Accreditation Processes in Turkish Higher Education

There has been considerable interest in national quality assurance process in Turkey following the pilot accreditation project of the Engineering College of the Middle East Technical University (METU) by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), in 2000. ABET accreditation of the Engineering Colleges of Bosphorus and Bilkent Universities followed that of METU. These universities use their accreditation by ABET to attract the best students in the country. Newly founded private universities, in particular, are trying to use the accreditation of their programmes by international accreditation agencies for marketing purposes. The Higher Educational Council [Yuksek Ögretim Kurumu (YÖK)], which governs all the universities in Turkey, is currently promoting accreditation studies to improve the quality of higher education in the universities. This is a report on accreditation processes in higher education in Turkey.     

PROLEGOMENA TO ACCREDITATION IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Beginning with an overview of various international initiatives which have been taken in recent years with regard to exchanges of information and experiences on quality assessment in higher education, this article reflects on the adoption of quality assessment techniques and accreditation in the higher education systems of eastern and central Europe. The principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), self‐evaluation, the structures of formal accreditation, and methodological issues of quality assurance are discussed, examples being drawn from several countries. The point is made that the countries of central and eastern Europe must individualize the evaluation and accreditation systems which they choose to adopt in ways which are compatible with specific cultural and national factors while at the same time upholding international norms of quality.     

ACCREDITATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN RUSSIA

Although the formal evaluation of higher education by state authorities has a long history in Russia, the creation of a system of accreditation began in 1990 in order to meet the challenge of the setting up of private institutions of higher education. There are two kinds of accreditation: state accreditation and public accreditation. This article stresses the former because of the two types it is the most developed. Its objectivity is assured through the use of computerized procedures and visualization. Moreover, the use of computerization permits the simultaneous evaluation of higher education institutions and in general responds rapidly to changing conditions in the Russian Federation.     

OPERATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS IN QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

The Accreditation Commission of Slovakia was created in 1990, six months after passage of the Higher Education Law. The accreditation procedure stresses decentralization and participation at all levels; however, it leads to major decisions concerning the disapproval or approval of given faculties and appointments to professorships. Institutions as a whole are still not subjected to accreditation procedures. The Accreditation Commission has gained wide acceptance. Its judgments can be expected to influence the financing of given faculties and programmes in the future.     

ACCREDITATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN UKRAINE

The article describes the system of evaluation and accreditation of higher education which is being developed in Ukraine. Although the activities of quality control and accreditation are centralized around the activities of the Inter‐branch Accreditation Commission (IAC), the intention is to decentralize them as soon as possible. The results so far have been positive. The Ukrainian government wishes to create a higher education system fully compatible with the higher education systems of other European countries and therefore wishes to develop its evaluation and accreditation system in co‐operation with similar activities in other countries.     

Analysis of doctoral production in educational technology: 1960—1970

This article reports on doctoral programs in educational technology during the period 1960-70. Included are figures on degrees granted by the 26 universities that offered such programs in 1970, by sex of recipient and degree awarded (EdD or PhD). The author looks at faculty:doctorate and facultyistudent ratios and concludes with a plea for standards, guidelines, and accreditation of programs.     

德国应用科学大学校企合作的形式、特点与发展趋向

德国应用科学大学与企业合作的主要形式包括:由企业向学生提供实习岗位和毕业设计岗位;委托大学进行科研或与大学开展联合研究;担任大学双元制专业合作伙伴;参与大学的师资建设;资助大学设立实验室/研究机构;参与高校的管理与决策。德国大学与企业的合作涉及到教学、科研和管理等不同方面以及学生、教师、学校和政府等不同参与主体,表现出全方位和立体式的特点。目前,德国的校企合作正在由短期的、零散式的合作转向建立长期的战略伙伴关系。     

Accreditation in Turkish universities

In Turkey, students are more and more willing to participate in the global free movement of students and of high-skilled labour after their graduation. This is why they request international accreditation from universities. Therefore, accreditation is one of the parameters that play an important role in students' university selection. On the other hand, Turkey is aiming to be a European Union member. This imposes institutional legal and civil arrangements and harmonization. Also, the general trend of globalization dictates requirements from university graduates that are answered in best business practice in which accreditation is a major component. In this paper, accreditation efforts to achieve international recognition for Turkish universities are discussed. For this purpose information on higher education is given. Attempts for accreditation on licensure through FEANI is explained. Accreditation on department programmes by ABET (USA) and by an engineering institution (UK) are discussed and their similarities are pinpointed. Also, a Turkish, British and World Bank quality assessment pilot project for education and research is discussed.     

Recent Developments in the Funding of University Research

The UGC norm-based allocation of 1986, the current proposals for the rationalisation of departments, and the proposals of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils (ABRC) for R, X and T class universities are assessed against the actual operations of productive science departments and their patterns of expenditure on research as revealed born a recent sample survey. It is concluded that the UGC's norm-based allocation did not in any systematic way secure increases related to current research activity except for those cases where this came from the student number-based teaching element. Only the creation of larger departments seems likely to increase research output, and often that will best be achieved by increases in student numbers and their associated funding. Institutions similar to T class universities can be achieved by encouraging the recruitment of students at the expense of the public sector, but the distribution between R and X class universities is unsustainable.     

THE EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL ACCREDITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF THE NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATION, 1895–1934

This paper traces the factors which led to one regional association, the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, adopting an accreditation role by default rather than by design. The failure of National Bodies to adopt this role is also high‐lighted, although their influence on regional bodies is clearly indicated. The change from a resources‐based to a process‐based accreditation system has been part of the long evolutionary process, but the difficulties inherent in this approach still confront the American system of Higher Education     

建立我国高等教育评估中介机构的探讨

建立高等教育评估中介机构 ,对于确保高等学校办学自主权的实现 ,形成自我约束的高等教育质量保障体系具有重要作用。我国可借鉴美、英、法等国高等教育评估体制的长处 ,建立由政府代表和高校人员共同组成的高等教育评估理事会 ,把专业评审和院校评估、高校自我质量控制与校外评估结合起来。     

匈牙利高等教育院校认证的特点与启示

匈牙利从1993年成立认证委员会之后,开始实施8年一轮的院校认证.匈牙利高等教育院校认证具有彰显院校在认证过程中的主体作用、国际化以及法制保障下的独立性、公正性和权威性等特点.针对我国在高校本科教学评估工作中存在的诸如"评估机构和形式单一、评估机制不健全、评估标准欠科学"等问题,借鉴匈牙利在高等教育院校认证发展过程中的经验,充分尊重和保障大学在评估中的主体地位,赋予自我评估更多的权重,为教学评估提供法制保障,构建多元化、独立性的评估机构,建立结构合理的评估专家队伍和具有一定弹性的评估标准等对完善我国高校教学评估制度具有一定的参考价值.     

A Diversity Of Doctorates: Fitness for the knowledge economy?

There is now an increasing diversity of doctoral education in the Australian higher education landscape. As well as the traditional PhD by thesis, there are professional doctorates, doctorates by publication and PhDs by project. The latter are a particularly significant development since for the most part they are entirely work-based with minimal formal disciplinary input. This paper seeks to relate this diversity of doctoral degrees to the growth of the knowledge economy and the imperatives it is said to impose on universities and the education of doctoral students. Changes in knowledge production and what constitutes legitimate knowledge are related to doctoral education. Can research training any longer remain an education in disciplinary knowledge and skills? Does it also need to include the skill development required by the knowledge economy? In this context, the growth of doctorates by project becomes particularly significant since these programs, it is argued, are most appropriate for fitting doctoral studies to the needs of the knowledge economy. However, their growth also poses serious problems of accreditation and assessment, in the process raising fundamental issues concerning the academic mission and purpose of universities.     

Accreditation system for technical education programmes in India: A critical review

This paper gives an overview of the Indian technical education system with regard to both its quantitative and qualitative scenario and upholds the value of accreditation in quality improvement and quality assurance of educational programmes. The paper presents a comparison of accreditation systems being followed in some important countries, including India, that are signatories or provisional members of Washington Accord. It also looks into the reasons of the sparse level of accreditation work completed by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) since its inception. While mentioning strengths of the NBA accreditation system, the paper points out some shortcomings in the policy, self-assessment questionnaire, criteria, weightage assigned to criteria and rating scheme followed by NBA. Some important recommendations have also been made to render the accreditation system more effective and acceptable to various stakeholders of the technical education sector in India.     

Quality assurance and accreditation of engineering education in Jordan

This paper provides a study of the quality assurance and accreditation in the Jordanian higher education sector and focuses mainly on engineering education. It presents engineering education, accreditation and quality assurance in Jordan and considers the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for a case study. The study highlights the efforts undertaken by the faculty of engineering at JUST concerning quality assurance and accreditation. Three engineering departments were accorded substantial equivalency status by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology in 2009. Various measures of quality improvement, including curricula development, laboratories improvement, computer facilities, e-learning, and other supporting services are also discussed. Further assessment of the current situation is made through two surveys, targeting engineering instructors and students. Finally, the paper draws conclusions and proposes recommendations to enhance the quality of engineering education at JUST and other Jordanian educational institutions.     

Professional field in the accreditation process: examining information technology programmes at Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences

In this paper, we analyse 53 Dutch accreditation reports in the field of information technology to assess the mechanisms of the reported involvement of the professional field in the undergraduate programmes of universities of applied sciences. The results of qualitative content analysis reveal a coupling effect in reporting on mechanisms of interaction. Although the involvement of the professional field is tightly coupled with the undergraduate programmes at universities of applied sciences at the strategic level, there is an under-representation of university-industry interaction on an operational level, which suggests the need to explore the actual interaction taking place between the professional field and the programmes. Simultaneously, our results indicate that accreditation reports are not able to provide a holistic picture of professional field engagement in the curriculum of undergraduate programmes at the operational level, which questions their role in acknowledging the role of industry in shaping and achieving intended learning outcomes. Perhaps policymakers should consider introducing other tools or standards for addressing the outcome of the engagement and the responsiveness of the programmes at universities of applied sciences to the professional field.     

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION IN EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS: PROCEDURES AND OPERATIONAL ASPECTS: WORKING DOCUMENT

This article forms the Working Document for the Conference bearing the same title. It reflects the fact that this Conference is the second in what is planned to be a series on quality assessment and accreditation in higher education. Thus it calls for an appraisal of the transition from policy statements to operational developments. The participants in the Conference are invited to describe developments in their countries in terms of the adoption of legal provisions; the establishment of bodies in charge of quality assessment and institutional accreditation; the identification of criteria, performance indicators, and assessment standards; the development of procedures for self‐study and peer‐review; and the identification of the policy and administrative consequences for higher education of the processes of quality assessment and accreditation.     

The Implementation of Bachelor and Master Programmes in Hungary

Hungary's higher education system is being transformed fundamentally for a second time after the regime change in 1989–90. The first Higher Education Act was passed in 1993. An entirely new law issued in December 2005 involved fundamental changes in the entire higher education system. The most sweeping change was the introduction of the two‐cycle programme structure which, with a few exceptions, began in September 2006. National qualification requirements were replaced by education and outcome requirements, focusing on set competences defined for each study programme. This article provides a background, with facts and figures, of the Hungarian higher education system and an overview of the process and problems encountered that led up to the implementation of the Bachelor/Master structure. The reception of the system, based on interviews with various actors affected by higher education, reveals mixed responses, with respondents stressing the opportunity and their hope for a fundamental reform. The article also elaborates the goals and consequences of the ‘Bologna structure’. The traditional binary institutional structure of colleges and universities remains in place, but with both permitted to launch Bachelor and Master programmes. How colleges will be able to compete with more theoretically oriented universities in preparing for Master studies and, vice versa, how universities will be able to offer education at the Bachelor level that will be competitive in the job market remain to be seen. The final sections of the article deal with other aspects of the Bologna Process, such as ECTS, and the Diploma Supplement. One of the main concerns is that the quality of higher education, which was perceived to be at a high level in Hungary, even in the 15 years since mass education overtook what was previously an elite sector, should not deteriorate. The reciprocal effects of the new degrees and the job market are challenges Hungarian higher education will face a few years down the road.