The opinions of students and graduates on courses and Study Programmes (CdS) constitute essential information for Quality Assurance systems and therefore represent one of the central aspects of AVA.
The European Guidelines, the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, especially in their most recent version adopted at the Yerevan meeting in 2015, emphasise the relevance of the student voice in evaluation processes and the involvement of students in Universities’ information-management processes, as well as in the monitoring and periodic review of Study Programmes (see in particular ESG, 2015, pp. 8, 14).
In Italy, the collection of students’ opinions is carried out mandatorily and autonomously by Universities for attending students pursuant to Art. 1, paragraph 2, of Law 370/1999. The use of survey results for identifying critical issues and margins for improvement in teaching organisation and teaching activities is an integral part of Universities’ QA systems and is therefore a necessary requirement for accreditation.
THE ROLE OF ANVUR
DPR 76/2010, in assigning ANVUR the task of defining criteria and methodologies for the evaluation of Universities and Study Programmes, highlights the importance of promoting the active involvement of students (Art. 3, paragraph 1, letter d). With reference to this aspect as well, it provides that the Agency prepares “in collaboration with the internal evaluation units, uniform procedures for collecting students’ assessments of courses, sets the minimum requirements to be met by Universities for the procedures assessing teaching effectiveness and service efficiency carried out by students, and oversees the analysis and publication of the results, especially using digital tools”.
The AVA 2017 Guidelines include the opinions of students, graduands and graduates in the self-assessment process of Study Programmes and specify the possibility of introducing additional indicators based on students’ opinions and satisfaction, developed on the basis of ANVUR’s pilot exercises, in line with the provisions of Ministerial Decree 6/2019 (Annex E). Consequently, the Agency revised the framework and the tools used for data collection with the aim of simplifying, updating, and standardising the procedures that had been in use since 2013.
The Guidelines and survey questionnaires, designed in consultation with experts in the field, representatives of University evaluation bodies, students and student evaluators, as well as MUR and CRUI, were piloted by ANVUR before being presented to the entire university system.
The pilot exercise involved four Universities with different characteristics and geographical locations: the University of Milano-Bicocca; the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio; the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”; the online University UniNettuno.
The Guidelines, presented on 3 July 2019, were submitted to a consultation phase involving the key institutional stakeholders: MUR, CRUI, CONVUI, CONPAQ, CNSU, CUN, CODAU, with the aim of consolidating their framework and objectives prior to adoption.
The first consultation phase, also open to the academic community, ended on 30 September 2019 with ANVUR’s acquisition of the feedback received. After analysing the feedback and taking its outcomes into account, a final phase of discussion was initiated with the main institutional stakeholders: MUR, CRUI, CNSU, CONVUI, CONPAQ, CUN, CODAU, the ANVUR Advisory Committee, prior to approval of the final Guidelines.