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Universidad Autónoma de Chile

Vice Chancellor Office of Quality Assurance

VRAC

Quality has been part of the strategic vision of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile since its beginnings and is considered a transversal axis that permanently permeates all its institutional work. In this perspective, the University must respond to the growing demands and requirements of key stakeholders that interact with its university community, including regulatory bodies, the socio-productive sector, social organisations, national and international higher education institutions, employers and graduates, to mention some of the most relevant.

In 2018, the university created the Vice Chancellors Office of Quality Assurance in line with its Strategic Development Plan 2015-2020, and reinforced in the SDP 2019-2023, which established quality assurance as one of its priorities areas and moved from an accreditation and assessment approach towards an Quality Assurance System.

The Quality Assurance Model is deployed in accordance with the principles that emanate from the Quality Assurance Policy, which understands quality as a multidimensional concept that refers to the dynamic capacities of the institution to respond to the fulfilment of its Mission, Vision, Purposes and Institutional Values and to satisfy the expectations that society has of the University, for which it must achieve and maintain high standards of performance

Quality Assurance, on the other hand, is defined as the articulated set of mechanisms and procedures, formally defined and systematically applied, that make it possible to record, evaluate, improve and account for the institution’s capacities to achieve the expected performance, at all levels and in all dimensions of the university’s work.

For the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, establishing and observing quality standards that enable it to be more competitive both nationally and internationally is one of the cross-cutting themes of its management. This principle is expressed not only in the development of the potential of its undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also in the deployment of institutional capacities in research and links with the environment in which it is inserted.

The search for excellence as a guiding principle and the establishment of a culture of quality have for us a multidimensional nature that allows us to achieve high standards of performance, fulfil its foundational purposes and respond to society’s expectations of the University.

To ensure the quality of its processes and results, we have developed a robust Internal Quality Assurance System (SAIC) that articulates mechanisms and strategies in all areas of the university in order to monitor its results and implement continuous improvement processes, which was certified by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) of Spain, validating compliance with quality standards of the European Higher Education Area and positively impacting on the improvement of processes and results.

Accreditations and certifications, both national and international, are not an end in themselves but the natural result of serious planning and the orderly deployment of each of the institutional capacities, demonstrating the effectiveness of our policies and mechanisms for self-regulation and quality assurance.

Quality assurance model system
QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY
QUALITY ASSURANCE MODEL

Institutional Analysis System

It systematises, manages and analyses the management and results indicators in the different areas of the University, including teaching, research and public engagement. Its mechanisms are:

  • Information collection system

Management of institutional indicators

  • Institutional performance monitoring
  • Prospective studies
  • Periodic reporting

Institutional Planning System

It coordinates the definition and monitoring of strategic control systems, as well as the review and design of strategic definitions and institutional goals. Its mechanisms are:

  • Institutional Strategic Development Plan
  • Faculty Development Plan
  • Degree, master’s and doctoral programme development plan.
  • Annual operational plan ( campuses)
  • Special plans for projects and initiatives

Permanent Evaluation Programme

A set of mechanisms to record, evaluate and improve processes in order to achieve the expected performance at faculty, degree and programme level. Its mechanisms are:

  • Academic audit
  • Verification of validation of the graduate profile.
  • Academic diagnosis
  • Annual report
  • Improvement plans
  • Verification of alumni follow-up
  • Management of certifications (national and international)

IQAS

Systematises, evaluates and monitors processes relevant to the institution, in order to provide public assurance of the quality of the processes and their outcomes, with an emphasis on learning outcomes. Its main mechanisms include:

  • Strategic processes
  • Academic processes
  • Support processes
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