Successful in the ANECA course on teaching evaluation

From June 24 to 26, the course entitled The qualitative evaluation of teaching performance in the Spanish university system through the DOCENTIA program: difficulties, success stories, lessons learned and lines of improvement, was held at the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander. This course, included in the summer program of the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) and organized by ANECA, has had 70 participants from quality agencies, vice-rectorates, technical units and students from Spanish universities.

The evaluation of the attendees has been very positive since the debate with ANECA on the evaluation of the teaching activity was considered a pending subject and the level of the presentations, the round tables and the discussions generated in the Auditorium has been very high and enriching.

During the course, exchanges have taken place in which the strengths and weaknesses of the current design of the DOCENTIA program have been analyzed, while successful and innovative experiences have been shared. This program, proposed by ANECA and shared with the rest of the regional quality agencies, allows each university to decide how to promote the continuous improvement of its teaching staff in the field of teaching. As has been seen during the course, the diversity resulting from the design of the program is one of its virtues and allows each university to decide its strategy regarding the evaluation of teaching.

In the final debate, a certain level of consensus was reached regarding the need to harmonize the presentation of results (teaching quality certifications) in order to make them more useful also in relation to the recognition of the teaching work of the teaching staff in accreditation processes, as well as in relation to the need to facilitate the incorporation of all the universities of the system to this program.

This course is part of the meta-evaluation and revision of the DOCENTIA program being carried out by ANECA, whose draft will be open for information, consultation and public participation in the fall of this year.