The Governing Council of the Universitat de València passed on Tuesday the Docentia programme to evaluate and improve the teaching activity in the institution. The Universitat could use this evaluation for the promotion processes and for the honorary and economic recognition. The document has been presented by the vice-principal for Teaching Staff and Academic Planning, Maria Vicenta Mestre.
The ANECA (National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain) launched in 2006 the Docentia programme, whose objective is supporting the universities “in the design and application of evaluation procedures on teaching aiming to guarantee the teaching quality of the teaching staff and favour the development and recognition of it, through its extern evaluation by an agency.” The ANECA uses the results obtained through this programme for the accreditation of the university teaching staff.
According to the document passed by the Governing Council, the Universitat de València “always showed a concern for the teaching activity and for the improvement of the quality of the teaching and learning processes.” This has been captured in the passing of regulations, development of programmes and plans and the creation of structures for the quality assurance, which altogether can be considered as the advance of an Internal Quality Assurance System.
The main objectives of the Evaluation System of Teaching, as it is explain in the document, are to contribute to improve the teaching of the Universitat de València; to include in the evaluation the teaching of all those activities that directly have an impact in their quality; to identify the different quality levels in the teaching; to publicly recognise the effort of the professors; to know the areas and teaching staff to what the services and training programmes and teaching support should go; to provide valid and reliable information on the teaching activity for the decision-making in all the selection, renovation and promotion processes of the teaching staff.
A group of professors have expresses their critical view on the Docentia programme, which have called is as an imposition of the ANECA that establishes “arbitrary and no guarantee” criteria. Also, they have indicated that the programme considers teaching as a “punishment” and that it facilitates the fragmentation of the teaching staff by categories that compete among each other instead of promoting a “collaborative spirit”, necessary in the university activity.
The programme will be implemented progressively in the institution, with a first trial and voluntary period, after which it will be analysed the results and will be introduced future improvements.
Postgraduate regulations
On the other side, the Governing Council has also passed the Regulations of Universitat de València postgraduate specific degrees. The opinion has been defended by the vice-principal Rosa Marín
Holidays and days for personal matters
Also, it has been passed the application of the new legislation in terms of holidays and days off for personal matters for the staff of the institution. According to what the manager, Joan Oltra, explained, the increase of days of holidays and days off for personal matters, according to some cases of the age, comes from the decree law 10/2015.
Institutional condolence
In his report, the principal has expressed the institutional condolence for the recent deaths members of the university community. They are the student of the degree in Law, Cristina Esteban; the retired professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Manuel Dolz; the former delegate of the Board of Trustees of the Universitat, Leopoldo Pons; the controller of access of the Palau de Cerveró, Susana Camps; the sponsor Jesús Martínez Guerricabeitia; the professor of Research Methods and Educational Diagnosis, Consuelo Belloch; the member of the administrative and service staff of the office of the dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pilar Chova; and the retired worker of the Faculty of Economy, Concha Miralles.
Last update: 29 de september de 2015 14:00.
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