A Decade of Quality Assurance in Spanish Universities

Abstract

The traditional Spanish higher education system, which was regulated by the State, was obviously not interested in accountability. However, it has now become more autonomous, and accountability is therefore necessary. In Spanish higher education, accountability and assessment are recent, but they are developing very rapidly. Generalised assessment of individuals and institutions began in the early 1990s. Now, academics' teaching and research activities are evaluated on a regular basis. Promotion and some salary increases depend on assessments (Mora, 2001). Moreover, in 1995, after several pilot projects, the Council of Universities established the National Programme for Assessment of Quality in Universities (Mora, 1997; Mora and Vidal, 1998) to introduce a systematic assessment of universities. Within a few years, Spanish universities set up new offices to support quality assurance programmes and thousands of people are now participating in self-assessment activities and external visits around the country. Regional governments are also involved in these programmes and have even created their own quality agencies. The final impact of these activities has been uneven: some universities and regions are very active in this matter (for instance, Catalan universities with the support of the dynamic Catalan Agency for Quality); in others, the impact has been less pronounced because neither the university leaders nor the regional governments have shown special interest in quality assurance.