were introduced and approval of the benchmarks for Biosciences, Philology and language studies was voted on, among other issues.
The Institutional and Programme Review Commission (CAIP) held its third meeting of 2024 yesterday at AQU Catalunya’s headquarters. The new members of the commission were introduced at the meeting, namely Diego Pablo Ruiz Padillo, full PhD professor of the University of Granada; Maria de Lurdes Correia Fernandes, full PhD professor of the University of Porto; Caty Duykaerts, former director of the Agence pour l’Evaluation de la Qualité de l’Enseignement Supérieur in Belgium; and Patrick Heinzer, commissioner for international affairs at the German quality agency, Agentur für Qualitätssicherung Durch Akkreditierung von Studiengängen E.V. (AQAS).
After approving of the minutes from the previous meeting, the director of AQU Catalunya, Jaume Valls Pasola, presented his report, which began by detailing the state of the various calls for evaluation of qualifications and of centres that the Agency currently has open. He went on to explain the current progress made on the revision of the VSMA Framework. A first draft has already been produced and is currently under technical review and is expected to be approved at a meeting of the Governing Board next autumn-winter.
Regarding the update of the teaching assessment methodology, Valls informed the CAIP about the desire to create a renewed methodology that responds to the fresh developments on teaching assessment, bearing in mind issues such as recent legislative changes or the Docentia program, and so on. After going over the agenda on the upcoming studies that the Agency is preparing, the director explained the main topics to be discussed at the next meeting of the Spanish Network of University Quality Agencies (REACU), which will be held on 15 July. Finally, Valls presented the upcoming conferences and workshops that AQU Catalunya will hold, which will take place on 12 July and 18 September this year. The first is called Monitoring and renewal of institutional accreditation: first experience, and the second, Research assessment: indicators and challenges facing local research and research in Catalan.
After the presentation of the Director’s report, CAIP members approved the benchmarks for Biosciences, Philology and Language Studies. They also approved the document Guidelines for the preparation of the student report for degree programme and centre accreditation; the model for preparing the Student report for degree programme accreditation; and the model for preparing the Student report for centre accreditation.
The CAIP, which already met virtually this year in April, is the body that oversees the correct application of the set of quality assurance instruments and processes that AQU Catalunya carries out at institutional and programme level. The work of the CAIP can be grouped into two main areas: the quality of teaching and the quality of institutions.