The accreditation of university teaching staff in Spain: situation and future prospects

Abstract

The trend observed in recent years, taking into account the legislative changes made in the Spanish university system, is marked by different economic and social contexts. The measures adopted, both by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and by the regional Agencies, aim to improve teaching, research, innovation or knowledge transfer performance, as well as guarantee principles of equity in the processes of accreditation of Spanish university teaching staff. This article presents a review approach, descriptive and critical, of the evolution of the situation of the teaching staff of the Spanish university during the last decade, with special emphasis on the accreditation processes, given their repercussion in the promotion and development of the teaching career. The causes are reviewed, in addition to the consequences of some variables such as professional category, dedication or evolution of the number of university teaching staff, which allow us to know the real representativeness of each of the existing figures in the Spanish university structural context. These considerations give rise to a reflection on the current situation of these processes from which a series of proposals for improvement and actions that are being carried out for the future in the field of university accreditation are generated.