Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS)

Public University of Navarre approved in Government Council held on the 24th October 2008, updated on the 24th April 2018,27th November 2020 and 27th February 2023, the Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS), which establishes the procedures to foster the degrees’ continuous improvement and those instruments which ensure and guarantee quality for teaching and learning processes.

The system is organised around the document Description of IQAS which describes the organisation and design of the procedures. This document comes together with the following annexes:

1. IQAS responsibility structure.
   It describes the responsibility structure in terms of quality in each Centre and its relation with the University Quality Commission.  This structure is in charge of identifying the goals and actions regarding quality, the way they are developed, met and monitored.
2. IQAS Monitoring and continuous improvement.
   It describes the tools used by the Centres to analyse the results of the different processes related to teaching and learning. It aims at coming up with adjustments and improvements to increase their quality.

The procedures have been designed by a working group consisting of a member of the Managing Team of each Centre at Public University of Navarre, with the support of Organisation and Quality. It first started to follow section 9 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, establishing the organisation of official university degrees. Subsequently, the necessary modifications were made to adapt to new regulations such as Royal Decree 99/2011, Royal Decree 822/2021 and Royal Decree 640/2021.

As the new degrees, Master's degrees and Doctoral Programmes adapted to the European Higher Education Area have been established, SGIC has been spreading through the Centres and getting adjusted to the new organisational and/or regulative needs. The following table shows, since it was created, the main IQAS updates and other specially relevant milestones.

The development of some processes entails carrying out satisfaction surveys to groups of interest. In the following link you may check the records of surveys carried out so far and the surveys planned for academic years to come.

Certification of IQAS design

Following the strategic goal of obtaining the institutional certification of its Centres, UPNA has established in the Centre Management Manual all the academic activity and management of said centre in an integrated fashion, in order to be able to certify its design according to the criteria and guidelines of the AUDIT Programme of ANECA. 

The Commission for the Certification of the AUDIT Programme of ANECA, certifies the design of SGIC, applicable to all UPNA Centres, on the 14 December 2020. The Commission decides that the system meets the necessary requirements to be certified and includes it in the Registry of Universities and Centres with the Design Certified. 

Quality Commission

Public University of Navarre’s commitment to constantly achieve and improve its quality levels was made a reality with the creation in 1996 of the Quality Assessment Committee, which has been developing until today's Quality Commission and the Organisation and Quality team, which advises and supports in processes related to quality. 

You may check the dates UPNA's Quality Commission and Centres Quality Assurance Commissions take place in the following link. 

The current bodies in charge of quality at Public University of Navarre are:

University Quality Commission

According to its regulations, it is the regular body to advise, propose, and, whenever necessary, approve the development, implementation, update and monitoring of the actions in the matter of quality affecting teaching, research and services.

In the matter of degrees, it coordinates the activities carried out by all the Centres Quality Assurance Commissions and the Management Committee of the Doctorate School of Navarre (EDONA), especially those focused on ensuring the periodical diploma certification, regardless of coordinating other activities related to quality assigned to any other commission or body.

Members

The members of the Quality Commission will be chosen by the Government Council and will include, at least:

• Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor on their behalf, who will chair it.
• The Vice-Chancellor competent in the matter of Quality, or the person acting on their behalf.
• The Vice-Chancellor competent in the matter of Academic Policy, or the person acting on their behalf.
• The Vice-Chancellor competent in the matter of Research, or the person acting on their behalf.
• The Vice-Chancellor competent in the matter of Teaching staff, or the person acting on their behalf.
• The Vice-Chancellor competent in the matter of UPNA’s Own Degrees, or the person acting on their behalf. 
• The president of the Social Council, or the person acting on their behalf.
• General Manager.
• The Director of those Centres which chair their respective Centre Quality Assurance Commission.
• Director of the Doctorate School of Navarre
• The person in charge of the administrative unit which advises and supports processes related to quality at University.
• One student chosen by the Student Council among its members.

Centres Quality Assurance Commission (CQAC)

It commits to design, develop, review and improve the tools which guarantee the quality of teaching and learning processes of the Centre, with a continuous improvement in its results. Its work is in line with the guidelines agreed on together with the University Quality Commission. 

Members

• Dean of the centre, Chair.
• Quality Coordinator of the Centre (CCC), acting as Secretary.
• Head of Quality of each of the Degrees and Master's degrees depending on the Centre (RCT).
• Two students’ representatives of the Degrees and Master's degrees which depend on the Centre, proposed by the Student Council and appointed by the Dean of Director
• One PAS (Administration and services staff) representative related to the development and management of teaching activities which develop around the degrees that depend on the Centre, appointed by the Dean or Director.
• One external agent (professional association, association, business organisation, any public or private institution...), professionally related to the content and development of teaching activities, proposed by the Social Council and appointed by the Dean or Director.
• A representative of the PDI (Teaching and Researching staff) Inspection Unit, proposed by said Unit.
• A representative of the Vice-Chancellor’s office with power over the quality on the official Degrees and Master's degrees, proposed by the Vice-Chancellor.
• A representative of  Organisation and Quality (O&Q) proposed by said unit and appointed by the Dean or Director.
• Other guests, depending on the nature of the issues to be dealt with.