Quality Assurance Policy

QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition of the Agricultural University of Athens is committed to providing to its students high quality education in the relevant scientific fields, as well as to developing a creative environment of research and work for its staff. It is a strategic choice of administration and responsibility for us, to continual improvement our teaching and research work, with the cooperation of all members of academic, research, teaching, technical and administrative staff.

Our vision is to continue serving educational, research, cultural and wider social goals, being dedicated to the principles of scientific ethics, accountability, sustainable development and social cohesion.  

The Department has adapted and applies a specific quality assurance policy, totally connected to the legal and regulatory framework that governs the function of the Agricultural University of Athens. 

Reviewing, redesigning and redefining our quality assurance policy, the Department aims to achieve even higher performances. This strategy being used, we hope to highlight principles, standards and paradigms that will contribute to our University’s pursuing for education and research results of high quality and thus, help our country to continue a stable course towards a genuine development.

CONNECTING OUR QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY TO THE UNIVERSITY’S STRATEGY

The quality assurance policy of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is a constitutive part of the University’s strategy. Developing and applying our policy involves not only structures and procedures, but also active participation of the human factor.

The quality assurance policy of the Department and its implementation strategy are both implemented and monitored by the Internal Evaluation Group in collaboration with the Quality Assurance Unit of the University.  

In order to assure and constantly improve the quality of its educational and research work, as well as the efficient and effective function of its services, the Department complies with the criteria defined in the Article 72.2 of 4009/2011 national law.

Those criteria mainly support

  • Organizing the internal system of quality assurance in the Department o Both head and staff of the Department taking responsibility and assuming their role regarding the quality assurance process  
  • Preserving academic principles and ethics, preventing discrimination and encouraging the involvement of external agencies with the quality assurance process
  • Constantly ameliorating the learning and teaching process, constantly rewarding research and  innovation
  • Assuring the quality of the Undergraduate Study Programme and its compliance to the special standard of the Hellenic Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency 
  • Efficiently organizing departmental services, developing and conserving departmental infrastructureEffectively providing and managing necessary material and financial resources
  • Developing and rational allocating human resources within the Department

STRATEGIC GOALS AND KEY QUALITY OBJECTIVES

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition has set three main strategic goals that refer to key quality objectives:

1. Assuring Excellence in Learning and Teaching through – 

  • Increasing the number of active students i.e. their performance and efficiency
  • Reducing the average duration of studies until graduation
  • Improving the learning – teaching process
  • Enhancing student-centered learning
  • Continually improving the re-assessing the Undergraduate Study Programme

2. Assuring Excellence in Research through – 

  • Increasing the research performance of the departmental academic staff
  • Increasing research recognition
  • Enhancing collaboration with both greek and foreign universities aiming at the diffusion of research projects and wider synergies
  • Utilizing alternative financial resources (sponsorship/ donations, self-financed programmes of study, participation in international programmes) for research purposes

3. Assuring Internationalisation and Extroversion through - 

  • Growing programmes of intra-national cooperation such as Erasmus and IAESTE, aiming at increasing the number of both incoming and outcoming students and academic staff members 
  • Developing synergies with other Departments of the University and other greek Universities in terms of both undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes
  • Improving the connection of the Department to the labour market and the academic staff members and graduates’ collaboration with research, scientific and cultural bodies

Moreover, the Department aims at:

  • Continual improvement the working conditions for all staff, as well as resolving issues of infrastructure (buildings, laboratory spaces, scientific equipment etc.)
  • Rationalizing and abbreviating procedures regarding administrative work
  • Offering Life-long Learning Programmes in scientific fields that relate to Food Science and Human Nutrition
  • Establishing a graduates’ network with the help of which it will achieve its academic and social goals
  • Contributing to the University’s effort to achieve a high position within the World University Ranking 
  • Reducing pollution and environmental burden caused by its operation, in cooperation with the University
  • Organizing and implementing activities for direct and indirect support of socially vulnerable groups of people