Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör: 'Quality Assurance is Essential for Raising Qualified Individuals'

Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör, in her weekly articles penned for 12 Punto, this week addressed the topic of quality standards in the nature of scientific knowledge and raising qualified individuals. Here is Güngör's article titled 'Quality Assurance is Essential for Raising Qualified Individuals':

“Achieving world standards in education is highly important for the international validity of the education provided. For this reason, quality has become one of the important agenda items for universities both worldwide and in Turkey in recent years. Universities, as institutions that provide education and training services and produce scientific knowledge, contribute to national and societal development and guide the course of the world. Therefore, ensuring a quality standard in the education and training services provided by these institutions and in the quality of the scientific knowledge produced is of great importance.  However, for this, issues such as what quality is, how it will be determined, how it will be measured, what standards it requires, etc., have become one of the important agenda items for universities in recent years, with the guidance of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). To ensure that these efforts are carried out systematically and continuously, the Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK) was established. It can be said that YÖKAK, in cooperation with YÖK, has launched a full-fledged quality mobilization to ensure quality standards in all universities in Turkey and to accelerate accreditation efforts in this regard. Indeed, I believe that the Quality Conference organized by YÖKAK in Ankara on April 25-26 will accelerate efforts in this direction. I would like to draw attention here to some interesting points from the discussions on quality and accreditation at the conference, which continued for two days with presentations by international and national experts on quality, and with the participation of rectors and quality managers from Turkish universities.  Based on the evaluations made and questions asked at the meeting, I once again realized that the topic of quality and accreditation is not yet fully understood in our universities. For example,  I was surprised that the distinction between current students and alumni, especially concerning stakeholder focus, is still confused. Similarly, what can be said against the view that top management units in universities, i.e., rectorates, should be seen as external stakeholders of the institution? From such questions coming from the audience in the hall, each of whom are academicians in managerial positions in our universities,  I understood that we are still at the very beginning of this journey.  

But being at the beginning of the process certainly does not necessitate despair. In this sense, the significance and necessity of the meeting held by YÖKAK become clear. Despite some confusions, we are not in a very bad situation. Coming together, discussing our confusions or clarities, debating, and sharing are crucial for the process to proceed on a healthy ground.  

Quality means an institution planning its positioning within the system, its relationship, and interaction with other structures in the system. Quality-oriented planning is of serious importance for institutional outputs to turn into contributions and maximum benefit.  

On one hand, universities train workforce for various sectors and professional fields in society, thus contributing to production and economic development. On the other hand, through scientific knowledge production, they contribute to technological development and the establishment of a more comfortable and livable world. But one of the important duties of universities is to contribute to value creation for society and humanity by ensuring the upbringing of visionary, intellectual, and humanely developed good people. For all these duties to be fulfilled properly, a quality-oriented approach is necessary.  

One of the points emphasized in this context at the aforementioned meeting was the measurability of quality in both quantitative and qualitative terms. For this, experts attempted to answer questions such as what quality would encompass, what criteria it would require, how the criteria would be determined, and how the measurement would be performed.  

In this context, attention was drawn to the importance of evaluating and continuously monitoring the quality, scope, objectives, and outputs of education and training services provided in universities within the framework of certain criteria. At this point, it is important for each program within universities to conduct its self-assessment within the framework of these criteria. For this, external evaluations are important. At this point, a suggestion was made to seek support from accreditation bodies operating at national and international levels.  

External peer review always holds great importance. When confined internally, being able to see outside, respond realistically to needs and expectations, and fully understand external developments may not always be easy. Today's world is developing and changing very rapidly. The integration of technological advancements into life and their transformative effect are very fast. To adapt to change and transformation, and to respond instantly and realistically to changing and renewed needs, it is no longer possible, nor realistic, to remain confined within campuses. Quality and accreditation studies are of great importance in this respect, meaning in terms of seeing beyond the campus.  

Nothing is as it used to be anymore. The era of producing theories in our ivory towers is long gone. Today's world requires continuous and intense interaction, and rapid thinking. It is also very important for academics to continuously and closely observe, monitor, and accordingly update their scientific productions and education and training approaches. From this perspective, it is necessary to resort to an external perspective and evaluation at certain intervals. To understand to what extent the knowledge we produce in our universities corresponds to real life, and to what extent the human resources we train align with the needs of society and the world, it is important to occasionally consult the opinions of external evaluators for our efforts to turn into value.  

It is also of great importance for universities to be open to each other in quality processes. Both domestic and international collaborations and partnerships are necessary for quality studies to progress on a much more realistic ground and for quality standards to be ensured. Interaction in education and training, cooperation in scientific knowledge production, and sharing of production outputs greatly benefit universities in gaining vision and strengthening their missions.  

Therefore, in quality studies, it is important for academic units and programs operating in the same field and producing similar services to be in cooperation and interact, in terms of raising the quality of achievements and outputs. On the other hand, submitting the operation, service, and production to the evaluation of external evaluators from time to time is very useful for ensuring the quality standard of the production made and the service provided.”  

12PUNTO