Quality Observatory of the Spanish University System

ANECA dedicates this space to the dissemination of work undertaken with the aim of providing key information on the quality of the Spanish university system that can contribute to the reflection of various stakeholders to improve its quality.

Given the importance of reliable information on different aspects concerning the quality of the Spanish university system being available to students, the university community and society as a whole, since its inception ANECA has devoted efforts to provide important key information on this issue that can contribute to the reflection of various stakeholders and, beyond that, to the improvement of the quality of the university system.

The Statute of the Agency, set out in Royal Decree 1112/2015, mentions that, within its scope of competences, the Agency's functions include, among others, carrying out, publishing and disseminating studies and foresight in terms of guidance, evaluation, certification and accreditation of Spanish universities, acting as a quality observatory for the Spanish university system.Furthermore, in the document Criteria and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area  (ESG), criterion '3.4 Thematic analysis' states that agencies should regularly publish reports describing and analysing the overall findings of their external quality assurance activities.

The work of ANECA's Observatory for the Quality of the Spanish University System  is fundamentally guided by the above.

Lines of action of the Observatory

At present, without prejudice to other actions, there are two main lines of action of the Observatory:

In general terms, the reports within the framework of this project aim to be a navigation chart for universities to provide them with a clear orientation as to where they could be heading in order to better achieve, through their actions, these fundamental objectives of higher education. 

This project aims to provide universities with tools that are useful for the self-revision of their own processes, their integration and their capacity to be sensitive to the demands of external agents, with the purpose of contributing to the improvement of the aforementioned objectives and challenges.

In the case of programmes extending to universities in other countries, such as AUDIT International programme and the International Quality Labels, their specific thematic analysis is foreseen in the framework of the Agency's forthcoming annual action plans.

Furthermore, such tools could become a reference for the improvement of the Agency's current external evaluation programmes as well as for preparing the basis on which to build a future framework for ANECA’s recognition of integral processes implemented in universities in the service of the aforementioned objectives.