Quality

Eserp has been developing since the implementation of the Degrees that are currently verified, a Tutorial Action Plan of the Centre itself, which has now been renamed the Guidance and Tutorial Action Plan (POAT) approved by the Directorate General on 9 January 2023.

This new plan is based on the POAT of the Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya, which allows to better meet the needs of students in the different teaching modalities, respond to a greater diversification of the needs themselves and their consequences and also allows the whole institution to work in a more coordinated way to promote improvements in the conditions of training and learning or in the detection, attention and/or referral of situations that may interfere negatively in the training processes and both personal and professional development of students.

Guidance and tutorial action at eserp is approached at two different levels. Firstly, priority is given to a model of tutorial action integrated into the teaching and secondly, beyond what is offered as part of the teaching activity, a set of specific actions are developed that allow for comprehensive attention to the student from the moments prior to access to their studies, as well as throughout their training stay and finally with regard to the link established with the institution once the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree has been completed.

This guidance and tutoring action includes attention to the student in three specific areas: academic, personal and social and, thirdly, employment or professional.

For more information you can download the complete POAT at the following Link

Teaching quality assessment and enhancement procedure

After defining, designing, implementing and managing the syllabus, the teaching activity is carried out according to the forecasts and agreements reached. At the end of this activity (once per semester), the teaching staff carries out the academic assessment of the students according to the planned and programmed instruments. Subsequently, the management team, with the support of the eserp Quality Committee, carries out an analysis of the teaching development sub-process, taking into account the students’ academic results and their degree of satisfaction with the teaching received, as well as any suggestions, complaints, etc. received through the appropriate channels. This information constitutes the basis for monitoring, measuring and improving the sub-process in question.

On a six-monthly basis, the centre’s management team promotes the monitoring, measurement and improvement phase of the teaching development sub-process. This takes into account the incidents received, the results of the student satisfaction evaluation surveys and strategic indicators such as:

• Average length of studies: average time taken by a group of students to graduate from the degree programme being assessed.
• Drop-out rate: percentage ratio between the total number of students in a new intake cohort who should have obtained the degree in a given academic year, and who have not enrolled either in that academic year or in the following year.
• Efficiency rate: percentage ratio between the total number of syllabus credits that should have been enrolled during their studies by all graduates in a given academic year and the total number of credits actually enrolled.
• Success rate: percentage ratio between the total number of credits passed by students in a study and the total number of credits submitted for examination.
• Performance rate: percentage ratio between the total number of credits passed by students in a study and the total number of credits enrolled.
• Graduation rate: percentage ratio of students who complete their studies within the time foreseen in the study plan or in one more academic year, in relation to their entry cohort.
• Grade point average: ratio between the average of the graduate student’s academic record and the final average of the degree.

As a result of the analysis, the management team, with the participation of the Quality Committee, draws up a monitoring report with the proposals to be applied to improve the process. This report is sent to the eserp Quality Committee for approval and validation, in order to proceed with the implementation of the proposals contained therein.

For dissemination, the centre’s management team is responsible for ensuring the correct channelling of the data generated as a result of its application to the stakeholders and managers involved in the process (and through the appropriate channels).

The periodical review and improvement of the degree programmes at the faculty starts when the modification of the existing syllabuses becomes indispensable for their constant adaptation to the needs of society and the student body.

For this reason, every year, the centre’s management team receives the relevant suggestions, concerns, complaints and proposals from the stakeholders involved in academic activities. After selecting this information, it is passed on to the eserp Quality Committee, which is responsible for analysing and evaluating it, as well as monitoring the syllabus in order to draw up an annual report (at the end of the academic year) for the centre’s management team and the university authorities with the appropriate results and recommendations. Based on the analysis of the overall report, the centre’s management team draws up an Improvement Plan to be applied at the start of the academic year.

Once the Improvement Plan has been approved, the centre’s management team submits it to the University’s Quality Committee for approval, and once approved, it is disseminated to the stakeholders involved for implementation.

Each year, the eserp Quality Committee monitors this process. To this end, it reviews the implementation, acceptance and effectiveness of the improvements envisaged in the approved Improvement Plan. Finally, it includes the results obtained, its observations and proposals in the new global report so that the centre’s management team can take them into account when drawing up the new Improvement Plan.

For the dissemination of this process, the centre’s management team, together with the eserp Quality Committee, is responsible for ensuring the correct channelling of information on the degree programme improvement plan, its approval, implementation and review for improvement among the stakeholders involved and by the appropriate means.

Procedure for assessing and improving the quality of teaching staff

Eserp has a procedure for assessing and improving the quality of teaching staff. This procedure is applicable to all the Official Degrees offered by Eserp.

It is carried out every six months by means of meetings held by the centre’s management team with all the teaching and research staff involved in teaching on the programmes. At these meetings, all the teaching quality improvement actions carried out by eserp teaching staff are analysed. The results serve as evidence for the improvement of the teaching activity and possible promotion of the teaching and research staff.

The monitoring, measurement and improvement of this procedure will be carried out by the eserp’s Quality Committee, which will include in its annual report a summary of the teaching evaluation processes, pointing out any possible improvements that may be applicable. Where appropriate, the centre’s management team will forward these suggestions to the Directorate General of eserp for subsequent modification.

Procedure to guarantee the quality of external placements

This procedure is relevant for those Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees that contemplate the elaboration and monitoring by their students of external professional internships, or that require their students to elaborate final degree projects based on external professional internships.

After defining, designing, offering, promoting and managing any of the external placement programmes, students are assigned a tutor for their placements; likewise, they are assigned a professional tutor belonging to the company or institution hosting the placement. The tutor and the professional tutor design the work plan for the placement according to the objectives and specific competences required by the student’s training needs; they also provide the student with the necessary documentation containing the general guidelines and the general and specific information required to complete the placement. During the internship, and according to the criteria established by the centre, the tutor carries out academic monitoring, ensures that the student makes the best possible use of the internship and guides the student to obtain the best possible results (to this end, any relevant aspect that occurs during the internship is recorded in a monitoring report). The professional tutor at the placement company or institution also monitors the student and records his/her observations and assessments in a report. At the end of the placement period, the student is assessed in accordance with the provisions set by the centre, always taking into account the monitoring reports of the tutor and the professional tutor. Likewise, the centre’s secretary’s office recognises the work placement as credits.

Finally, the external placement programme is monitored, measured and modified when the Centre’s External Placement Manager analyses the external placement process to check that it meets the objectives set and to modify, correct, improve or eliminate any anomalies that may be detected. The External Placement Manager will base his/her analysis on indicators such as:

• Rate of students who have undertaken external placements.
• Student satisfaction with the placement (indicator obtained through the appropriate satisfaction surveys).
• Assessment of placements by tutors (indicator obtained through a monitoring and assessment report).
• Number of placement agreements.
• Number of incidents occurring during the work placement.

Once the strengths and weaknesses in the process have been identified, the External Placement Manager will consult the agents involved (tutor teaching staff, professional tutors, students involved) and the eserp Quality Committee in order to draw up the corresponding proposals for improvement. These proposals will be submitted to the centre’s management team for approval. Subsequently, those proposals approved by the centre’s management team will be implemented under the supervision of the eserp Quality Committee. The Head of External Placements will introduce the approved modifications in the documentation that regulates external placements at the centre.

The External Placement Manager is responsible for managing and channelling the information generated during the process so that it reaches the appropriate person. In this way, he/she is responsible for ensuring that the host centres are aware of the observations and incidents that have occurred in order to contribute to their improvement in future similar experiences; on the other hand, he/she also keeps the agents involved at the centre informed of the suggestions, complaints and recommendations received from the host companies or institutions for their immediate management and/or resolution.

Procedure for Quality Assurance of Mobility Programmes

This procedure starts at the beginning of the academic year, when the school’s management team sets the mobility objectives to be achieved and appoints an International Relations Coordinator.

After designing and managing the process for the mobility programmes, the school implements it. At this point and while in the host institution, students maintain fluid contact with the International Relations Coordinator through the appropriate channels for the management, channelling and resolution of possible incidents or doubts (academic or otherwise) arising from their stay.

At the end of the stay at the host institution, students must meet with the International Relations Coordinator and provide a report on the activity carried out, as well as a document signed by those responsible for the credits enrolled at the host institution that accredits their attendance, use and qualification. In turn, the International Relations Coordinator provides students with a survey to evaluate their satisfaction with the mobility activity carried out and thus obtain data to monitor, measure and improve the process. Finally, with the approval of the school’s management team, the qualifications obtained during the stay at the host institution are recognised.

And to formalise the monitoring, measurement and improvement of this process, the International Relations Coordinator initiates the monitoring, measurement and improvement of the student mobility management process. To this end, a report is prepared based on the analysis of several qualitative and quantitative indicators, among which the following stand out:

• Number of students who have applied to participate in mobility activities.
• Number of students who have participated in mobility activities.
• Number of agreements concluded with other institutions.
• Number of destination countries of students.
• Degree of student satisfaction.
• Degree of academic achievement of the mobility activity.
• Number of incidents occurring during the course of the mobility activities.

Based on the analysis of the available indicators, as well as possible complaints, recommendations or suggestions received and the initial objectives set for the management of student mobility, the International Relations Coordinator makes a proposal for possible improvements for future courses. These proposals, after approval by the eserp’s Academic Quality Committee and the centre’s management team, are disseminated through the appropriate channels among the agents involved for their prompt implementation.

The International Relations Coordinator is responsible for disseminating the data generated during the procedure among the stakeholders involved.

This procedure is aimed at university graduates belonging to promotions that have finished one, three or five years prior to the current academic year.

The procedure begins with the definition of indicators to assess the rates of employability and satisfaction with the training received by graduates. Following the guidelines of the Quality Area of the UVic-UCC, and with the approval of the centre, the final questionnaire will be developed. This questionnaire will be reviewed periodically.

It also defines the sample to which the study of labour market insertion is addressed, in relation to the current year. This sample will be determined by those promotions that have concluded one, three or five years in advance.

Technically, Internet and telemarketing will be used to complete the data and to try to guarantee a reliability level of 95% as far as this is possible:

• Dissemination of the questionnaire among graduates: a mass e-mail will be sent to the entire sample, encouraging them to participate.
• Telemarketing: a campaign will be carried out with the aim of obtaining a sufficient number of responses to achieve a degree of reliability of 95%.

In order to monitor, measure and make proposals for improvement, the Department of Professional Opportunities will be responsible for coordinating the carrying out of the studies and compliance with the plan established annually.

The Information Systems Department will be responsible for the survey, as well as for collecting, preparing and filing the reports with the results of the questionnaire.

A copy of the results and the report will be sent to the person in charge of the centre so that he/she can process, cross-reference and obtain the information as he/she sees fit.

The following indicators will be used to measure the results of the procedure:

• Rate of labour market insertion.
• Satisfaction with current employment.
• Satisfaction of the graduate with the training received.

Finally, the Department of Professional Opportunities Service will draw up a report with the labour market insertion study that will be disseminated among the interested agents through the means determined.

Procedure for the analysis of the satisfaction of stakeholders

The Vice-Rectorate for Academic Organisation of UVic-UCC, guided by the provisions of the Contract Programme, defines which common indicators to take into account when analysing the outcome of the applicable processes and the values to be achieved preferably. Similarly, it defines the instruments available for the collection and measurement of indicators, as well as who should be responsible for their analysis. It then informs the UVic-UCC ICT Area, which is responsible for programming the necessary measurement instruments, and the faculty’s management team, which proposes the addition of the specific indicators it considers appropriate. The centre’s management team submits the proposal of indicators to be collected and the mechanisms/instruments for collection and analysis to the Directorate General of eserp for approval.

At this point, the phase of collecting indicators through the defined instruments begins; the UVic-UCC Quality Area is responsible for supplying the management team of the centre (also through the defined instruments) with the indicators necessary for the reliable evaluation of the processes related to the academic functioning of eserp, for example:

• Degree of satisfaction with the teaching received.
• Degree of satisfaction with the materials available.
• Degree of satisfaction with the services available.
• Efficiency rate of the student body.
• Student achievement rate.

The centre’s management team channels the information received to the members of the eserp Quality Committee for monitoring, measurement and improvement.

Annually, the eserp Quality Committee is responsible for analysing the results. To do this (and under the supervision of the Quality Area of the UVic-UCC) reviews and checks the validity of the indicators and reflects the result of its analysis in an annual report. This report also contains proposals for the review and continuous improvement of the process (for example, review, modification, deletion or inclusion of indicators). Finally, the eserp Quality Committee submits the report to the UVic-UCC Quality Department for verification and, subsequently, proceeds to disseminate it to the stakeholders involved through the appropriate channels.

The centre disseminates the results of the analysis of the results through publication on its website.

Procedure for dealing with suggestions and complaints

The centre’s management team defines and disseminates the channels and procedures for dealing with allegations, complaints and suggestions.

Using the established channels, stakeholders can submit complaints, suggestions, claims or allegations in writing using the relevant template. The template should clearly state the subject and description of the suggestion, complaint or allegation, as well as a precise description that allows for its objective assessment.

The school management team is the recipient of complaints, suggestions, claims or allegations. On receiving any of these, the management team issues an acknowledgement of receipt to the author and subsequently determines whether it is necessary to request supporting documentation. The criteria for this determination are as follows:

• Evidentiary documentation will be requested when the complaint, claim or allegation includes descriptions of facts relevant to the resolution that cannot be assessed without such documentation.
• Evidentiary documentation will be requested when the complaint, grievance or allegation includes serious allegations against individual members of the academic community.
• Evidentiary documentation shall be requested when there are indications that the complaint, claim or allegation cannot be resolved by resolutions within the scope of competence of the members of the centre’s management team or by mediation and conciliation and that, therefore, it may require the intervention of the institution’s higher bodies or, possibly, judicial intervention.

On receiving a complaint, suggestion, claim and/or allegation, if its subject matter is academic, the analysis of its motives and its attention and resolution corresponds to the centre’s management team. If the subject matter of the complaint, suggestion, claim and/or allegation is related to the centre’s various services, the management team will refer it to those responsible for the service or services involved, who will be responsible for analysing its motives and its resolution. If the subject matter of the complaint, suggestion, claim and/or allegation goes beyond the centre’s responsibilities, the management team shall refer it to the higher bodies so that they can analyse its motives and resolve it. In any case, the management team is responsible for notifying the affected person of the resolution of their complaint, allegation, claim or suggestion.

In order to monitor, measure and improve this process, the management team prepares an annual register of complaints, suggestions, claims and allegations and their resolution. This register is analysed and evaluated by the eserp Quality Committee in order to establish corrective, preventive or improvement actions for the process. Subsequently, the eserp Quality Committee includes in its annual global report a reference to the complaints, suggestions, claims and/or allegations received, analysed and resolved, and the corrective, preventive or improvement actions that have resulted from them. After studying the viability of these corrective actions, the centre’s management team decides on their approval and initiates the appropriate actions to be able to proceed with their application in subsequent years.

Finally, the management team is responsible for ensuring the dissemination among the stakeholders involved of any data or information in relation to or derived from the process in order to be able to proceed with its effective development. To this end, it channels the relevant information through the appropriate tools.

*The ratings that stakeholders provide as to their satisfaction is on a scale from 1 to 5.

• Assessment of the teaching received as part of the University Degree in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.
• Assessment of the teaching imparted as part of the University Degree in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.
• Assessment of the teaching received as part of the University Degree in International Business.
• Assessment of the teaching imparted as part of the University Degree in International Business.
• Assessment of the Internship Service
• Assessment of students by companies.
• Assessment of physical resources.
• Assessment of virtual resources.
• Assessment of the Learning Resource Centre.

• Academic Performance in the University Degree in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.
• Academic Performance in the University Degree in International Business.