QUALITY ASSURANCE AND THE BOLOGNA
PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Presented by Prof. Dr. Canan HÜRDAĞ
İstanbul Bilim University, School of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology
Presentation Overview
1. Aim
2. Introduction
3. The Importance of Bologna Process
4. Quality Assurance
5. Quality Assurance and Bologna Process in Turkish Higher Education
AIM
The aim of this study is to describe and discuss the quality assurance of the
Bologna Process policies in Higher Education and its application in the Turkish Higher Educational System.
Introduction
Higher education is expected to meet a wide range of
needs for evolving societies.
And the purpose should be to:
◦
Educate large numbers of the population,
◦
Creating new opportunities for students,
◦
Help develop research and innovation,
◦
Respond to local and regional needs and act to improve quality
and efficiency in all aspects of higher education.
Bologna Process Background
Is a framework, with the intention of the European countries to develop a “European Higher Education Area” and “ European Research Area” This idea shaped the Bologna Process, leading to the strengthening of
the European Higher Education System,
A European Higher Education System with an easily recognisable and compatible degrees system.
A system of transferable credits that can be accumulated towards a degree.
Improvement of the quality levels, development of quality assurance systems became the most important item of the process.
Bologna Process Background
The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries designed to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher education qualifications.
Through the Bologna Accords, the process has created the European Higher Education Area,
In particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention. It is named after the place it was proposed, the University of Bologna, with the signing of the Bologna Declaration by Education Ministers from 29 European countries in 1999, forming a part of European Integration.
The Importance of Bologna Process
◦ Is the Adoption
of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees
◦ A system essentially based on two main cycles
◦ Undergraduate
◦ Graduate
◦ Establishment of a system of credits accepted by all members (ECTS).
◦ Support the mobility of students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff within the system.
◦ The Promotion of the European dimension in higher education.
◦ Lifelong learning for Higher education institutions and students
◦ Promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area
◦ Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance.
Quality Assurance in Teaching and
Learning
In fact there is no shared definition or standard of the term «Quality» in many European Higher Education Institutions.
Quality assurance and standardisation have emerged as a result of concerns about the quality of the newly established higher education institutions and have gained popularity, especially following the Sorbonne and Bologna
declarations.
The key role of the Bologna Process is to ensure that quality and standards are adhered to by all members and institutions within the system.
Quality Assurance
◦ The quality of teaching and learning in colleges and universities has become an issue of growing concern and scrutiny in many countries around the World.
◦ Internal quality management is complemented by external quality assurance mechanisms.
◦ Even with quality measures that focuses on teaching and learning may encounter conflicts that may not be completely resolvable.
This lead to the forming of the (Tuning Project) in Dublin;
Whose aim is to align curricular structures, programs, and teaching across the various national systems
Also to integrate quality standards into the structures and content of program curricula such that they can be evaluated in many ways.
Quality Assurance
Three main areas of quality assurance improvement in higher education is in:
1. Improvement in the curriculum
2. Better Students, Academic and Administrative Staff
◦ Leading to More efficient and improved Academic administraters.
3. Regular surveys, Complete and thorough analysis of feedback, These improvements should be constantly monitored and revised for success.
Quality Assurance and the Bologna Process
in the Turkish Education System
Turkey
joined the Higher European Education Area in 2001.From this, in September 2005, The Turkish Higher Education Council (YOK) regulation, accepted, that all higher education institutions in Turkey were required to establish an Academic Evaluation and Quality Improvement Committee.
These committees would monitor their educational, training and research activities along with their administrative services to improve quality.
This in turn would set the foundation to get approval and recognition of their quality levels from independent ‘external examiners.’(i,e UTEAK….)
+
Quality Assurance
The quality assurance (QA) system was thus established in
Turkey.
Institutional evaluation became mandatory;
◦
includes annual internal assessments
◦
post-assessment studies carried out by universities
◦
and external evaluation carried out every 5 years.
The system has also been designed to involve accreditation
and evaluation elements.
YODEK? What is its Aim and Goal ?
Following the adoption of the regulation, an independent “Commission for Academic Assessment and Quality Improvement in Higher Education (YODEK)” was formed in 2005.
The commission is responsible for maintaining and organizing the activities related to academic assessment and quality improvements.
The related regulation aims to establish independent national external QA agencies.
The independent body YODEK is responsible for implementing the regulation and also is the authority that grants licenses to national external QA agencies.
YODEK Structure
YODEK is made up of:
◦ 9 members elected by the Inter-university Council (IUC)
◦ IUC is composed of rectors and the university representatives elected by the senators of the universities and,
◦ One student member appointed by the national student union
PROBLEMS FACED IN THE SYSTEM
Lack of Academic staff,Resistance of Academic staff to implement the bologna process
Incompatability in the credit system (ECTS)
Lack of inter-govermental communication .
Lack dedication by the governmental agencies to the Bologna Process.
Conclusion
Turkey is still at the early stages of the implementation of the
Bologna process
Adopting to be a part of the European Higher Education Area is
vital and structural changes are still required in the curricula.
These changes will eventually lead to the introduction of
innovative teaching and learning processes in the Turkish Higher
Education System
.
REFERENCES
1. http://bologna.yok.gov.tr/
2. Crosier D.&Parveva T. 2013, Fundamentals of Educational Planning ‘The Bologna Process: Its impact in Europe and Beyond’ UNESCO,Paris.
3. Ince S.B.&Gounko 2014, Quality Assurance in Turkish Higher Education.
European Journal of Higher Education. Vol:4, no 2, pp.184-196.
4. Kehm B.M. 2010, Quality in European Higher Education ‘The Influence of the Bologna Process’, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning Vol:42, no:3, pp.40-46.
5. Zineldin M., Akdag H.C. & Vasicheva V. 2011, Assess in Quality in Higher Education: New Criteria for Evaluating Students’ Satisfaction, Quality in
Higher Education, Vol:17 no:2, pp.231-243.
6. Bircan I,Ulker H.I.,Sahin I:Bologna Process in Applications and Reflections in Turkey.,Vol:,1 no:7pp.659-666.
