The Faculty of Physics mission in quality management

The Faculty Board at the Faculty of Physics is committed to assuring the quality of the Faculty’s academic and research activity, and we consider the attention to quality to be an essential part of the strategy by which graduates achieve the learning outcomes of our degree courses, acquire the competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that each course sets out to offer and, finally, receive recognition from employers and society both in terms of their academic and research achievements.   
The Faculty aims to use its human resources and all the technical and financial means at its disposal to meet the requirements of the European Higher Education Area and to improve the national and international competitiveness of its teaching and research staff. 
In our commitment to the University of Barcelona’s quality policy and to the Faculty’s internal quality assurance system (IQAS), the Faculty of Physics endeavours to:

• provide learning that focuses on excellence by tailoring the academic offering to the needs and expectations of the student body and the community at large;
• promote a culture of commitment to ongoing improvement, and propose and implement actions to foster this culture;
• provide ongoing in-service training to empower staff members with the professional skills they need;
• institute a series of procedures which can support  ongoing in-service training;
• institute, supervise and report on a series of procedures which use established indicators to efficiently reduce, eliminate or prevent deficiencies in academic and research quality;
• use a system of periodical review to guarantee the effectiveness of the Faculty’s IQAS;
• raise staff awareness of the Faculty’s activities in quality assurance and foster staff acceptance of these.

To undertake this mission and to develop the Faculty’s IQAS, the Faculty Board has created the Quality Management Committee, whose work it intends to review on a periodical basis.
Motion approved by Faculty Board of the Faculty of Physics on 10 December 2009
The Quality Management Committee
The implementation of the Faculty’s IQAS guarantees regular internal feedback and revision of all related processes. The Quality Management Committee aims to monitor and analyze indicators and contents of Quality Assurance Procedures (see section below), as well as to submit proposals for corrective measures to the Faculty’s governing bodies.
Pursuant to its approval by the Faculty Board of Physics on 20 July 2009, the Faculty’s Quality Management Committee consists of the following members:

• Joan Àngel Padró Cárdenas, Dean and President.
• Atilà Herms Berenguer, Vice-Dean and Coordinator of Master’s Degree Studies.
• Adolf Canillas Biosca, Head of Studies of Physics.
• Òscar Ruíz Sánchez, Head of Studies of Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications.
• José María López Villegas, Vice-Dean and teaching staff representative.
• Santiago Vallmitjana Rico, Vice-Dean and teaching staff representative.
• Josep Maria Solanes Majúa, Secretary and member of the University of Barcelona Agency for Policy and Quality
• María José Recio Gómez, Head of Administration and administrative and services staff representative.
• Núria Massons i Solano, Head of the Secretary’s Office for Students and Teaching Staff and administrative and services staff representative.
• Two students (one undergraduate and one graduate) (to be determined).

The Agency for Policy and Quality is the official instrument by which the University of Barcelona oversees quality assurance (see also www.ub.edu/agenciaqualitat/inform_general/objectius.html [in Catalan]). The Agency supports the UB’s governing bodies, its faculties, institutes and centres, departments, administrative units and other university offices in the planning, assessment and improvement of the activities of the University. 
One of its governing bodies is the University of Barcelona Executive Council, in which the Faculty of Physics is currently represented by Josep Maria Solanes.

Specific quality assurance procedures

• PEQ 5744 010: Deployment of quality policy and objectives at the Faculty.
• PEQ 5744 020: Quality in learning and training programs (forthcoming).
• PEQ 5744 030: Definition of profiles for the application, admission and enrolment of students in EHEA bachelor’s degree courses.
• PEQ 5744 040: Definition of profiles for the application, admission and enrolment of students in master’s degree courses.
• PEQ 5744 050: Orientation for the student body.
• PEQ 5744 060: Teaching development, comprising learning methodology and assessment.
• PEQ 5744 070: Management of placements.
• PEQ 5744 080: Management of international mobility for students.
• PEQ 5744 090: Management of national mobility for students
• PEQ 5744 100: Management of complaints, appeals and suggestions.
• PEQ 5744 110: Management of material resources.
• PEQ 5744 120: Management of services.
• PEQ 5744 130: Analysis of results.
• PEQ 5744 140: Publication of information about degree qualifications (forthcoming).

Map of internal quality assurance procedures