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QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY

QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY

1. Declaration of quality policy of the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, NTUA

The Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the Faculty of Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) is committed to providing high quality higher education to its students in the scientific fields of Geosciences and Geoenvironment as well as to the development of a creative research and work environment for the his staff. The commitment of all staff (faculty members, Laboratory Teaching Personnel, Technical Laboratory Personnel, and administrators) to the continuous improvement of the services provided is a strategic choice of management and responsibility. The vision of our Department is to continue to serve educational, research, cultural and wider social goals, to contribute to addressing the development needs of our country and people with adherence to the principles of scientific ethics, accountability, viable and sustainable development in combination with the protection of the environment and social cohesion.

The Department has established and implements a specific quality policy, which is completely connected to the legal and regulatory framework that governs the operation of the NKUA. Through the establishment, review, redesign and redefinition of the quality policy, NKUA is committed to achieving even higher performance. With this strategy it will highlight values, standards and examples to contribute to the pursuit of the entire NKUA for high quality teaching and research results to help the country towards a steady course of genuine development.

2. Connecting quality policy with the strategy of NKUA

The Department of Geology and Geoenvironment of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the Greek Academy of Sciences has developed and implements a specific official Quality Assurance (QA) policy, which is part of the Institution's strategy. In the development and implementation of this policy, with the appropriate structures and procedures, all interested internal actors (Administrative Bodies, Faculty Members, Laboratory Teaching Personnel, Technical Laboratory Personnel, Administrative Staff, Students of the Department and other interested parties) participate.

The Department's Quality Assurance policy and its implementation strategy are implemented through the Internal Evaluation Team (IEG), in collaboration with the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) of NKUA, which is responsible for monitoring and controlling the quality function of institution at all levels.

To ensure and continuously improve the quality of the educational and research work, as well as for the effective operation and performance of its services, the Department complies with the criteria defined in article 72.2 of Law 4009/2011.

This policy mainly supports:

  • the organization of the Department's internal quality assurance system,
  • the assumption of the responsibilities of the leadership of the Department and its individual units, staff members and students, as well as the role attributed to them in relation to quality assurance,
  • safeguarding academic principles, ethics, preventing discrimination, encouraging the participation of external bodies in quality assurance,
  • continuous improvement of learning and teaching, research and innovation;
  • ensuring the quality of the curriculum and its compliance with the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency's (HQA) standards,
  • the efficient organization of services and the development and maintenance of infrastructure,
  • the availability and efficient management of the necessary resources for the operation of the Department,
  • the development and rational distribution of human resources.

The main axes on which the Quality Assurance and Improvement Policy of the Department is structured and which are connected and are part of the NKUA strategy are the following:

  1. The improvement of the performance and performance of the students of the Department, Reducing the percentage of students who drop out or are late in completing their studies,
  2. The strengthening of the multi-level research project in the Department,
  3. The production of more and significant impact articles in international scientific journals as well as peer-reviewed collective volumes and Conference Proceedings,
  4. The continuous improvement of the working conditions of the scientific, administrative and other staff of the Department, Solving infrastructure problems (e.g. building problems),
  5. The development of synergies between the Department and other Departments / Faculties of NKUA in undergraduate and postgraduate study programs,
  6. The strengthening of transnational cooperation programs that provide for the mobility of students and teaching staff,
  7. The production of more and significant impact articles in international scientific journals as well as peer-reviewed collective volumes and Conference Proceedings,
  8. The continuous improvement of the working conditions of the scientific, administrative and other staff of the Department, Solving infrastructure problems (e.g. building problems),
  9. The development of synergies between the Department and other Departments / Faculties of NKUA in undergraduate and postgraduate study programs,
  10. The strengthening of transnational cooperation programs that provide for the mobility of students and teaching staff,
  11. The strengthening of collaborations with other foreign and domestic institutions, the dissemination and strengthening of research projects and wider synergies, as well as the improvement of the production of research work,
  12. The development of the Department's extroversion,
  13. The attraction of high-level faculty members from Greece and abroad,
  14. The contribution of the Department to the intended cooperation of the NKUA with the editors of the world ranking tables of Universities for the better promotion of the quality of the Department and the Foundation in general internationally,
  15. Solving problems related to the implementation of the administrative project,
  16. The Department's contribution to the intended implementation of measures to reduce pollutants and the environmental burden caused by the University due to its operation,
  17. The creation of new, especially interdisciplinary or inter-institutional Postgraduate Programs,
  18. The utilization of alternative funding sources (participation in international programs, self-financed study programs, sponsorships/donations),
  19. Improving the organization and delivery of Lifelong Learning programs.

The Department's strategy for IP and the high level of degrees awarded is determined by the multifaceted effort to secure the quality and completeness of teaching, to meet the needs of new scientific directions and concerns and to open interdisciplinary and international collaborations in the service of the above objectives .

The results of this strategy are documented in the reports of the external evaluators, in the detailed information on their goals and learning outcomes, as reflected in the Department's study guide, in the positive evaluations of the Department's students regarding the courses, in the full alignment with the European and International Standards (ECTS system), in the smooth acceptance of graduates in postgraduate and doctoral studies abroad, but also in their professional rehabilitation and social development.

The way in which this policy is designed, approved, implemented, monitored and reviewed is one of the procedures of the internal quality assurance system.

3. Ways of communicating the Department's quality policy

The implementation of a quality policy by the Department was officially approved by the authorities of the NKUA and the Department when, among others, by decision of the Senate in 2008, Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) was created and then the Internal Evaluation Team (IET) of the Department to start the Internal and External Evaluation Procedures, such as these are analyzed in Law 3374/2005. Also, in addition to the fact that the Department has completed both the External Evaluation process and the Institutional Internal and External Evaluation process, compliance procedures with the requirements of the legal and regulatory framework are followed. In addition, by a decision of the Senate of the Foundation, the Organization, Structure and Operation of the Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS) of NKUA was approved, which was forwarded for publication in the Official Gazette.

The staff of the Department has been fully informed about the quality assurance procedures and actively participates in them. The teaching and research staff under the guidance of Internal Evaluation Group (IEG) and Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) implement the course evaluation procedures by students and faculty members. The Internal Evaluation Team (IET) of the Department collects and processes the data contained in the annual inventory reports, prepares the Internal Evaluation Report, prepares the External Evaluation process and sends to Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) inventory data that refer to the operation, the project and the issues facing the Department.

The Policy Quality Statement is posted on the Department's website. The detailed description of the main procedures and means for the implementation and monitoring of the implementation of the quality process are displayed on the website of the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) of the NKUA.

Based on the decision of the Internal Evaluation Group (IEG) of the Department of Geology and Geoenvironment (Meeting March 27, 2017) the statistical results of the students' questionnaires will be freely available to teachers and students. For this reason, the course "Results of Evaluations of Undergraduate Courses by the Students" was created in the e-class (https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/GEOL392/) in which the results of the evaluation of the teaching work of the Department will be posted by the students based on the electronic questionnaires of each course.