Spain’s National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) is publishing the 2019 edition of its annual Report on the status of external quality evaluations at Spanish universities..
The aim of these reports, which have been produced every year since 2006, is to present a comprehensive overview of the Spanish university system, from the perspective of the activities performed by quality assurance agencies.
ACSUG has been accepted in October 2020 as a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE). In this way, ACSUG is committed to international projection, reinforcing the participation in other organizations such as EQAR, ENQA and ECA, all of them established at European level.
Moreover, ACSUG has attended its first INQAAHE meeting, held on a virtual basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
ACSUG, agency member of the European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA) since 2013, has continued in 2020 (represented by Luis Velón) with its active collaboration in the working group about mutual recognition and joint programs and in the working group about Innovation in QA and Accreditation.
ACSUG has attended the 2020 European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF), organized from the 10 to 13 November 2020. The EQAF is an annual forum, providing a platform for discussion, professional development and exchange of experiences among the main European stakeholders in QA. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 EQAF was the first one organised in the form of online sessions.
ACSUG has attended the following ENQA events in October 2020:
21/10/20. ENQA webinar: Update on the Bologna Process. This webinar provided a summary of the findings of the 2020 Bologna Implementation Report.
22/10/20. ENQA Online General Assembly. During the meeting important issues were discussed, such as the admission and reconfirmation of members, approval of the 2019/2020 activities report and the 2021 Budget and Plan of Actions.
23/10/20. ENQA webinar: Use of indicators in higher education. This webinar explored the use of indicators in higher education and specifically quality assurance. Participants heard the main findings of a study conducted by the European University Association (EUA) which looked at how indicators are used in rankings, external quality assurance, and funding formulae.
On 20 October, a meeting was held between the ACSUG’s Programmes Unit and leaders from the three SUG universities (vice-rectors and representatives from their quality technical areas and doctoral divisions). The purpose of this meeting was to reach an agreement on planning of the work performed during the 2020-2021 academic year, in relation to evaluating degree programmes (verification, modification, accreditation, and monitoring) and evaluating academic departments (quality assurance systems and institutional accreditation).
The Bachelor Degree in Arquitecture of the Anáhuac Cancún University (UAC) has been accredited by ACSUG, after an international evaluation process.
The evaluation process, carried out by an Experts Committee appointed by ACSUG, included an on-site visit to the university facilities in November 2019.
The positive final report was issued in July 2020 and the validity of the accreditation is five years.
The Spanish evaluation agencies held a virtual meeting with the Spanish Minister of Universities on 9 December, for the purpose of ensuring evaluation of university quality during the 2020-2021 academic year, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following that meeting, the directors who are members of the Spanish Network of University Quality Assurance Agencies (REACU) produced a document that has already been sent to the Conference of Spanish University Rectors (CRUE) and the Spanish Ministry of Universities, which can be found at this link.
Throughout the month of July, and in collaboration with the universities from the Galician University System (SUG), the ACSUG has performed the first virtual visits for renewing accreditation of degree programmes and certification of quality assurance systems. All of the virtual visits have been performed by following the protocols that the ACSUG has produced for that purpose (degree programmes and departments), to ensure that the same quality standards applied during in-person visits will be maintained. The following degree programmes and departments have been evaluated:
Degree Programmes:
Departments:
The 2020 Virtual General Meeting of ECA. was celebrated by videoconference on 16 June 2020. ACSUG, member of the organization since 2013, was represented by Luis Velón, who has been also participating in the ECA´s Financial Committee since 2019.
The ACSUG is participating as a collaborating institution at the 1st Caribbean Education Research Congress: Rethinking Training for Education Professionals4 and 5 November 2020
On 13 July 2020, the Resolution of 1 July 2020 is being published in the Official Journal of Galicia, approving the ordinary call for applications to obtain pre-hiring evaluations of teaching staff for universities from the Galician University System. This will initiate the time period for submission of applications corresponding to the 2020 call for applications (procedure code ED702B).
According to the contents of the third specification document from that call for applications, all applications must be submitted electronically, in conformity with article 10.2 of Galician Law 4/2019 of 17 July, on Digital Administration for Galicia. Specifically, the application must first be filled in using the ACSUG’s online system, then submitted at the government of Galicia’s online portal.
The coordinator of international relations of ACSUG has participated actively during the months of May and June 2020 in the online consultation process regarding the results of the External Assessment of the ENQA Agency Review Procedure.
The consultation included three online meetings, with different topics:
During the meetings, relevant discussions took place and the participants provided ideas for further improvements of the ENQA evaluation procedures.
The situation due to the COVID-19 has had an impact in the planning initially scheduled of meetings and other international activities.
However, different Webinars are being organised, with the active participation of ACSUG staff members. The Webinars are a good opportunity, not only to keep in contact with representatives of other agencies and organizations, but also to interchange experiences and good practices to consider in this current exceptional situation. ACSUG has participated, until now, in the following Webinars:
Luis Velón, manager of quality and international relations of ACSUG has taken part in the review panel, appointed by ENQA, for the external assessment of the THEQC agency in Turkey. The duration of the process was since September 2019 until April 2020, when the Board of ENQA, considering the committee final report, accepted THEQC as a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.The evaluation process, including a site visit to Ankara in December 2019, has been carried out following the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (ESG).
The Director and the Coordinator of International Relations of ACSUG have attended the online ENQA General Assembly on 29 April, 2020, replacing the ENQA Members Forum that was to be held on the same date in Istanbul (Turkey) and that it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
During the meeting important issues were discussed, such as the admission and reconfirmation of members, the consolidated version of the Strategic Plan 2021-2025, information about finances, the modification of the ENQA Statutes, the changes in the ENQA membership decision-making process and the shift of roles between ENQA and EQAR in the evaluation processes.
The EQAR Register Committee has decided in its meeting of March 2020 that ACSUG has demonstrated its compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) through an independent external review.
This is the third time that ACSUG has been assessed positively by EQAR, and it has been registered continuously since 2010. As a result of this new renewal, the registration of ACSUG in the EQAR is valid until 2024.
It is expected that next Monday, 1 June 2020, counting of the time periods for submitting applications for administrative procedures will be restarted, as a result of lifting of the suspension of administrative deadlines and interruption of time periods, which were established under Spanish Royal Decree 463/2020 of 14 March, on the state of alarm.
Consequently, in application of the contents of the resolutions of 19 February 2020 and 20 February 2020, which approved the ordinary calls for applications for pre-assignment evaluation of salary bonuses for recognition of administrative positions, and salary bonuses for recognition of teaching work and research work (corresponding to procedures ED701C and ED701B), the time period for submitting applications will remain open until 15 June.
By means of the Resolution of 22 April 2020 issued by the President of the ACSUG, it has been agreed to maintain operability of the standardised forms available at the government of Galicia’s web portal, for as long as the state of alarm remains in force. This will allow submission of applications for procedures ED701B (salary bonuses for recognition of teaching work and research work) and ED701C (salary bonuses for recognition of administrative positions).
Access to the application forms for procedures ED701B and ED701C has been initiated at the government of Galicia’s online portal, so that those interested in applying can continue to submit their applications during the state of alarm, but without this representing continuation of the procedure.
Counting of the time periods for those procedures will be restarted at the time when the state of the alarm or any extensions made to it are no longer in force.
The General Conference on University Policy was held on 15 April, and a series of recommendations were established, as can be seen in the attached document.
Following the guidelines of the Spanish Network of University Quality Assurance Agencies (REACU) published on 3 April 2020 in view of the exceptional situation caused by COVID-19; the “Instructions of 6 April 2020 from the Galician Secretariat-General of Universities on quality assurance for remote teaching in universities from the Galician University System”; and the notices and documents issued by the educational authorities, the ACSUG has produced this document. It contains instructions and the updates to be performed while this exceptional situation remains in existence, in order to respond to the uncertainties generated with regard to the status of the programmes for evaluating degree programmes and departments within the Galician University System (SUG).
La Secretaría Xeral de Universidades, tras la reunión celebrada el día 6 con los rectores de las universidades gallegas y el director de la ACSUG, emitió una instrucción para asegurar la calidad de la docencia no presencial en las tres universidades gallegas, cuyo texto recogemos en el anexo.
En el día de hoy, 03.04.2020, ante la excepcional situación creada en España por la expansión del COVID-19, las Agencias españolas para la calidad universitaria celebraron una reunión por videoconferancia con la presencia de los directores de todas ellas para considerar el estado en que se encuentra la enseñanza universitaria motivado por la suspensión de la actividad presencial, con el fin de colaborar entre todos y de establecer un marco en actuación común las propias universidades.
En dicha reunión, se llegó a una serie de acuerdos que se explicitan en el documento adjunto que fue hecho oficialmente público por la propia REACU
In accordance with the RESOLUTION of March 15, 2020, of the General Technical Secretariat of the Galician Ministry of Presidency, Public Administrations and Justice, by which the agreement of the Operational Coordination Center (Cecop) is announced, and through which preventive actions in workplaces of the autonomous public sector as a result of the epidemiological evolution of the coronavirus COVID-19 are taken, the suspension, until new order, of all the face-to-face activity of ACSUG is reported. ACSUG personnel carry out their functions by TELETWORK. Inquiries to the agency will be made electronically at the addresses listed at the following link: DIRECTORY.
On 2 March 2020, the Resolution of 19 February 2020 is being published, approving the 2019 ordinary call for applications for pre-assignment evaluations for salary bonuses recognising administrative positions. This will initiate the time period allowed for submission of the corresponding applications.
Access to the online system used to fill in the application and annexes.
Because of the current situation caused by COVID-19 and the regulations imposed by the government of Galicia, any questions for the agency will be processed through the following email addresses:
Any questions regarding problems with submitting the application at the Galician government’s online portal must be addressed by calling the telephone number 012.
The new time period ends on 15 June 2020.
Se publica hoy, 2 de marzo de 2020, la Resolución del 20 de Febrero de 2020, por la que se aprueba la convocatoria ordinaria, correspondiente al 2019, para solicitar la evaluación previa a la asignación de las retribuciones adicionales relativas a los complementos de reconocimiento a la labor docente y a la labor investigadora y se abre el plazo para la presentación de solicitudes.
Acceso a la aplicación para cumplimentar la solicitud y los anexos.
El nuevo plazo finaliza el 15 de junio de 2020.
Today the President of the Agency for Quality Assurance in the Galician University System (ACSUG), Patrocinio Morrondo, along with the agency’s director, Eduardo López Pereira, and the Galician Secretary-General of Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro, presented the Labour Market Insertion Index for Official Bachelor’s Degree Programmes from the Galician University System (SUG). This is an indicator that measures adaptation of the various degree programmes to the employment market, and it has been produced by Galicia’s Ministry of Education, Universities and Vocational Training based on primary data provided by the ACSUG. The main purpose of this indicator is to make it easier for future university students and their families to obtain better information when making decisions about official bachelor’s degree programmes in Galicia. The information is based on the data collected as part of the Labour Market Insertion study on students who graduated from the SUG during the 2013-2014 academic year.
Labour Market Insertion Index (IIL) for SUG degree programmes
On 16 January 2019, a training seminar was celebrated in ACSUG, directed to the members of the ACSUG Evaluation Committees in charge of the ex-ante, monitoring and ex-post degrees assessment processes. The number of attendees to the seminar was 16, including academics, professionals and students.
Published today February 12, 2020, the Resolution of January 30, (DOG of February 12, 2020) approving the ordinary call to request evaluation prior to the allocation of additional remuneration related to the bonus for acknowledgement of curricular teaching and research excellence.
The term for submitting applications is from February 13 to March 11, 2020, (both included))
IMPORTANT
In accordance with the provisions of the call, the application must be completed electronically (Annex III) using the form available in the ACSUG computer application.
In accordance with the provisions of article 14.2 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, of the common administrative procedure of public administrations, requests must be generated (in PDF format) using the ACSUG application: http://www.acsug.es/convocatoria-abertas.
Once this PDF has been generated, it must be submitted through the Xunta's digital interface: https://sede.xunta.gal/portada.
PROCEDURE CODE: ED701A
In case of doubt, technical difficulties or need for more information during the process of obtaining the forms at the digital interface, applicants can use the information telephone 012 or email 012@xunta.gal
The ACSUG director attended the ENQA General Assembly, held in Yerevan, on 17 and 18 October 2019, event introduced in its open ceremony by the Armenian Education Minister.
In the General Assembly the ACSUG report issued by the ENQA board was approved, renewing, the third time, the accreditation of ACSUG. This situation attributes to ACSUG (according to the current legislation) the necessary competences for developing the ex-ante and ex-post assessments for the Galician university degrees. In this way, ACSUG is one of the 15 agencies, which have been already accredited the third time, out of the 58 agencies full members and more than 50 affiliates.
Within the ENQA meeting in Yerevan, a Forum took place, during which, in addition to the general conferences, a thematic poster exhibition was organised. Among the posters, the ACSUG employee Luis Velón presented one, regarding the labour market insertion studies carried out by ACSUG since 2001, and the impact and importance of the information gathered for the continuous improvement of the Galician University System.
