Fig. 1

The Proposed Academic Quality Indicators (AQIs), Grouped by Zones. depicts the outcomes of the first round of the Delphi Panel, in a descending order of the AQIs normalized values (NV) of importance, as detailed in Table 1. Based on cluster analysis results, the plot is divided into three zones of importance: 1) Zone A: Definitive indicators: A group of the five most meaningful AQIs, which ought to be part of the methodology (Group A). 2) Zone B: Equivocal indicators: A second group with 11 AQIs that should be reconsidered in the second round, due to their inconclusive results in the first round (Group B). 3) Zone C: All the rest: A group consisting of the last 12 AQIs having the lowest NV scores (Group C). The horizontal axis (X) represents the AQIs ID and the vertical axis (Y) represents the AQIs normalized values (NV) of importance, in a scale from zero to one (0–1), as they are listed in Table 1