8. Review, Improvement, and Results of the Program

8.1. Quality Assurance System and Estimation of Quantitative Values

QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM OF THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

 

1. PRESENTATION AND REFERENCES IN TERMS OF QUALITY

The Bologna Declaration, in 1999, establishes as a fundamental objective the promotion of European cooperation in quality to develop comparable criteria and methodologies in its higher education system.

The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) established by ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) and its members and collaborating entities mark, in 2005, the first step to establish a set of widely shared values, expectations, and best practices related to quality and its assurance among institutions and agencies in the EHEA.

These criteria and guidelines are applicable to all higher education provided in the EHEA, and in their update in 2015, they emphasize the connection of teaching and learning with research and innovation, that is, with the European Research Area (ERA).

Organic Law 6/2001, of December 21, on Universities, amended by Organic Law 4/2007, of April 12, defines the structure of university education in three cycles: bachelor's degree, university master's degree, and doctorate. Its state legislative development (Royal Decree 99/2011, of January 28) and regional (Decree 222/2011, of December 2, amended by Decree 161/2015, of November 5) establishes the framework to improve quality in all areas of university activity and to regulate the processes of verification, monitoring, and accreditation of doctoral programs.

With all this, the FIDES-AUDIT program of ACSUG (Agency for Quality Assurance in the Galician University System) establishes the guidelines to design the quality assurance systems (QAS) of the doctoral schools in the Galician university system. This design must demonstrate the quality of these schools and their programs, increase their transparency, and help create mutual trust and greater recognition of their qualifications and training programs.

Therefore, the design and development of the QAS of the doctoral programs regulated by RD 99/2011 are based on:

  • Consideration of all the requirements, criteria, and guidelines mentioned in the previous sections, and
  • The experience and knowledge acquired through the processes of design, implementation, and certification of the QAS applicable to bachelor's and university master's degrees.

 

The reference for applying these principles is the verification report of the doctoral program.

 

2. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE QAS

The operation of the doctoral program is framed within the QAS of the International Doctoral School (EIDO). This QAS has a centralized design, encompassing all official doctoral programs attached to it.

This QAS is developed, both strategically and operationally, through various university bodies under the principles of interdependence, coordination, and participation.

The institutional (transversal) quality structure, that is, the basic institutional functions and responsibilities concerning quality, is determined in the University's Statutes and the regulations that develop them. 

The nature and operation of the EIDO at the University of Vigo are established in its Internal Regulations.

The quality structure of the EIDO is as follows:

Steering Committee

The EIDO Steering Committee, in accordance with RD 99/2011, is the collegiate body that performs the functions of organization and management of the school.

As the collegiate representative and decision-making body of the EIDO, it is the primary responsible for the QAS of its doctoral programs, that is, its development, implementation, review, and improvement.

In addition to the functions described in its Internal Regulations, its quality-related responsibilities include:

- Approving the quality policy and objectives.

- Approving the quality manual.

- Approving the quality procedures.

Management

The person in charge of the management, assisted by their management team, leads, drives, coordinates, and supervises the activities of the EIDO (art. 14 of its Internal Regulations).

They represent the center and, in this sense, are the highest authority in terms of quality. They chair the EIDO Quality Commission and ensure the dissemination of a quality culture within it.

The management team is completed by the academic secretary and the sub-directors authorized by the Governing Council.

Quality Coordination

One of the members of the management team will be assigned the quality coordination task. The proposal for the appointment corresponds to the EIDO management. Their main mission will be to promote the implementation, maintenance, and improvement of the various quality-related programs in the center and its programs, as well as to help disseminate the quality culture.

Their detailed functions are described in the EIDO Quality Manual, available at https://www.uvigo.gal/es/estudiar/organizacion-academica/eido-escuela-in....

Quality Commission

The EIDO Quality Commission is a collegiate body.

The members are key elements in the development of the school's quality programs. Besides their active participation in the specific functions of the commission, they must be dynamic agents of quality management within the EIDO.

The commission includes representatives from various interest groups in the EIDO's activities and is constituted to:

- Discuss and propose the quality policy and objectives, as well as review both for updates when appropriate.

- Discuss and validate, if applicable, the quality manual and procedures of the EIDO.

- Monitor the various programs linked to quality improvement of the EIDO and its attached doctoral programs, and propose pertinent improvements.

- Collaborate with the implementation, development, and monitoring of the QAS.

- Discuss, propose, and monitor quality improvement actions to continuously enhance doctoral training quality in all its influencing means and processes through constant collaboration with the collegiate bodies responsible in this area.

- Actively participate in all academic processes related to the EIDO's educational offering (verification of new programs, modification and/or suspension or termination of existing ones, accreditation processes), providing their assessment in accordance with current regulations.

- Exchange, discuss, and propose EIDO's participation in institutional, national, and international quality plans.

The composition, including the participation of invited persons, operating regime, and member selection are described in the EIDO Quality Manual, available at https://www.uvigo.gal/es/estudiar/organizacion-academica/eido-escuela-in....

Doctoral Program Academic Committee (DPAC)

The DPAC, in accordance with RD 99/2011, is responsible for defining, updating, quality, and coordinating the doctoral program.

Doctoral Program Quality Manager

Each DPAC, within the framework of its quality responsibilities in the doctoral program development, will appoint a quality manager, whose functions include collaborating with the EIDO, particularly with the quality coordinator, in developing, implementing, monitoring, and improving the quality processes in the program.

Complementing these functions, all Doctoral School staff whose roles are related to QAS procedures will be involved in applying the quality policy and objectives, each responsible for its implementation in their specific field of activity.

 

3. MECHANISMS AND PROCEDURES FOR REVIEW, IMPROVEMENT, AND RESULTS OF THE PROGRAM

Development and Results of the Doctoral Program

The doctoral program will have mechanisms and procedures ensuring its development and results for its improvement, including:

  • Design, periodic review, and improvement of training programs
  • The design and approval of programs
  • The monitoring, possible modifications, and renewal of program accreditation
  • The suspension or termination of programs
  • Guaranteeing student-centered learning, teaching, and evaluation
  • Admission requirements and criteria
  • Application of regulations related to students
  • Organization of doctoral training
  • Planning of training activities, their temporal development, and duration
  • Supervision and monitoring of doctoral students
  • Evaluation of doctoral student learning
  • Acquisition of doctoral competencies
  • Conduct, authorization, and evaluation of thesis defenses in terms of quality research
  • Results
  • Analysis of academic, satisfaction, and employment outcomes
  • Review of the quality assurance system by management

Procedures detailing these activities:

  • Design and approval of programs
  • Monitoring, improvement, and accreditation of programs
  • Suspension or termination of programs
  • Admission
  • Academic management and student support
  • Human and material resources management
  • Students assessment
  • Authorization and thesis defense
  • SGC Review
  • Public information and accountability

These procedures are available in the Quality Manual and Procedures at https://www.uvigo.gal/es/estudiar/organizacion-academica/eido-escuela-in....

 

Development of Mobility Programs

The doctoral program will have mechanisms and procedures that ensure the proper development of mobility programs.

The CAPD is concerned with the mobility of its doctoral students. Its activities related to mobility will be managed in collaboration with the bodies of the University of Vigo that centrally coordinate institutional mobility programs and research stays.

In this regard, there are mechanisms for managing mobility both nationally and internationally, developed according to programs whose characteristics and requirements are public and available centrally, managed by the vice-rectorate responsible for international relations, in coordination with the vice-rectorate responsible for research and the EIDO direction.

Mechanisms and procedures will be established that, in coordination with the various EIDO bodies, include:

  • Activities related to promoting mobility, including aspects related to:
  1. Promotion and management of external relations
  2. Planning and development of promotion activities, based on the needs identified in the doctoral programs
  3. Management of agreements (establishment, approval, dissemination, review) with entities, institutions, organizations, companies...
  • Activities related to the mobility of both internal and external students, and faculty, if applicable
  1. Dissemination and information activities conducted at the institutional level, the Doctoral School, and its programs, based on the timing of the various calls
  2. The management process of each call (submission of applications, selection of students, publication of lists of admitted students, processing of the corresponding documentation...)
  3. Activities related to stays and/or internships
  • Activities for measuring, analyzing, and improving mobility. The information generated by the results of the programs will lead to:
  1. Dissemination of mobility results
  2. Analysis and evaluation of the programs and their functioning
  3. Actions for improvement (in external relations, regarding agreements, doctoral programs, mobility activities...)

Procedures detailing these activities:

  • Mobility management
  • Academic staff management
  • Public information and accountability

 

Transparency and Accountability

The SGC will have mechanisms and procedures that ensure transparency and accountability to stakeholders in the doctoral program.

These mechanisms and procedures operate in various areas of the University of Vigo and define aspects such as:

  • The publication of pertinent and relevant information related to the doctoral programs for the different stakeholder groups involved in the university system, managed according to the content at various levels of the University (institutional, EIDO, programs).
  • Mechanisms to ensure the updating of this information.
  • Information related to academic, research, and management aspects of the doctoral programs.
  • Information related to the program's results.
  • Specifically, information on the satisfaction results of stakeholder groups, and the employment results of the doctorate holders.
  • Other institutional reports from the various governing bodies regarding the results of the University of Vigo.

The availability and accessibility of this information will be managed considering the needs and expectations of the different stakeholder groups, as well as society in general.

Procedures detailing these activities:

  • Public information and accountability
  • SGC review

 

Interuniversity Doctoral Programs

In the case of programs involving more than one university, the applicable mechanisms and procedures will be those established in the collaboration agreement.

These specifications affect:

-Applicable legislation

-The identification of the reference SGC, or specific operating procedures, as well as the organizational structure and responsibilities

-The organization of coordination mechanisms between universities and the collaborations planned in the program's memory

-Mechanisms for review, improvement, and program results.

Exceptionally, when there are operational processes that cannot be carried out under the reference SGC guidelines in any of the participating universities, the procedures that replace them will be defined.

Procedures detailing these activities:

  • Design and approval of programs
  • Monitoring, improvement, and accreditation of programs
  • Learning and evaluation of doctoral students
  • Document control
  • Management of material resources and services
  • Public information and accountability

 

Monitoring Graduated Doctors

As described in the section Development and results of the doctoral program, the monitoring and satisfaction of the groups involved in the development of doctoral programs is an aspect to be considered for improvement.

The opinion of students and graduated doctors will be relevant when analyzing their results and defining and implementing actions to improve the program's functioning.

The SGC of the doctoral program has procedures to meet these requirements.

The opinion collection procedures include:

- The identification of stakeholder groups to be evaluated, such as doctoral students, faculty/research staff, graduated doctors...

- The methodologies to analyze their satisfaction: information collection methods, aspects to be evaluated, evaluation tools (questionnaire...), temporal planning, and measurement methods (quantitative, qualitative) and necessary resources.

-Activities to analyze this information and take improvement actions.

Additionally, there are various participation mechanisms for the different stakeholder groups to enhance, encourage, and/or contribute to increasing their level of satisfaction and improving the doctoral program's functioning. Examples include:

-Participation in representative bodies (governing bodies, committees...)

-Participation in meetings of various bodies (at different levels and in different hierarchical levels) to address issues of interest regarding the functioning of doctoral programs.

-Participation in institutional plans and programs

Procedures detailing these activities:

  • Monitoring, improvement, and accreditation of programs
  • Satisfaction measurement
  • Management of complaints, suggestions, and compliments
  • SGC review
  • Student support and career guidance
  • Public information and accountability

 

Academic Performance Results

The SGC of the doctoral program will have mechanisms and procedures that allow

-Setting expected academic performance results, based on historical data and/or future estimates, for the next 6 years (in the case of newly created programs)

- Measuring the academic results achieved by the program, both in each academic year and in its evolution

-Publishing and disseminating these results to be available and accessible, both to the SGC program managers and to society in general.

Procedures detailing these activities:

  • Design and approval of programs
  • Monitoring, improvement, and accreditation of programs
  • Public information and accountability

Public information regarding these results can be found on the University of Vigo Transparency Portal, accessible from the link:

https://seix.uvigo.es/uv/web/transparencia/

The available documentation on the SGC documentation (quality manual and procedures) for the doctoral programs is available at the link:

https://www.uvigo.gal/es/estudiar/organizacion-academica/eido-escuela-internacional-doctorado/calidad

 

ESTIMATION OF QUANTITATIVE VALUES

The estimated graduation, dropout, and efficiency rates are:

Graduation rate %

73 %

Dropout rate %

16 %

Efficiency rate %

88 %

Taking into account the history of the programs that are part of DocTIC (reflected in the table in section 8.3) and the new limitations on the duration of theses established by RD99/2011, we consider that the estimates given for the rates are realistic. These estimates have been obtained from data from previous years. The efficiency rate indicated is the result of averaging the data from years 15/16 to 19/20, the dropout rate is the result of averaging the data from years 14/15 to 19/20 and the graduation rate corresponds to the calculation with the 13/14 enrollment, since in the rest of the years there are still students pending to finish their studies.

8.2. Procedure for the follow-up of PhD graduates
The Doctoral Program has created a database with the data of its students with whom it will continue to maintain regular contact. Specific groups of PhD alumni will be created in the most common social networks: Facebook, LinkedIn in order to follow their labor insertion and development of professional activities. Similarly, a mailing list "doc_tic_posdocs@listas.uvigo.es" has been created through which students are kept informed about calls for scholarships and grants, activities carried out in the DocTIC program, as well as other information that may be of interest to them.

The Doctoral School periodically conducts satisfaction and labor market insertion surveys for PhD graduates.

In addition, the Doctoral School will promote the creation of an Alumni Association, which is an organization of graduates or former students. These associations organize social events, publish gazettes or magazines, and raise funds for the organization. Many of them provide benefits and services that help alumni maintain contact with both the educational institution and their peers. In addition, they also support new alumni by providing a forum in which to establish new professional relationships with people from similar backgrounds. Alumni associations are formed on the basis of the relationship between students of the University and its various departments, but can be organized according to any other criteria. Today these associations include graduates of all age groups.

8.3. Data relating to the results of the last 5 years and forecast results of the program
Success rate (in the last 5 years)

Academic year Percentage of Ph.D.s with no extension Percentage of Ph.D.s with one extension Percentage of Ph.D.s with 2 extensions

2019/2020

0,00%

28,57 %

71,43 %

2018/2019

33,33%

25,00 %

41,66 %

2017/2018

14,29%

42,86%

42,86%

2016/2017

50,00 %

50, 00 %

0,00%

2015/2016

40 %

20 %

40 %

Theses produced (in the last 5 years), according to dedication

 

Full Time

 Partial Time Mix

Total

2019/2020

6

 

1

7

2018/2019

10

2

 

12

2017/2018

6

1

 

7

2016/2017

6

 

 

6

2015/2016

2

 

 

2

 

As can be seen, the DocTIC research groups have extensive experience in the training of PhDs. As a whole, 34 doctoral theses have been defended in the period 2015-2020, an average of 7 per year. Of these 34 Theses, 11 have the mention of International Doctorate (32.35%), to which are added another 7 Theses defended by foreign students participating in mobility programs (3 from GreenIT, 1 from GreenTech, 3 from E-GO-TN and 1 from EUROINKANET) (17.64%), which represents 50% of the Theses defended. The forecast is to at least maintain these proportions and to implement the necessary actions to increase it within 5 years.

Resulting contributions (in the last 5 years)

These 34 theses have resulted in 114 participations as co-authors of scientific articles published in international scientific journals, which makes an average of more than three articles per thesis.

Programs resulting from the transformation of another (estimated 5-year rates)

 

Full Time

 Partial Time
Success rate without extension

27,52 %

27,52 %
Success rate with one extension

33,29 %

33,29 %
Expected employability data (in the three years following the reading of the thesis)

100 %
Mechanisms for follow-up of graduates

The Doctoral Program has created a database with the data of its students with whom it will continue to maintain regular contact. Specific groups of PhD graduates will be created in the most common social networks: Facebook, LinkedIn in order to follow their labor insertion and development of professional activities. Similarly, a mailing list "doc_tic_posdocs@listas.uvigo.es" has been created through which students are kept informed about calls for scholarships and grants, activities carried out in the DocTIC program, as well as other information that may be of interest to them.

The Doctoral School periodically conducts satisfaction and labor market insertion surveys for PhD graduates.

 

Projections of success rates

The percentages reflected as estimates are directly the averages of the percentages observed in the last five years. In the case of part-time theses, it is difficult to establish an estimate given the low number of theses completed in this modality. However, given that 40% of the students currently work part-time, it is expected that the number of theses read under this modality will increase notably and that success rates similar to those of full-time students will be achieved.

Employability

From the analysis of the employability data of the 34 graduates of the program since its implementation in the 2013/14 academic year, the following information is extracted:

100% of the graduates of the program are currently working.
43% of them are working in a research center or in a foreign company related to the ICT sector.
79% of the graduates work in the ICT sector: 49% work in a public or private research center, and 30% work in companies in the ICT sector.
For 30% of the graduates, a doctorate is a requirement for their current job. This percentage rises to 70% if we take into account the graduates for whom the doctorate, although not a requirement, has been decisive in obtaining their current job.          

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