The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in Andorra (AQUA) will celebrate the World Access to Higher Education Day on Wednesday, 26 November, with a lecture by Josep M. Duart, Full Professor of Education and Psychology Studies at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC).
Under the title “Ensuring Quality in Digital Access to Higher Education: European Guidelines and Best Practices”, Prof Duart will address the challenges and opportunities posed by digitalisation in higher education, and how it can contribute to democratising access to knowledge.
His presentation will highlight the need to adapt quality assurance systems to ensure the trustworthiness and credibility of programmes delivered in online and hybrid formats, in accordance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and other frameworks promoted by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and several European agencies.
Drawing on examples and best practices, Dr. Duart will discuss how to develop equitable access policies and rigorous evaluation processes that strengthen society’s confidence in digital universities.
📅 Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
🕘 Time: 7:00 p.m
📍 Venue: Lobby of the Consell General
ℹ️ Free admission, open to all.
About the speaker
Prof Josep M. Duart holds a PhD in Pedagogy from Ramon Llull University in Barcelona and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from ESADE Business School. He also holds a degree in History and a Master’s from the University of Barcelona. He is a Professor of Educational Technology and Educational Leadership at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). He served as Vice-Rector for Postgraduate Studies and Lifelong Learning at the UOC (2007–2013) and is currently the Director of the Postgraduate Programme in Leadership and School Management at the same university.
He is an expert researcher in the field of educational organisation and e-learning, and he leads and collaborates on research projects focused on educational policy, leadership in higher education, and the use of ICT. He has directed and participated in several research projects related to the educational use of technology. Among his published books are L’organització ètica de l’escola i la transmissió de valors (1999), Aprenentatge en la virtualitat (2000), La universitat a la xarxa (2008), and Ús transformador de les tecnologies digitals en l’educació (2020). He has also published numerous scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals. He was the founder and director of the UNESCO Chair in E-learning at the UOC from 2002 to 2009.
He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the scientific journal International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. He has served as president of EDEN and the Universities of the Future Network, an international network of researchers on the future of higher education, and he is the coordinator of REDUNETE, a network of Colombian universities promoting the use of technology in education.
Dr. Duart has been a visiting professor at various universities in Latin America (University of Guadalajara, Veracruz, and UNAM in Mexico; University of the Andes and University of Antioquia in Colombia; Technical Private University of Loja in Ecuador, among others) and in Australia at the University of New England. He has also worked as an advisor and evaluator for several quality assurance agencies in Europe and Latin America.
Updated information on his publications, projects, and more can be found here.