Assessment model 

The assessment model was based in seven guidelines that define the most relevant aspects for evaluating the assessment process of doctoral programmes.

The guidelines were selected as a result of the analysis of different quality plans developed in the national area and of other plans of the University of Valencia. One novelty respect to previous editions is the inclusion of a new guideline called Quality Assurance, the key for the development of future accreditation processes.

The guidelines proposed are graphically structured in the following diagram. There we can appreciate on first place the guideline of the training programme, since the other guidelines depend of this one. On the basis of all of them we gathered the guideline of Quality Assurance, as integrates the review and improvement processes of the other guidelines of the model.
 

Phases

The assessment process was organised in four phases: 

1. Self-assessment

The Quality Committee of the doctoral programme, following an Assessment Guide, described and evaluated the situations of its teachings, selecting and proposing an improvement plan to develop in the following years.

The goal of the members of the Assessment Committee was to reflect and to make evaluations based on data and evidences properly documented and defended, in order to reflect about the doctoral programme and to propose the corresponding improvement plans. Each Assessment Committee of the Doctoral Programme was composed by the following members:

• The director of the doctoral programme
• 1 or 2 professors of the doctoral programme and members of the managing department (in the case of interdepartmental or interuniversity programmes)
• 1 member of the Administration and Services staff.
• 1 student of the doctoral programme

2. Technical review 

The staff of the Quality Unit made a technical review and issued their recommendations to the different doctoral programmes. The main purpose of the review was to provide technical advice for ensuring the correct interpretation of the data generated by the Quality Committee of the doctoral programme

3. Final report

The final report consisted in a summary of the evaluations of the different dimensions involved in the doctoral programme, as well as a list of the strengths and weaknesses detected in it. Also it contained, as a key element of the document, the Improvement Plan duly prioritized and scheduled, in order to consolidate the strengths and to improve the weaknesses. The final report was developed by the Quality Committee of the doctoral programme, which later was sent it to the Office of the Vice-Principal for Research and to the Quality Unit.

4. Comprehensive analysis

The Doctoral Studies Committee of the University of Valencia analysed the result of all final reports:

Schematically this was the overall assessment process: