La percepción del profesorado de la Universidad de Murcia sobre los procesos de evaluación y acreditación de sus titulaciones

Abstract

One of the cornerstones of the European Higher Education Area is quality assurance in all the procedures carried out in higher education institutions. The Bologna Process involved a number of changes in structures and teaching methodologies with the aim of adapting higher education to a new education paradigm. The result of such structural changes was the foundation of organizations which would guarantee quality at university level. Evaluation and accreditation agencies have the mission of guaranteeing the quality of procedures and teaching in European universities and, therefore, in Spanish universities. Thus, agencies have evaluation and accreditation programs adapted to European area regulations and state legislation, which are implemented so long degrees are offered. New undergraduate and master degrees, as well as doctoral programs, are available once their course description reports have been positively evaluated, then monitored, and finally, accredited if all objectives outlined in the course description have been fully reached. Evaluation agencies support universities in the creation, implementation and evaluation of their Internal Quality Assurance System, which function as a guiding framework in the quality procedures that each institution must follow and as a facilitating tool in evaluation processes. This research study aimed at: a) finding out about the perception of teachers from the University of Murcia about the evaluation and accreditation processes of degrees at various faculties, b) analyzing the development and impact of such processes on faculties, teaching staff, and teaching, and c) examining the Internal Quality Assurance model implemented by the University of Murcia and the evaluation models of the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA). With a mixed method approach and the use of quantitative and qualitative instruments this study found results which support those in previous studies. Thus, evaluation and accreditation processes are perceived as complex, inflexible and bureaucratic procedures. Teachers are not trained to accomplish such evaluation tasks and feel they are engaged in an unrecognized workload. They highlight a need to simplify and modify such procedures, count on more resources that would allow adequate implementation, and promote training actions targeted to all stakeholders. Involvement and active participation of all parties involved are crucial to improve the quality of teaching. In addition, a thorough reflection about the teaching-learning process with a review of teaching methodologies is needed in order to make methodologies focus on a context in which students are at the center of academic activities, which may ultimately lead to an achievement of innovation and quality at university.