Andorra conference urges quality, equity in digital higher education

The Consell General in Andorra hosted a conference on the World Day for Access to Higher Education, organised by the Andorran Agency for Quality in Higher Education (AQUA). The session, led by Josep M. Duart, professor of psychology and education sciences at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), focused on the challenges of digitalisation in universities and the need to guarantee the quality and equity of non‑face‑to‑face study programmes.

Duart argued that the expansion of digital and hybrid modalities makes it essential to ensure those offerings are genuinely high quality. He said institutions must adapt their educational models, resources, teaching staff and student support systems to the virtual environment, and stressed the need for robust frameworks to build and maintain trust in online provision.

Ensuring quality in the digital realm, Duart explained, requires well‑defined models, properly trained teaching teams able to interact with remote students, and systems to analyse and validate how programmes actually function. He added that institutions need data and mechanisms to monitor performance and demonstrate that digital programmes meet agreed standards.

Participants included the General Syndic, Carles Ensenyat, who highlighted the event as an opportunity to reflect on education’s fundamental role in shaping the collective future. Isaac Galobardes, director of AQUA, described 2025 as a key year for the agency: its recent admission to European quality assurance bodies and registers was called a historic achievement that integrates Andorra into the European university quality ecosystem.

Galobardes warned that digital transformation raises important challenges, including guaranteeing the credibility of qualifications, democratising access and reducing inequalities. He concluded that advancing toward a university model based on equity, trust and quality is essential for educational institutions to contribute to the full development of citizens.