A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya
Conducted by the Vives Network of Universities, this study aims to gather information on the university experience and study conditions at 20 universities in Catalan-speaking territories.
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On 30 April 2025, the results of the 2023-2025 Via Universitària study were published. This study, conducted by the Vives Network of Universities, aims to gather data on student experiences and study conditions at 20 universities in Catalan-speaking regions. AQU Catalunya was again responsible for the technical coordination of the project.
Over 45,000 surveys were collected in the first half of 2024, and the results have revealed some intriguing findings that have been documented in several recent publications, including a comprehensive report prepared by seven research groups and a more summarised accompanying press dossier.
In this newsletter, however, we would like to highlight some of the outcomes that we consider to be particularly significant in the context of quality assurance. They are as follows:
The results show that 1 in 5 undergraduate students now study in this format. For master’s degrees, this proportion increases to 1 in 3. Clearly, online universities are the primary players in this scenario, but there are others: around 10% of master’s students are pursuing their degree online (or in a hybrid format) despite being enrolled at a traditional, campus-based university. While this is not an entirely new scenario, it is nonetheless relevant when considering the challenges it poses for universities and quality agencies.
In the third edition of the study (2020–2022), we observed a shift away from traditional teaching methods (based on master classes and single assessments) towards more active or innovative methods. One of the reasons for this change was, of course, the need to adapt to the 2020 health crisis. However, three years on, there has been no return to the pre-pandemic status quo. Everything points to these changes in teaching methods having now been consolidated.
Lastly, this latest edition also points to a post-pandemic return to higher student satisfaction levels. After hitting rock bottom in the third edition, where 56% of respondents were dissatisfied, the latest results show a significant recovery to pre-pandemic satisfaction levels. This is undoubtedly a positive development. However, on the negative side, we must acknowledge that around 30% of enrolled students still express some disappointment with their university experience. This is a significant proportion that highlights the ongoing need to improve the quality of the higher education system.