(317)DESIGN OF A FORMATION PROGRAM FOR PHD STUDENTSBASED ON THE DUBLIN-DESCRIPTORS: IMPLEMENTATION ANDEVALUATION UNDER THE EFQM-INSPIRED SPIRIT OFEXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION

摘要

The establishment of three cycles for higher education in the Bologna Process is the key element ofthis overarching framework. These cycles can be best understood by reference to internationallyacceptable descriptors which have been developed jointly by stakeholders across Europe – the socalled“Dublin descriptors”. Therefore, these third-cycle descriptors encompass the outcomes ofresearch-based and professional doctorates, but they do not refer to particular forms of study.Even if faculties usually have doctoral programs, in most of the cases they do not cover all thedescriptors since most of the formation of the Ph students takes place in the bosom of researchgroups. In this sense, it must be underlined that in the Spanish universities research groups are notofficially required to have specific formation plans for their students. In this context, the work hereinpresented consists of the design of a formation program for the Ph students elaborating their thesis inEIDOS: a group researching on Materials Science in the University of the Basque Country, with ainternationally-contrasted long trajectory. During the last years, EIDOS has been building its ownmanagement style inspired by the EFQM model. In fact, we have a process map with three mainactivities, and the formation of the doctorates is one of them. Therefore, this formation program is partof this key process. Thus, the purpose of this plan is double, as it is operative and diagnostic. This is,the EIDOS program for doctoral students has been designed to ensure a high-quality formation for thestudents, and at the same time it is a tool to evaluate the fulfilling rate. The design is based on a fouryearperiod, and consists of several specific skills of our research topics that are linked to the thirdcycleDublin descriptors. Additionally, this work also describes the implementation of this program onseveral doctoral students during 4 years. The assessment has been carried out in terms of theachievement of autonomy, and the efficiency of the plan has been assessed both by senior evaluationand auto-evaluation by using a global indicator. The work herein presented also describes the adoptedimprovement actions to get better results, in accordance with the EFQM spirit of excellence andinnovation.