THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMIȘOARA

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THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMIȘOARA

INSTITUTIONAL SELF – ASSESSMENT REPORT

TIMIȘOARA

MAY 2021

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REPORT

regarding

THE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY, EDUCATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND ACADEMIC QUALITY

of

THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMIȘOARA

TIMIȘOARA

MAY 2021

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This internal assessment report of the Politehnica University of Timisoara (UPT) refers to the period between the academic year 2015/2016 and the current academic year. The latest assessment by the ARACIS regarding the UPT was performed at the end of the academic year 2014/2015. At the beginning of the second semester of the academic year 2019/2020, the UPT entered a new legislative term, as per Law 1/2011, National Education Law.

1. GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA

1.1. A brief history and some defining aspects regarding UPT

Higher education has a 100 years’ tradition in Timisoara city, starting with the signing, by King Ferdinand, on 11 November 1920, of the Decree establishing the Polytechnic School, the current Politehnica University of Timisoara.

The Politehnica University of Timisoara is a university of advanced research and education, being established as a higher education institution with tradition and recognition at national and international level. Its mission, although it has undergone changes during its first century due to the circumstances prevailing at certain times, has always meant generating research and innovation, higher vocational training and a decisive contribution to modern development at local, regional or national level. The current mission, with its 4 pillars, reflects a concern both for today and for the future of society.

In order to underline the important role that the Politehnica University of Timisoara played and continues to play in the development of the city, the Local Council of Timisoara decided to declare 2020 - The Year of the Politehnica in Timisoara. The explanatory memorandum on the appropriateness of the project ruling on the approval of the declaration of 2020 – The Year of the Politehnica in Timisoara reads: „Our city is entitled to mark the contribution that the Politehnica University has made to the development of Romanian higher technical education in the last 100 years, and the events held in 2020 – meetings with twinned towns and universities, performances, scientific innovation fairs, etc. – are elements that are an important asset in terms of valuing Timisoara’s image as one of the most prolific academic and research centres in Romania, a key component in the context of the upcoming European Capital of Culture in 2023”.

For an entire century, The Politehnica University of Timisoara has been a real benchmark of academic excellence by the number of graduates over the years, by the development or support offered to scientific research. The University has created professionals for the society, leaders for Timisoara, for Romania or for companies all over the world. The Politehnica has contributed decisively to the modern development of Timisoara and the region. The Politehnica brand also means sports, music, art, as well as involvement in the life of the community.

The Polytechnic University is a founding Member of the Romanian Alliance of Technical Universities – ARUT, the initiator, the soul and first president of ARUT being the former Rector of the UPT, namely Univ. Prof.Dr.Eng. Viorel-Aurel Serban. The ARUT meeting held on 11 November 2020 marked the centenary of the Politehnica University of Timisoara, which was also a good opportunity to know the new management teams resulting from the academic elections held at the beginning of the year, as the five universities of the city were represented by their Rectors, Vice-rectors, Presidents of the Senate and managing directors.

1.2. General objectives of the UPT

Through the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, the UPT aims to place the objectives of the academic community at the centre of the university's administrative concerns, to immediately increase the degree of digitization of the entire university, to exchange information effectively in all fields of the university,

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based on modern software applications and data structures, to decentralize decision at certain levels and to create decision-making connections, to increase transparency in the development of financial policies, to improve communication between various university structures, to encourage open, non- conflicting relations and, last but not least, to increase the sense of belonging to a strong organization.

The general objectives of the UPT are centred on 10 strategic axes defined in the UPT Strategic Plan for the period 2021 – 2024:

Axis 1: Education. Students

Education – the main objectives and supporting activities thereof are as follows:

 the adaptation of existing study programs and the development of new programs of bachelor and Master studies, in accordance with labour market requirements

 the digitalisation of the educational process, by using the concepts of Digital and Open Education, as well as by granting digital certificates; the adaptation of the school management program and its integration into applications that would allow the teaching staff to enter notes directly, and the students to view their assessments in real time;

 the expansion of the MOOC UniCampus platform for the consolidation of the university’s position as a promoter of virtual platforms among Romanian universities and of the free access to knowledge

 the further development of the ID/IFR (distance learning / part time education) systems, as well as of other post-graduate programs, in line with the requirements of the economic environment of the region;

 the development of psycho-pedagogical competences of teachers by organizing specific modules;

 the motivated involvement of teachers in student tutoring activities;

 the obtainment, at institutional level, of software licenses for the main programs used in teaching;

the provision of the teaching premises with multimedia equipment (laptop, video projector, sound system) suitable for hybrid education;

 the development of procedures / regulations / instructions / guides at university and faculties level for the implementation, correlation and simplification of the application of educational norms; the use of audits for quality control, identification of parameters and response improvement;

 the increase in the flexibility of the board of fields and specializations and a better dynamics of their activity in order to adapt study programs to the labour market;

 automation of processes that assist teaching activities for the generation of curricula, the management of discipline sheets, the evaluation of the teaching process, the creation of timetables, etc.;

 the continuous adaptation to the norms of academic ethics and deontology by training teachers and students in this regard, respectively by increasing the number of checks of similarity of scientific works and theses developed at the completion of studies;

 the alignment of the UPT’s study programs with the national and European University Association (EUA) standards for the full integration into the European area of higher education as well as the following and the implementation of trends at ENQA and EQAR level regarding the quality of the education system;

Students – main objectives and supporting activities:

 Development of tutoring activities dedicated to first years undergraduate students, also by involving students from later years in such tutoring activities, and doctoral students in tutoring activities

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dedicated to master and undergraduate students. Moreover, the management wishes to the encourage and support student organizations for organizing activities aimed at familiarizing first year students with the academic life;

 the promotion of the digitization of the educational process by using the concepts of Open Education and Open Science; the provision of an integrated system of access to educational resources developed within the university, as well as to open educational resources (RED – OER) available internationally for all university students;

 The development of a mechanism for the early identification of students at risk of drop-out, of the causes that led to such situation, and for the monitoring of their academic evolution; the development of psychological counselling, personal and vocational development activities, with the aim of reducing students’ drop-out rate;

 the assistance of students in identifying opportunities for internship and practice, by organizing events that should bring students into contact with representatives of the economic environment (career days, etc.) as well as the involvement of students in research activities carried out by teachers; a continuous effort to motivate students to further their studies through doctoral training;

 The organization, in collaboration with student organizations, of competitions dedicated to students;

the recognition of the participation in such events and the awarding of the best results;

 the encouragement of students to undertake study or practice mobility between partner universities of the Romanian Association of Technical Universities (ARUT) or international partner universities through the Erasmus+ or the non-EU Erasmus+ programs;

 the support given to student leagues, the encouragement to initiate new activities; the civic empowerment of students by encouraging their participation in voluntary actions;

 The continuation of the strategy of awarding special scholarships offered by the university, from its own revenues, for special results in education, research, prizes, etc.;

 An increasing involvement of students in decisions related to the accommodation facilities; free access for students to the UPT sports facilities; the implementation of a system of selective collection and sorting of waste produced in student dormitories;

Axis 2: University marketing and Alumni. Here are the objectives and the supporting activities thereof:

 The creation of a web page dedicated to the process of informing candidates about the admission and the completing of admission steps; the promotion and revitalization of the mobile application StudentUPT; the continuation of the process of development of the Enroll application dedicated to admission;

 the carrying out of promotional events regarding the educational offer of the UPT and the organization within the institution of actions dedicated to pupils; development of a strategy of continuous online communication with pupils so that they should be kept updated with events of interest organized within the University; the involvement of the staff engaged in the admission process in educational marketing actions;

 the organization of an annual event such as "Gala of UPT Promoters", dedicated to the high schools that train future university students; the awarding of such "partnership", through the formation of a

"Club of UPT promoters", along with institutional benefits;

 the development of a communication strategy at ARUT level by carrying out events held by technical universities within the alliance with economic partners, highlighting the advantages and benefits of technical education graduates as well as the high need of such graduates on the labour market;

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 Related to UPT graduates, the main objective is to build a strong Alumni community, supported by the following measures:

o the development of a centralized database, with the graduates of our university, structured on years and specializations, which should allow online communication;

o the organization of events dedicated to the alumni community as well as the valorisation of the anniversary meetings of graduates;

o the building of a solid Alumni Community, capable of helping the university in all its fields or activities.

Axis 3: Scientific research, innovation and technology transfer Here are the main objectives and their supporting activities:

 The creation of partnerships with the economic environment in order to identify common research themes and financing instruments, as well as to apply for such funding;

 the encouragement of researchers to enhance scientific networking, "Networking for a better future", with prestigious communities of researchers in their home country and abroad, to be implemented at least in the form of joint project proposals, jointly developed research, etc.;

 the improvement of the internal evaluation of research, and the implementation of mechanisms that should to stimulate researchers, with international visibility, as well as the linking of research topics to the priority areas of the future Horizon Europe program; the identification of some areas of excellence in research in the UPT, and the stimulation of the respective research teams so as to take over the role of regional leaders;

 the continuation of the granting of awards to the best young researchers as part of a gala of excellence in research; the continuation of the financial support for PhD students and assistants for the participation in international WoS indexed conferences, as well as the awards granted for articles; the continuation of funding of the ARUT grant competitions, aimed at young researchers;

 the analysis of doctoral theses and identification of those with the potential to be turned into spin- offs, as well as a larger involvement of the Research Council in generating research development strategies as well as in monitoring the results thereof in our university;

 The identification of market needs for certain measurement/certification equipment or laboratories;

investments in multidisciplinary laboratories, with the involvement of teaching staff and students from several departments and faculties, starting from the main topics of interest to society and aiming at the aggregation of powerful research teams on these topics in the future;

 The internationalization of research through participation in international projects; the invitation of prestigious researchers from abroad; the awarding of Honorary Professor and Doctor Honoris Causa titles to international personalities; the attraction of valuable foreign researchers or Romanian researchers from the diaspora with the aim of implementing certain research projects, as well as of co-tutoring doctoral theses;

 the creation of a centre of innovation and technological transfer within the university;

 the participation in educational rankings, the analysis of the results and the identification of weaknesses in order to obtain higher classifications;

 the promotion of the digitization and openness of the scientific research process by using the concepts of Open Publishing and Open Science;

 the expansion of the “industrial” doctorate, as we define it internally, by attracting valuable doctoral candidates from the Timisoara companies, on their topics, by continuing and expanding our dialog

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with such companies; the attraction of additional monthly scholarships for PhD students, offered by the university's partner companies;

 the attraction of funds in order to finance post-doctoral programs that might keep within the university those doctoral students who are interested in continuing their research activity.

Axis 4: Human resources and community involvement. Here are the objectives and their supporting activities:

 the provision of voluntary personal or organizational leadership courses for younger members of faculties and/or departments within the Politehnica, which courses should help the human resource get prepared to take over and carry on a solid university development;

 the provision of courses for the acquisition or improvement of digital skills, with voluntary participation, for all members of the academic community of the UPT, so as to ensure the conditions for the correct and efficient use of digital education tools;

 An analysis of the current situation of each department of the UPT, with the forecast of employment needs linked to the evolution of the number of students in relation to the school population for the same periods and to the development potential, closely related to the labour market regarding the respective areas; together with department managers, assistance given for the professional development of the teaching staff of the UPT;

 Adapting the staff structure to current needs, at the level of the university and the ones of its various entities; the establishment of institutional policies regarding the mobility of auxiliary teaching staff between university offices, services or departments, in accordance with the needs identified at the UPT level, but also with their own personal career development plans;

 support for the development of the social responsibility strategy at university level, as well as active involvement in concrete actions such as the creation of a centre for the development of social entrepreneurship in Timisoara.

Axis 5: Financial resources. Here are the objectives and their supporting activities:

 the procurement of an SAP or a similar software system for the management of the financial resources of the university and its purchases, as well as its correlation with other existing software applications for the integration of all financial resources, and the production of real-time reports to help make certain management decisions;

 the provision of a computer tool through which the department managers can shape the budget according to different parameters. The relevant vice-rector will assist the directors of departments in making decisions together with the Department Council regarding the financial resources used for the development of their department;

 there will be consultations, on a yearly basis, with department directors and deans regarding the university's major investments as well as the financial policies of the entities they manage;

 analysis of all indicators that help provide additional financing of universities under the CNFIS framework, and the improvement, where possible, of those indicators that do not have satisfactory values for the UPT;

 the attraction of sponsorship for the projects of the university or the projects of the UPT faculties, while constantly monitoring their evolution; the attraction of new partners from the socio-economic environment.

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Axis 6: Infrastructure, administration and supporting services:

 Making available to building managers a computer tool for reporting to the Administration regarding problems that may appear at each building belonging to the UPT;

 completion of projects that are in various stages of development at present, as well as starting repairs in non-rehabilitated buildings;

 the establishment of a plan related to the development of the university’s infrastructure over a 10- year cycle, with the pursuit of strategic objectives and the attraction of European funds; the designation of a Committee made up of colleagues from the university faculties involved in training specialists for the various development works on the UPT premises, for establishing cost references and specifications for such works;

 the analysis of the work-load of staff within the various departments in the Rectorate, and a balancing of tasks where possible; the introduction of clear performance targets to certain services within the UPT.

Axis 7: Internationalization:

 analysis and identification of attractive fields of study for students from abroad, in order to support the development of the English language curricula, for both undergraduate and Master programs;

increase in the number of programs and modules of courses taught in English; translation into English of information and institutional documents of interest to international students;

 improving the skills of teaching staff in English; increase in the offer of further training through skills training and testing/certification through the Department of Communication and Languages – InterLingua Centre;

 Development and annual updating of a catalogue of courses that should facilitate the identification of subjects recommended for incoming students to the UPT. Development of complex English- language e-learning materials, including those of the "Massive Open Online Courses" type, aimed at open access to education through flexible lifelong learning.

 support for the development and implementation of joint or double degree programs and the increase in the number of such inter-institutional agreements;

 inviting, (on an yearly or half yearly basis) foreign teaching staff with international recognition, as visiting professors, in order to support the programs of studies of the Politehnica University of Timisoara; attracting experts from foreign companies for lectures, trainings and/or workshops dedicated to adapting the offer and the content of study programs to the new technologies implemented in industry;

 encouraging the university’s own teaching staff to apply for the positions of visiting professors within prestigious higher education institutions abroad, as well as active participation in networks and associations of universities in order to support the promotion of study programs, including international academic organizations such as EUA, AUF, CEEPUS or DAAD;

 encouraging participation in Erasmus+, Erasmus+ non-EU and non-Erasmus mobility programs, for both students and teachers, by recognizing the importance of mobility and ensuring a transparent selection process;

 Support of summer schools that should contribute to the promotion of the educational offer of the UPT in order to increase the degree of internationalization;

 Creation of a management system of the internationalization process in order to monitor the evolution of the indicators assumed through the policy of internationalization and in order to increase

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efficiency; developing the digitization process through the implementation of the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI) and the Erasmus without Paper initiative (EWP);

 developing the mobility of studies and practice abroad for students of the Poltehnica University of Timisoara, so that, at the time of graduation, 5% of them would have participated in international mobility;

 increasing international mobility for teachers, so that at least 10% of the teachers of the Politehnica University of Timisoara would participate in teaching mobility.

Axis 8: Image and communication:

 coordination of the activities of disseminating information to the various categories of external and internal public; adapting the messages according to the community we want to increase, in particular, for each platform; the development of a new strategy for communicating with the external environment, in order to enhance communication through social media and TeleU;

 The development of the internal calendar of important events in the community.

 The development, in collaboration with university student organizations, of a specific agenda, with student events; the proposal of a fixed format for opening the academic year, which would allow the organization of some events for new comers; the creation, within every faculty, of an event such as

“Faculty’s days”, which would help to improve the communication both between colleagues and with our students.

 facilitating and disseminating research results by publishing research reports, posters, brochures, newsletters, reviews, press releases, electronic and online methods, in order to increase the visibility of the UPT in international rankings;

 consolidation of a visible international identity, through the development of a new website that would allow the Department of International Relations to make information and promotion efforts more effective;

 supporting the actions organized by the Politehnica Foundation, both by promoting its events within the UPT and by ensuring its visibility at local and regional levels; promotion and support of the performance sports teams of the Politehnica;

 consolidation of the Romanian Alliance of Technical Universities – ARUT, by organizing regular meetings and disseminating the results of discussions, as well as by continuous communication;

 ensuring the visibility of activities undertaken by the Alliance of Universities of Timisoara (ATU);

Axis 9: Informatization and digitization. Here are the objectives and their supporting activities:

 digitizing university documents and using an electronic registry for their transfer between different entities; training of administrative staff in the use of the various software tools to be made available;

 creation of a portal that includes several software services for both students and teachers or auxiliary teaching staff.

 interconnection with the other universities in ARUT on the information component, taking over some of their applications and adapting them to our university, as well as offering the applications developed by our university for use by other partner universities.

 elaboration of a unified, integrated strategy for the digitization of the university and the inclusion of the UPT in international applications that measure the degree of digitization;

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Axis 10: Entrepreneurship and relation with the socio-economic environment. Regional engagement:

 Expansion of the Advisory Committee by introducing two structures, made up of business persons or famous people proposed by each faculty. An event dedicated to the extended Advisory Committee will be produced annually, in order to showcase the results of the university and the engagement of the business community in cooperation with the UPT;

 The involvement of some members of the Advisory Committee in carrying out meetings of the university management with the local authorities in the counties that constitute the Western Development Region, in order to identify the educational and research needs in these areas;

 development of a section dedicated to the PhD School in the framework of an annual event dedicated to the Advisory Committee and to the socio-economic environment, in which the results obtained in the previous year are to be highlighted, new directions or research topics are to be presented within the PhD School, as well as the status of the “industrial” doctorate, etc.;

 creation of a database containing information about all the partner companies of the UPT, drawing up a map of the main companies in the region and their fields of activity, identifying the main services that can be provided by the university for the development thereof, also through the linking of post-graduate courses to such requirements;

 setting up, following an analysis, micro-production centres or bases, providing logistical support, as well as stimulating the auxiliary staff to increase the value of such centres; the involvement of partner companies interested in the development of such centres;

 the participation of the university in partnerships with local or regional authorities in order to attract funds from the national budget or European funds, so as to develop sustainable projects of Community interest;

 attracting firms/companies to finance modular programs, with subsequent extension towards financing applied research;

 consolidation of the activity of SAS (Students’ Entrepreneurship Societies); the continued promotion of SAS among students, the organization of competitions of ideas that should support the strategy of developing start-ups and other programs and collaborations, through the partnerships created with the business environment, especially in the IT&C area, but not only;

 continuing to organize information or mentoring sessions for students, business ideas competitions or agreements with business incubators;

 Development of educational and research projects that would capitalize on the practical experience of the representatives of the business environment.

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1.3. RECTOR’S STATEMENT WITH REGARD TO THE POLICY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE CONCERNING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA

The Politehnica University of Timisoara is a university of advanced education and research, whose main aim is the training of specialists capable of joining the labour market. In the context of the

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21st century, UPT graduates need to accumulate not only technical skills and skills, but also social skills and competences, i.e. organizational skills and competences, over the years of their studies.

In the spirit of the mission, principles and values promoted in the UPT Charter, the Politehnica University of Timisoara has as its main objective the consolidation and improvement of the results obtained, acting consistently so as to achieve and renew its capacity as a university in advanced research and education, that is to be said among the country's top universities.

These objectives are to be achieved through actions designed so as to develop policies for the improvement and the assurance of quality, along several axes:

Management

of resources  encouraging the involvement of all university staff in understanding and improving the process of vocational training and education of students by developing the methodical and psycho-pedagogical competences of teachers through the organization of specific modules and the motivated involvement of teachers in the activities of tutoring students;

 increasing the flexibility of the boards of fields and specializations and increasing their activity in order to adapt study programs to the labour market;

 ensuring continued adaptation to the rules of academic ethics and deontology, by training teachers and students.

Management

of knowledge  pursuing the digitization of the education system and adapting the facilities dedicated to teaching activities as well as the development of the distance education system;

 performing the automation of processes that assist teaching activities and school management programs;

 ensuring the alignment of the UPT study programs with the national and European University Association (EUA) standards and their integration into the European area of higher education;

 consolidation of the powers and responsibilities of quality committees and use of audits to analyse and optimize processes;

 action to consolidate the university position as a promoter of virtual platforms among Romanian universities;

 Pursuing open access to knowledge and the involvement of the university in society.

Students  considering students as main partners and their involvement in decision- making, regarding the quality of educational services and their adequacy to the labour market requirements, as well as those related to personal development;

 developing tutoring activities aimed at first year undergraduate students, so that their adaptation and integration to academic life should be carried out as quickly and easily as possible;

 supporting student organizations in carrying out activities aimed at familiarizing first year students with the academic world;

 supporting students in identifying practice opportunities, by organizing events that bring students into contact with representatives of the economic environment (career days, etc.).

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Scientific

research  creation of research partnerships with the economic environment in order to identify common research themes, sources of funding and to jointly apply for funding;

 developing new research directions that can bring competitive advantages to the university as a basis for increasing the performance of the education process;

 stimulating researchers to enhance scientific networking with prestigious communities of researchers at home and abroad that would translate into joint project proposals or research works;

 identifying areas of research of excellence in the UPT and stimulating the respective research teams to take over the role of regional leaders;

 encouraging the development of new post-graduate programs (continuous training and professional development, further training, life-long education), in line with the requirements of the economic environment in the region;

 The internationalization of research through participation in international projects, the invitation of prestigious researchers from abroad, the granting of Honorary Professor and Doctor Honoris Causa titles to international personalities, attracting valuable researchers from abroad or Romanian researchers from the diaspora, in order to implement research projects in the UPT, as well as organizing prestigious scientific events in collaboration with universities from abroad;

 Investing in multidisciplinary laboratories, involving teachers and students from several departments/faculties, starting from the main topics of interest to society and aiming at aggregating strong research teams.

Partners of the

University  constantly meeting the requirements of our partners, students and employers, and adapting existing curricula by developing new programs of bachelor and Master studies, in line with labour market requirements at national and international level;

 serious and demanding training of graduates, so that they should be able to use scientific and technical knowledge, to cope with the competition on the labour market;

1.4. Structure of the Quality Assurance System in UPT

The design of the organizational structure necessary in order to implement the quality function in the university is based on the following principles resulting from the customization of known principles and rules in the field of quality management for the academic environment:

 The leadership with regard to the Quality Management System (SMC) is the task of the manager of the respective level (the Rector for the University, the Dean for the Faculty, the Director for the Department, etc.)

Expected results:

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The real integration of quality principles into the management act as the success of the SMC introduction program is conditional on the adequacy of the management attitude towards such principles, on the importance that managers attach to the quality and the resources they decide to allocate.



Strengthening of the current decision-making system, through the integration of SMC.

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

Establishment of method-related relations instead of hierarchical ones, between individuals and working groups with attributions related to various levels of SMC.

 As an attribute of institutional culture, SMC promotes institutional responsibility and authority, by defining, explicitly delegating and by verifying specific achievements.

Expected results:



Awareness and strengthening of personal responsibility;

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Deepening responsibility and increasing the level of involvement of managers and staff at all levels;

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Increasing the willingness to change, for all members of the university’s staff.

 The SCM requires that university programs be coordinated by people who know very well the specificities of university activities and have adequate quality skills.

Expected results:



The elimination of possible failures caused by empirics and lack of professionalism in the introduction of SMC. Failure may cause major difficulties in resuming the program by weakening and lowering the confidence of all domestic stakeholders.



Taking responsibility with regard to the relevant training of all individuals with direct tasks related to the design, implementation, continuation and improvement of SMC.



In the university, at all levels, management is based on identifying and defining processes as well as on establishing responsibilities for them (process officers) and taking decisions based on facts.



As a reference, SMC uses Law 1/2011 and its additions, the ARACIS standards and the EUA quality guidelines. The simplified organization chart of the Politehnica University in Timisoara highlights the positions of working groups and of the people with responsibilities in the Quality Management System (SMC) at various levels.

 University



A1. At university level, the SMC is led by the Rector, who sets out quality strategy, policy, objectives and priorities together with the CEAC, seeks their knowledge and implementation throughout the institution, allocates and verifies the proper use of SMC resources.



A2. Vice-rectors (ProR) and the General Administrative Director (Dir. General admin.), lead and are responsible for the design, implementation, continuation and improvement of the SMC in the sectors for which they are responsible. They allocate and pursue the use of related resources in these sectors.



A3. The Committee for Quality Assessment and Assurance in the UPT (CEAC) is a collective working group of the university composed of representatives of the teaching staff, of students and employees. CEAC implements the Senate’s Decision regarding quality assurance and prepares the annual report on quality assurance, identifies, analyses and proposes solutions and decisions that concern the SMC. The CEAC is chaired by the Rector and the operational management is delegated to a coordinator, representative of the Rector.



A4. The Directorate-General for Quality Assurance (DGAC) is a functional structure supporting the University SMC directly subordinated to the Rector. The DGAC includes the minimum human resources required to design, implement and support the SMC. It shall be composed of:

- The Director of Quality Assurance is the representative of the Rector for the SMC.

He / she heads the Directorate-General for Quality Assurance (DGAC) with

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responsibility and authority for the design, implementation, continuation and improvement of the SMC at the university level;

- Quality Management specialists who assist the administrative faculties and services in the design, implementation and continuation of the SMC, in the preparation and maintenance of documents, in the use of specific SMC tools;

- Computer specialists who design and maintain the IT system support for the SMC throughout the university;

- Officers with secretarial duties and duties related to the monitoring of SMC specific documents;

- Officers with duties related to the preparation and development of academic and research activities, from the perspective of the SMC.



A5. The internal auditor body (CAI) shall constitute a group of persons from functional departments and services, with appropriate training and participation in quality assessment/internal audit activities as part of their duties.

 B. Faculties



B1. The SMC at the faculty level is led by the Dean, who applies and adapts the university's strategy, policy, objectives and priorities in the field of quality in the faculty, aiming at implementing both the general aspects and the specific aspects of the faculty.



B2. The Quality Assessment and Assurance Committee at faculty level (CEAC-F) is a working body that has a similar role to that played by CEAC – UPT at university level. The Commission is made up of the Dean (as President), the members of the Faculty Council and a student representative - appointed by student organizations. The Dean may delegate the operational management of CEAC at faculty level to a coordinator appointed from among the members of the commission.

 C. Departments



C1. At department level, the Department Director (Dir. Dep) has the authority and responsibility for the quality of all processes carried out within it (education, research, and organization).



C2. The Department-level Quality Assessment and Assurance Committee (CEAC-D) shall be composed of the Director of Department as President, three representatives of the teaching staff and, optionally, a representative of the students or doctoral candidates in the department. The department director may delegate the operational management of CEAC- D to a coordinator appointed from among the three members. CEAC-D aims at department level to achieve the general and specific quality objectives, both in teaching and research, including staff training, planning and conducting internal assessments/audits and individual assessments.

 D. Administration

 D1. At the administration level, the responsibility and authority in terms of SMC belong to the Director-General of Administration (Dir. Gen. Admin.).

 D2. Dir. Gen. Admin. May appoint a representative for his/her duties related to SMC.

 D3. At services level, the responsibility and authority in terms of SMC belong to the Heads of Services.

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Domain A. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY

2. LEGAL STATUS, STRUCTURE, MISSION AND OBJECTIVES OF THE UPT

2.1. Legal framework for the organization and operation of the Politehnica University of Timisoara

The Politehnica University of Timisoara, address 2 Piata Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, is a state funded higher education institution, established in 1920 through Decree – Law no. 2521/10.06.1920 and 4822/11.11.1920, under the name of „Polytechnic School of Timisoara”. All along its uninterrupted existence and operation, the university changed its name a few times, and the current name of the university, hereinafter referred to by the acronym UPT, has been adopted in accordance with Government Decision no. 493/17.07.2013.

UPT – an institution of higher education and scientific research, of national interest, which is an organic part of the national education system in Romania and contributes through the activities carried out to the achievement of the overall education strategy, elaborated in accordance with the Constitution and legislation in force - is part of the traditions of Romanian university education and contributes to the scientific, professional and civic training of young people and their integration into social and economic life, to the ongoing education of higher education graduates, as well as to the production of science and technology.

As a state-owned higher education institution, UPT is a legal person and has university autonomy in the spirit and letter of the National Education Law and its own University Charter. In its relations with society, the university is identified by: name, seal, logo and flag, established by the Senate ruling, and is presented in public image on the Internet via www.upt.ro.

The teaching activity within the Politehnica University of Timisoara (Annex_B_1a-01) is organised in the Bologna framework, through the programs of BACHELOR, MASTER and DOCTORATE. Interested in meeting labour market requirements as well as the need for lifelong training and development, driven by the complex challenges of modern society, the Politehnica University of Timisoara organizes POSTGRADUATE programs, the main objective of which is to update / develop / improve numerous university qualifications.

The Politehnica University of Timisoara received from ARACIS, following the assessment of the institution (http://upt.ro/Upt-Timisoara_acreditare-institutionala_156_ro.html) carried out in 2015, the

"high degree of trust” qualification, Annex_A_1j, (ARACIS Report no. 5376/23.07.2015 ), and, following the university classification exercise carried out in 2011, the UPT received a position among the Romanian universities of advanced research and education (according to Education Minister’s Ruling no. 5262/05.09.2011). The EUA’s Report from December 2012 (Annex_A_1e) describes the UPT as „a well-performing university with a particular reputation in the surrounding society”, which "is engaged in continuous optimization and is therefore well positioned to meet current and future challenges" and which "has fully demonstrated its ability to overcome difficulties".

2.2. General information about the UPT premises

The current name of the university, The Politehnica University of Timisoara, is in accordance with the Official Gazette no. 447/22.07.2013 and Government Ruling no. 493/17.07.2013. The University has its headquarters at 2 Piata Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, County of Timis.

The current name of the university is Universitatea Politehnica Timisoara, endorsed by the Government Ruling no. 493/17.07.2013 (Annex_A_1b). Along its uninterrupted existence and

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operation, the university bore several names: Școala Politehnică din Timișoara (1920-1948), Institutul Politehnic Timișoara (1948-1970), Institutul Politehnic “Traian Vuia” din Timișoara (1970-1991), Universitatea Tehnică din Timișoara (1991-1995), Universitatea „Politehnica” din Timișoara (1996- 2013).

UPT, a university of advanced research and education, is today one of the Romanian schools with a tradition, recognized at national and international level, both through the activity of the teaching staff generations and through the exceptional activity of prestigious academicians. UPT is part of the traditions of Romanian university education and contributes to the scientific, professional and civic training of young people and their integration into the economic and social life, to the permanent education of higher education graduates, as well as to the production of science and technology.

In the spirit of tradition, the mission of the Politehnica University of Timisoara is to meet the competence requirements of the societal environment by providing higher professional training, undergraduate and and post-graduate levels. The mission, which carries fundamental values, also reflects the concern for the future of society, by mapping the way in which society is developing at local, regional, national and international level.

In full accordance with the mission undertaken and with the desire to assert itself at international level, the Politehnica University of Timisoara is developing fruitful cooperation relations with many universities from Europe, the USA, Asia, South America and Canada, UPT into more than 190 collaborative agreements concluded within European Union programs or directly.

2.3. The UPT Charter and regulations herein

The UPT Charter contains the principles that state the Politehnica University of Timisoara as an institution and regulate its structure, functions, organization and functioning. UPT is a state higher education institution with legal personality, of public interest, of a non-profit nature, part of the national higher education system, accredited with the highest qualification.

The Charter respects the Romanian Constitution and the legislation in force and is in accordance with Magna Charta Universitatum. The UPT University Charter is drafted in line with the national policies as well as with the policies functioning within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The current version is the result of the amendment, in accordance with the procedure in force, by the vote of the UPT Senate on 15.05.2014, of the original Charter adopted in 21.07.2011.

Following the adoption of this Charter, the UPT Senate shall draw up and adopt the regulations annexed to the Charter governing the organization and functioning of the university and its components.

The training of UPT students is described by a set of regulations on the organization, conduct and completion of studies, for all categories of students of the bachelor and master study programs (Annex_A_1f, Annex_B_1e). Regulations and methodologies are public on the university's website, being developed in accordance with the legal regulations in force http://upt.ro/Informatii_regulamente- upt_207_ro.html .

2.4. Mission and objectives of the UPT

The mission undertaken by the University is stated in the UPT Charter, as follows:

a. To create and to transfer toward the society useful knowledge in the form of advanced reserach, development and innovation, and to disseminate the results thereof by means of publications and / or implementation;

b. To provide higher vocational training, at university level - where appropriate: In the Bologna paradigm, in all three cycles of the latter - undergraduate, master, doctorate, or specially regulated-, as well as in the post-graduate level and in the concept of lifelong learning, for the

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purposes of personal development and professional integration of the individual and of meeting the competitive needs of the societal environment;

c. To contribute to the setting of directions in the development of the society, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally;

d. To cultivate, promote and defend the fundamental values crystallized during the evolution of mankind: freedom of thought, expression and action, justice, truth, equity, honesty, fairness, dignity, honour.

The mission covers both the transfer of knowledge to society through scientific research, higher vocational training, university and post-graduate level, involvement in the development of society, at local, regional, national and international level, and the promotion and defence of the fundamental values of humanity and of knowledge-based society. Each faculty of the UPT has its own mission, stated in its own strategic plans and integrated into the general mission of the university.

The university's mission is accomplished by defining and following objectives set out in strategic plans, drawn up at university and faculty level, consistent with the mission and implemented through operational plans.

The strategic plan focuses primarily on the period 2021-2024 (Annex_A_1c), however, some of its objectives will last longer and will need support from the entire Community, the Administration Board, the Senate, the Faculties, Departments and administrative services of the university to achieve the expected results.

The strategic plan of the UPT consists in a series of operational initiatives, categorized into ten strategic axes:

Axis 1: Education. Students

Axis 2: University marketing and Alumni

Axis 3: Scientific research, innovation and technology transfer Axis 4: Human resources. Community involvement

Axis 5: Financial resources

Axis 6: Infrastructure, administration and support services Axis 7: Internationalization

Axis 8: Image and communication Axis 9: Informatization and digitization

Axis 10: Entrepreneurship and the relation with the regional social and economic environment.

Regional engagement

Each axis comprises a number of objectives that have been outlined in Chapter 1 – General Presentation of the Politehnica University of Timisoara, sub-chapter 1.2. General objectives of the UPT.

2.5. Academic integrity

The UPT has a Code of University Ethics and Deontology approved by the Senate (Annex_A_1f- 01) which sets out general principles leading to the defence of the values of academic freedom, academic autonomy and ethical integrity. The application of the University Code of Ethics and the analysis of violations of the principles and values defended by it are monitored by the Ethics Commission. The Ethics Commission is organized according to the Regulation on the operation of the University Ethics Commission (Annex_A_1f-02)

The Ethics Commission reports, throughout the reporting period, are public and can be found on the university website at: http://www.upt.ro/Informatii_rapoarte_335_ro.html . According to these reports, the ethics commission promotes and ensures a climate of prevention, mediation, fairness, trust, respect and cooperation between members of the academic community, based on ethical standards

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and professional conduct that have represented and are defining elements in all university activities.

These reports set out the situations in which ethical rules were breached, setting out how concrete cases were handled (proceedings, sanctions, degree of involvement of the Ethics Commission). At the faculties level, aspects of university ethics are dealt with at the level of the Faculty Council, and, within departments, at the level of the Department Council.

For example, in 2020, there were no breaches of ethics rules in terms of academic activities, neither by teachers nor students. Switching to online education has been a particular challenge for both students and teachers, but no attempts to fraud exams or misconduct have been reported that have affected the conduct of online courses and assessments under transparent, equal and principled conditions. Also, the verifications with the help of the iThenticate and Turnitin services of the bachelor, Master and doctoral theses supported in the UPT did not uncover deviations from the university ethics by plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or by using bibliographical sources without quoting them. This demonstrates appropriate involvement and responsibility of all persons involved in this area.

By adopting and following the Code of Ethics, the academic Community of the UPT aims to preserve and strengthen the modern academic image of a good reputation in the educational environment and is a tool for shaping the academic community in a spirit of ethical principles and values, helping to establish an academic climate based on cooperation and fair competition.

2.6. Public liability and responsibility

Verification of the performance of the tasks undertaken through the operational plans in the different fields of university activity shall be done annually on the basis of reports drawn up at the level of the Administration Council, the Faculty Council and the Department Council. The reports shall be discussed and approved by the UPT management structures (Senate, Council of Administration, Faculty Council, Department Council).

The UPT also regularly audits the activities of all basic processes (research, teaching and management) and support processes (e.g. administrative). The procedures are public and can be found at: http://www.upt.ro/Informatii_proceduri-ale-sistemului-de-management-al-calitatii_15_ro.html.

The university has annual internal audit programs for both the education process and associated activities (starting with the year 2016 they are included in the CEAC report) and for managerial and administrative activities. The audits aim at establishing the conformity of the different activities with the Regulations in force and are carried out on the basis of the audit proceedings (http://www.upt.ro/pdf/PG_Audit_Intern_01.pdf) under the coordination of the CEAC. The audits are carried out with the participation of teams of auditors appointed by the rector, and of the DGAC. The audit teams include members of the academic community selected from the body of auditors ((http://www.upt.ro/Informatii_documente-legate-de-structura-organizatorica_17_ro.html) including students, and external members. The audit reports shall be submitted to the Council of Administration where they are to be discussed and shall be accompanied by action plans.

All study programs shall be accredited by ARACIS and evaluated at regular intervals. The UPT shall respect the academic freedom of teaching and research staff as well as the rights and freedoms of students in accordance with the UPT Charter and the specific Regulations. All decisions and rulings of the UPT Senate and the Council of Administration are visible on the UPT website at (http://www.upt.ro/Informatii_hotarari-ale-senatului-si-ale-biroului-senatului_927_ro.html,

http://www.upt.ro/Informatii_hotarari-ale-consiliului-de-administratie-_1003_ro.html)

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3. GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE STRUCTURE OF THE UPT - MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

3.1. The management system

The management structures and management functions of the UPT are detailed in Annex_A_2a. The UPT complies with the legal regulations for the election/appointment of structures – the Council of Administration, the Faculty Council and the Senate -, of the management positions of departments (directors of departments), faculties (Dean, Vice-dean) and at institutional level, with information on elections/competitions being posted on the university website - http://www.upt.ro/Informatii_alegeri-si-concursuri_578_ro.html

Elections shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the National Education Law in force at the time of the issuing of the current Charter, Law 1 / 2011. They shall be set up or established by legislature. A legislature has a term of four years. There exists and applies the Internal Organization and Functioning Regulation (Annex_A_1f-18) which complies with the legislation in force.

The governing structures in the UPT are:

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the Senate, the Council of Administration, the Council for Doctoral Studies and the Council of the Doctoral School, at University level;

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the Faculty Council and the Doctoral Division Council, at faculty level;

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the Department Council, at department level.

The leading positions in the UPT, according to Law no. 1 / 2011, are:

 Rector, Vice-rector, General Administrative Director, Director of the Council for Doctoral Studies, Director of the Doctoral School, at university level;

 Dean, Vice-dean, at faculty level;

 Department Director, at department level.

The position of Director of the Council for Doctoral studies is assimilated to the position of the Vice-rector. The leading positions established by law are added to by the position of coordination with the title "Director of Doctoral Division", at the level of the doctoral division, which is an unremunerated position.

The Senate comprises 68 members, 51 of whom (i.e.: 75%) are teachers and researchers and 17 (i.e.: 25%) are students.

The 51 positions of members of the Senate for teachers and researchers are distributed among departments in proportion to their size, given by the sum of their employed teachers and researchers, and are set by universal, direct and secret vote of all employed teachers and researchers.

The 17 positions of members of the Senate for students are distributed as one for each faculty and proportionally to the number of students and are set by the universal, direct and secret vote of all students.

The Council of Administration consists of the Rector, the Vicerectors, the Deans, the General Administrative Director and a representative of the students appointed through the competition organized by the legally established student organizations of the university, from among the students of the university.

The Faculty Council includes teachers and researchers as much as 75%, and 25% students, depending on the size of the faculty given by the number of students; the Dean, the Vicedean / Vicedeans and the Department Directors are members of law.

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The Department Council consists of the Director of the Department and 8 members. The Director of the Department and the members of the Council of the Department shall be elected by universal, direct and secret vote of all teachers and researchers employed by the Department.

The university's structures and management positions are detailed in the UPT Charter.

The university uses Internet and Intranet – Avizier and Secretariat electronic applications have been implemented (http://avizier.upt.ro/ and https://secretariat.upt.ro), involving members of the academic community, including students, administrative staff, as well as other beneficiaries and partners of the university, thus responding to public interests.

The UPT organizational chart (Annex_A_1d) shall be provided with its own staff which correspond, in terms of professional qualification, to the requirements for filling the positions provided in the personnel chart (http://www.upt.ro/img/files/organigrama/Organigrama_UPT-DGA_2020.pdf).

The UPT library (Annex_A_5b) is provided with staff with higher education, including library economics or philology.

3.2. Strategic management

Through the strategy undertaken, the UPT aims to fulfil its mission, to respect the values and principles set out in the Charter, and to achieve its objectives.

Throughout the reporting period, the management of the UPT was based on rigorously drawn up 4 years’ strategic plans (2008-2012, 2012-2016, 2016-2020), according to which annual operational plans were drawn up. The annual update of the UPT strategy has been carried out through the operational plans, taking into account the evolution of higher education and the national economic context. The faculties also have strategic plans and operational plans linked to university plans. The Council of Administration is supported in its activity by consultative commissions, the Senate works with 11 specialized commissions, and the Faculty Councils also use specialized commissions and boards of the fields / specializations.

On entering the th third decade of its new century, the Politehnica University of Timisoara proposes a strategic plan for 2021-2024 (Annex_A_1c-01) which underpins the development of the institution for the next 4 years and which comes with a paradigm shift related to what organizational culture means, the objective being assumed by the entire academic community. The fulfilment of the university's operational plans shall be regularly reviewed, in accordance with the Regulations referred to in Anexa A-2b. The management system, within the Council of Administration, and annually the University Senate assess, on the basis of the „Rector’s Report on the State of the UPT” (Annex_1i).

The proceedings are similar at faculty level. The UPT Strategic Plan is developed on 10 priority axes, each developed around strategic objectives. The objectives set out in the strategic plan shall be achieved by involving the economic and social partners.

The university strategy is taken up at the level of all the UPT faculties through their strategic plans that translate into annual operational plans covering the scheduled activities and the deadlines for achieving the strategic objectives.

Documents are public on the University’s website at:

- http://upt.ro/Informatii_planuri-strategice_59_ro.html - http://upt.ro/Informatii_planuri-operationale_60_ro.html

3.3. Efficiency of the management

Within the UPT, the Council of Administration coordinates the administrative sector through the Directorate-General for Administration (DGA) which ensures the smooth deployment of all supporting

THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMIȘOARA

THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMIȘOARA

INSTITUTIONAL SELF – ASSESSMENT REPORT

TIMIȘOARA

MAY 2021

REPORT

regarding

THE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY, EDUCATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND ACADEMIC QUALITY

of

THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMIȘOARA

TIMIȘOARA

MAY 2021

CONTENTS

1. GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA

1.1. A brief history and some defining aspects regarding UPT

1.2. General objectives of the UPT

1.3. RECTOR’S STATEMENT WITH REGARD TO THE POLICY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE CONCERNING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN THE POLITEHNICA UNIVERSITY OF TIMISOARA

1.4. Structure of the Quality Assurance System in UPT

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Domain A. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY

2. LEGAL STATUS, STRUCTURE, MISSION AND OBJECTIVES OF THE UPT

2.1. Legal framework for the organization and operation of the Politehnica University of Timisoara

2.2. General information about the UPT premises

2.3. The UPT Charter and regulations herein

2.4. Mission and objectives of the UPT

2.5. Academic integrity

2.6. Public liability and responsibility

3. GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE STRUCTURE OF THE UPT - MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

3.1. The management system

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3.2. Strategic management

3.3. Efficiency of the management