Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance (QA) in higher education is defined by the European guidelines ESG 2015 as follows: "Higher education aims to achieve multiple objectives: preparing students for active citizenship and their future careers (e.g., contributing to their employability); supporting their personal development; creating a broad base of advanced knowledge; fostering research and innovation. The concept of quality is not easily definable but is essentially the product of the interaction between teachers, students, and the learning environment of the institution. In practice, quality assurance ensures a learning environment in which the content of study programs, learning opportunities, and educational structures are suitable for their purpose." ... "Various stakeholders, with different priorities, may view the quality of higher education differently. The term stakeholder refers to all actors operating within an institution, primarily students and teachers, as well as external stakeholders such as employers and external partners of an institution." [ESG 2015].

Source: ANVUR Guidelines for the Periodic Accreditation of University Sites and Courses

At the end of the first evaluation cycle (2021), in line with the provisions of D.M. 1154/2021 and as recommended by ENQA during the Agency's accreditation, the Board of Directors of ANVUR, in cooperation with key stakeholders (MUR, CUN, CRUI, CODAU, CNSU, CONVUI, and CONPAQ), has proposed a revision of the Requirements, in compliance with European standards and the continuous improvement of Quality Assurance systems in universities, with a view to systemic reorganization and simplification of AVA2 requirements.

Source: ANVUR Guidelines for the Quality Assurance System in Universities

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The AVA system (Self-Assessment - Evaluation - Accreditation) aims to enhance the quality of teaching, research, third mission/social impact, and other institutional and managerial activities carried out by universities. It employs a Quality Assurance (QA) model based on internal procedures for design, management, self-assessment, and improvement of educational and scientific activities, along with a clear and transparent external verification process.

This verification results in an Accreditation judgment, an outcome of a process through which a university and its Study Programs (CdS) are recognized for possessing (Initial Accreditation) or maintaining (Periodic Accreditation) the Quality Requirements that make them eligible for fulfilling their institutional functions.

The AVA system has been developed to achieve three main objectives:

• Assurance, by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MUR) and through the evaluative activity of ANVUR, that higher education institutions operating in Italy consistently provide a service of quality suitable for their users and society as a whole.
• The exercise of responsible and reliable autonomy by universities in the use of public resources and in collective and individual behaviors related to training and research activities.
• Improvement of the quality of educational and research activities.

Source: ANVUR Guidelines for the Quality Assurance System in Universities

The AVA system (Self-Assessment - Periodic Evaluation - Accreditation) aims to enhance the quality of teaching and research carried out in universities. It employs a Quality Assurance (QA) model based on internal procedures for design, management, self-assessment, and improvement of educational and scientific activities, along with a clear and transparent external verification process.

This verification results in an Accreditation judgment, an outcome of a process that recognizes whether a university (and its study programs) possesses the requirements for Initial Accreditation or maintains them for Periodic Accreditation, making it eligible for fulfilling its institutional functions.

The Periodic Accreditation of Sites has a maximum duration of five years and is granted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) based on the proposal of ANVUR, following the verification of the maintenance of requirements for Initial Accreditation and satisfaction of quality requirements R1-4. This is determined by the outcomes of on-site visits by Evaluation Expert Commissions (CEV). According to D.M. 987/2016, art.3, the verification must also consider the following elements:

• Analysis of data from the annual report of NdV and the results of monitoring and quality control activities in teaching and research by all entities involved in the university's quality system.
• Evaluation of information in the Annual Single Sheets related to study programs (SUA-CdS), including their Review Reports, and assessment of information in the Annual Single Sheets of Research for the Departments.
• Indicators prescribed for periodic evaluation.

Source: ANVUR Guidelines for the Periodic Accreditation of University Sites and Courses

The University of Sassari underwent a Periodic Accreditation Visit from May 20 to May 23, 2019. On July 8, 2021, the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MUR) announced the publication, on the Universitaly website, of the Decree of Periodic Accreditation for the University of Sassari, which received a rating of SATISFACTORY, with a final score (Pfin) of 6.30.

The "ANVUR Periodic Accreditation Report for Sites and Study Programs" for the University of Sassari has been published by ANVUR on the dedicated page for Periodic Accreditation Reports.