Design of the management and quality assurance system of the National Agrarian University, Nicaragua

Abstract

This article aims to present a proposal for the design of the Quality Management and Assurance System (SGAC) of the National Agrarian University (UNA) under its public nature and committed to the productive development of the agricultural sector of Nicaragua. The SGAC represents an institutional need to promote institutional self-assessment processes and academic programs for improvement and accreditation purposes; assess the quality of university services; strengthen the quality of teaching, research and bonding; optimize resources, make decisions based on timely information, and achieve greater relevance and social impact. This research used the perspective of General Systems Theory, the plurimethodological and holistic approach, non-experimental, exploratory and transversal. The quality criteria used were objectivity, coherence, transparency and credibility. Firstly, using secondary sources, a documentary analysis was carried out, based on hermeneutics to provide the state-of-the art on the SGAC of Higher Education. Next, the research began with a focus group with higher authorities and subsequent application of surveys to key actors in the university community, on the main aspects of the system, namely: management principles, components and articulation mechanisms. The results demonstrated a very high positive perception by the respondents in all the aspects valued, which were determined through three scales proposed by the researchers. The internal consistency of each scale obtained a Cronbach's alpha above 0.90, considered excellent.