QA Bodies and Key Players

The Governing Bodies of the University — the Rector, the Director General, the Board of Administrators, and the Academic Senate — are responsible for defining and articulating the quality policy and its objectives within strategic documents such as the Strategic Plan and the Integrated Plan of Activities and Organization (PIAO).

The Governance performs the following functions and duties within the Quality Assurance system:

• defines and states the quality policy and the related objectives in strategic documents;
• promotes the policy and objectives within the organization, fostering awareness, shared understanding, and engagement;
• ensures the review of the policy, the implementation and updating of an efficient and effective quality management system aimed at achieving objectives and supporting continuous improvement;
• holds decision‑making authority regarding the review and updating of the Quality Management System, as well as actions related to the policy and objectives;
• decides on improvement actions based on the periodic evaluation of the results of the Quality Assurance system, adopting an evidence‑based approach and relying on data provided by the Quality Assurance Unit and on the recommendations of the Evaluation Board and the Joint Student‑Teacher Committees.

The Evaluation Board (Nucleo di Valutazione - NdV) is an autonomous and independent University body responsible for internal evaluation concerning administrative management, teaching and research activities, and measures supporting the right to education.

The Evaluation Board verifies the proper use of public resources, the impartiality and effectiveness of administrative actions, and directs its analysis toward measuring the Public Value generated, as required by national regulations.

The main external counterparts of the Evaluation Board are the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) and the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), to which it certifies the solidity and transparency of procedures.

Functions

Within the Quality Assurance process, the Evaluation Board (NdV) performs the following key functions:

• acts as an internal evaluation body and as the Independent Evaluation Unit (OIV), carrying out annual monitoring and steering activities related to Quality Assurance;
• performs high‑level oversight of the Quality Assurance policy, in compliance with Ministerial Decree 1154/2021 and in full alignment with the ANVUR model;
• provides opinions, recommendations, and guidance to the Quality Assurance Unit and to the University’s governing bodies, taking into account available resources, process efficiency and effectiveness, and the organizational structure. These outputs are essential for updating strategic planning and the Integrated Plan of Activities and Organization (PIAO);
• validates the improvement actions undertaken by Degree Programmes, Doctoral Programmes, Schools, and Departments;
• verifies the continued fulfillment of quantitative and qualitative requirements for the initial and periodic accreditation of Degree Programmes and University Sites;
• conducts hearings—supported by the Quality Assurance Unit—at University sites, Departments, and Degree Programmes, following specific protocols, to assess the effectiveness of the Quality Assurance‑oriented policies implemented.

The University Quality Assurance Presidium (PQA) is the operational engine of the Quality Assurance system and oversees QA procedures in line with the directives issued by the Governance.

It works in close cooperation with the Evaluation Board, Committees for Teaching and Research, the Research Observatory and the Joint Student-Teacher Committee at Department, School and Degree Programme level to achieve quality objectives.

The University Quality Assurance Presidium (PQA) performs the following functions:

• Supporting University QA policies — it accompanies and supports the University’s Quality Assurance policies and related objectives for teaching, research and knowledge enhancement;
• Promoting a shared quality culture — it fosters a participatory quality culture and, in collaboration with the University’s Teaching & Learning Center (TLC), organises information and training activities for staff involved in Quality Assurance processes.
• Planning and monitoring QA processes — it plans, oversees and monitors Quality Assurance processes, promoting continuous improvement in collaboration with Departments, Schools, Degree Programmes and Ph.D. Programmes, in line with ANVUR–AVA guidelines.
• Conducting internal audits — it carries out internal audits and verifies the content of the documents required by ANVUR–AVA.
• Collaborating with teaching and research structures — it works with teaching and research structures to promote and monitor quality, ensuring the integrity and transparency of procedures and supporting Quality organisation.
• Supervising information and document flows — it supervises the management of information and documentation flows relating to Quality, including those to and from the Governing Bodies, the Evaluation Board, the Joint Student-Teacher Committees, Departments, Schools, Degree Programmes and Ph.D. Programmes.
• Reporting to the Governing Bodies — it reports to the Governing Bodies on the implementation status of Quality Assurance processes, the results achieved and the initiatives to be undertaken.

The functional Areas of the Central Administration play a crucial and cross‑cutting role within the University’s Quality Assurance System, ensuring the effectiveness of services supporting the institutional missions, in full alignment with the integration between Quality Assurance and the Performance Cycle as defined in the Integrated Activity and Organisation Plan (PIAO).

The Areas of the Central Administration are organised as follows:

• Areas directly involved in Quality Assurance processes relating to the University’s institutional missions: teaching, research, knowledge enhancement and cultural heritage.
• Areas providing cross‑cutting support to institutional processes: general affairs, communication, buildings and facilities, finance, logistics, people and organisation, and IT services.

All Areas actively contribute to the University’s P‑D‑C‑A cycle, transforming monitoring results and feedback into improvement actions, thereby contributing to public value creation and the achievement of strategic objectives.

The mission of each Area is described in its dedicated section within the Central Administration.

Departments constitute the organisational and managerial structures responsible for carrying out scientific research activities, teaching and training activities, knowledge and innovation transfer, as well as the related activities addressed to external stakeholders.

They are involved in the architecture of the University’s Quality Assurance system across all institutional missions, operating according to the logic of continuous improvement, with key roles and responsibilities throughout the phases of the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation cycle:

• translate the University’s strategic objectives into the Departmental Development Plan, defining their own strategic priorities in line with the areas of action identified in the Strategic Plan (Teaching, Research, Social Impact, Well‑being, Environment);
• carry out institutional research and knowledge‑enhancement activities, as well as manage advanced training programmes (CdDR), acting as an essential bridge between excellent teaching and the production of new knowledge;
• actively participate in the Quality Assurance processes for teaching, with the Degree Programme as the main actor and with the support of the Quality Assurance Unit; they monitor, analyse, self‑assess and review the Quality Assurance activities relating to Research and Knowledge Enhancement;
• prepare the Annual Monitoring and Review Report;
• use monitoring results to guide the review of policies, corrective actions, new intervention priorities and the reallocation of resources within the Development Plan.

Further details and documentation relating to Quality Assurance are available on the Departments’ websites.

The Schools, in accordance with the Statute, coordinate all teaching activities of the first cycle (bachelor’s) (L), second cycle (master’s) (LM), single‑cycle (LMCU) degree programmes and Specialisation Schools. They also manage the related services to ensure a comprehensive and high‑quality learning experience.

At School level, the Joint Student–Teacher Committee (CPDS) plays a fundamental role as a permanent observatory and evaluative body for teaching activities, covering the entire educational offer. The CPDS is the core of student involvement within the University’s Quality Assurance System:

• monitors teaching activities and provides opinions on the quality level of student services;
• proposes indicators for the evaluation of results and issues opinions on the activation and discontinuation of Degree Programmes;
• carries out its activities throughout the year through regular meetings;
• after a rigorous analysis of the data from monitoring and data‑collection systems, and of the documents required by ANVUR (SUA‑CdS, SMA and Review Report), prepares an Annual Report, which is sent to the Evaluation Board and the Quality Assurance Presidium. This report is essential for monitoring quality and identifying possible corrective actions, both in the organisation of Degree Programmes and in the student services managed by the Schools or by the University’s Central Administration.

The University has established the role of the School Quality Representative, who works in close collaboration with the Quality Assurance Presidium and performs the following functions:

• provides advice and support in drafting Quality Assurance documents, both at School level and for the Degree Programmes of the Departments affiliated to it;
• promotes the principles and culture of Quality, and guides and verifies the effectiveness of Quality Assurance activities;
• offers methodological support in self‑assessment activities;
• provides guidance in the design and updating of Degree Programmes and in the preparation of the SUA‑CdS forms;
• monitors the results of Degree Programmes and their Review activities;
• supports the implementation of the Quality Assurance Presidium guidelines: monitors the work of the Joint Student–Teacher Committee (CPDS) and the drafting of its Annual Report, promotes internal audits, facilitates information flows between the Quality Assurance Presidium, the CPDS and the Degree Programmes, and monitors compliance with deadlines for the production and submission of documentation.

Further details and documentation relating to Quality Assurance are available on the Schools’ websites.

The Quality Assurance System of the Degree Programmes — first cycle (bachelor’s), second cycle (master’s) and single‑cycle degree programmes — is based on the logic of continuous improvement, understood as the ability to set educational objectives that are constantly updated and aligned with the best national and international standards.

• Plan (Planning): the process begins with the planning phase, during which each Degree Programme defines its educational objectives, graduate profiles and programme design. This phase is carried out in close consultation with stakeholders, through the Advisory Board, to ensure alignment with the pillars of the University’s Strategic Plan.
• Do (Implementation): the implementation phase concerns the delivery of teaching, the management of support services and resources, always placing the student at the centre of the process.
• Check (monitoring): the monitoring and evaluation phase involves the establishment of a Review Group (GdR – CdS). The group is composed of lecturers from the Degree Programme, student representatives, members of the relevant cultural and professional sectors and, where possible, technical‑administrative staff.
  The Review Group (GdR – CdS) is responsible for self‑assessing the educational offer delivered by the Degree Programme. In line with the University’s vision for the teaching of the future, students are placed at the centre of all activities, ensuring their well‑being and promoting their active participation in improving the learning pathway. Through periodic analyses and self‑assessments, supported by evidence‑based monitoring tools, strengths and areas for improvement are identified, and the actions to be undertaken are defined.
  These activities result in Quality Assurance documents such as the Cyclical Review Report (RCC) and the analysis and commentary on the Annual Monitoring Report (SMA)
• Act (Improvement): the Degree Programme aligns itself with the objectives, tasks and criteria defined by the University, including those set out in the Strategic Plan and in the Integrated Activity and Organisation Plan (PIAO). In this phase, the Degree Programme implements the policies established by the Governance, aimed at generating public value.
  The chair (president) of the Review Group (GdR‑CdS) coordinates, where necessary, with the Advisory and Self‑Assessment Committee and with the School Quality Representative. They report the outcomes of the self‑assessment to the Degree Programme Council for collegial discussion, defining corrective and enhancement actions that will feed into the next planning cycle.

Further details and documentation relating to Quality Assurance are available on the Degree Programmes’ websites.

The Quality Assurance System of the Ph.D. Programmes is a cyclical process of continuous improvement aimed at ensuring excellence in research training in line with the ANVUR model.

The Review Group (GdR‑CdDR), composed of the coordinator, academic staff, Ph.D. representatives and, where possible, technical‑administrative personnel, is responsible for self‑assessing and monitoring the outcomes of the doctoral training pathway.

• Plan (Planning): the planning phase defines highly qualified training pathways, promoting internationalisation, interdisciplinarity and the acquisition of soft skills.
• Do (Implementation): the implementation phase ensures the delivery of teaching and research activities.
• Check (Monitoring): monitoring is based on objective indicators and on Ph.D. students feedback, available on the SISValDidat platform. Thanks to the surveys conducted by the AlmaLaurea Inter‑University Consortium, compliance with ministerial requirements and the quality of employment outcomes are verified. A fundamental role is played by the connection with the professional and social sectors, through the periodic consultation of an advisory board, which provides feedback on the design and updating of training pathways, ensuring the relevance and adequacy of the graduate profiles.
• Act (Review and Improvement): the outcomes of the reviews lead to corrective actions that continuously enhance the high‑level training process, ensuring transparency and integrity. This system supports Ph.D. students in developing high‑profile scientific and professional careers, contributing to the University’s vision as a ‘knowledge habitat’ and to the generation of public value.

Further details and documentation relating to Quality Assurance are available on the Ph.D. Programmes’ websites.