- Quality Assurance System

QUALITY PROGRAM - QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM

Quality Management System

Our Quality Policy

Quality policies of our faculty are in line with the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan of our University (See: https://kalite.uskudar.edu.tr/en). Quality Policies of our Faculty are established according to principles below.

To contribute to our country’s education goals by providing education which is compatible with goals and vision determined by Türkiye’s State Planning Organization (SPO) and Council of Higher Education (CoHE) in Türkiye’s sociocultural development and which is compatible with the Bologna process.

To contribute to science in the fields of ethical values, motivation and moral guidance, the absence of which is felt in global, economic and social crises and which has an importance increasing gradually and has a great potential in near future.

To support our country’s economic and prestige abroad by making our country a center of attraction for foreign students by providing education and training in different languages in future.

To create a center of attraction for qualified faculty members in the international arena.

To carry out scientific research in order to present our country’s socio-cultural and historical richness for humanity’s service.

To develop tools to present new inventions and patents produced in the university for the society’s service and to develop new organizations.        

To apply latest and advanced methods and techniques in education and training, to subject faculty members to in-service training in order to learn and apply technological changes.

To popularize education, research, research and application with interdisciplinary approach.

To apply student and staff exchange programs within the framework of EU (Erasmus) student Exchange programs.

To encourage projects which contribute regional and national development.

To create and carry out joint projects with research groups and institutions within national and international universities.

To enable our students to be in the same environments with especially professionals in their field; successful business people and scientists especially through seminars, conferences and workshops.

To support student clubs, events and organizations by encouraging them.

To prefer and apply a management style which does not compromise with universal, academic and ethical values which have an approach being open to change and have an infrastructure in line with demands based on feedback and that are participatory, innovation, individual focused, within a mutual interaction with its shareholders.

To enable accreditation of service quality that the university provides in terms of education and training qualification and to be a pioneer in quality management.

Our Values

Fundamental values adopted in line with our quality policies are as follows:

Respect for all humanitarian values,

Depending on universal law, national law, universal and scientific values,

Being open to change and innovation,

Being sensitive to environment,

Focusing on raising students according to high standards,

Approaching regional development with a pioneer, setting-example, universal perspective that provides added value and participation,

There is no place for discrimination based on religion, language, nationality, sex, color, view or any other status,

Adopting democratic values which are criticizability, liberalism, pluralism and participation,

Protecting fundamental values of the society, keeping the social benefit in the forefront and being sensitive to social problems,

Having principles that scientificness and criticizability are in the forefront; ethical values are prominent and have equality, credibility and rational,

Carrying a method to reach perfection that searches, collects, transfers, protects, researches, produces, shares and disseminate information,

Keeping transparency and accountability in its activities and events in the forefront,

Placing emphasis highly on international relations and putting effort to be the science address in Türkiye for Turkish citizens living in abroad,

Supporting the EU participation process of Türkiye to reach the level of contemporary civilizations without losing fundamental values,

It is a university that provides work satisfaction for scientific and administrative staff and constantly develops.

Our Fundamental Quality Strategy

Criteria of our faculty are based on criteria by the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education in Turkey (NQF-HETR) (http://tyyc.yok.gov.tr/) which determines higher education quality standards. Our quality policy is to raise students who work to understand human and society and who can deduce for the future by thinking about the reasons and consequences of change and transformation. Principles of our quality strategy is to raise our students who are tolerant and place importance to analytical, objective and critical thinking; who are respectful to national and international values; who have positive thinking and problem-solving skills, and who are competent and have academic competence according to needs of the era.

2. Quality Management System Elements

Faculty Management, Boards and Committees

Quality Management processes in our faculty are carried out periodically with a continuous improvement approach.  Carrying out works to be determined and realized objectives and goals in line with principles determined by the Quality Directorate established within our university, Faculty Quality Commission is the center of the Quality Management System. Faculty Quality Commission carries out works by gathering periodically with “continuous improvement” strategy. Each department of our faculty is represented in the Quality Commission. Moreover, Faculty Administration, Faculty Board, Heads of Departments, Erasmus and Bologna Coordinatorships are other executive elements of the quality management process.

Shareholders

Definition of Internal Shareholder: Our faculty’s primary internal shareholders are students and academic personnel serving in the unit. Assessment- evaluation and meetings are held with the aim to enable active participation of the internal shareholders during the education and training process.

Participation of the shareholders in the decision-making process is supported in the faculty.  Feedback by the shareholders are assessed by various mechanisms such as joint works, meetings, satisfaction, improvement and feedback surveys and face-to-face meetings, and these feedbacks are within the circle of continuous improvement.

Faculty members and our students are among elements of the quality management process. Faculty members participate in determination and application processes of quality policies and strategies through Academic Council, Commission and Department meetings held in our faculty. Our students are included in determination and application processes of quality policies and strategies through Students Consultancy, Student Representatives, periodical surveys and face-to-face meetings.

Definition of External Shareholder: External shareholders of our faculty are our graduates, employers, civil social organizations, trade associations, governmental-private institutions and organizations and other university representatives, etc. Participation of departments decision-making and improvement process is enabled through face-to-face meetings, support to education process, meetings, surveys and media.

Informing external shareholders on decisions and applications within the unit is carried out via faculty-department web site and media.

3. Quality Assurance System

Primary quality assurance element of our faculty is to popularize Quality Culture.   PACP circle (Plan, Apply, Check, Prevent) consists of the second element of our Quality Assurance System from the planning of quality process to improvement stage. Works on internalization of our quality policies, strategies and applications by internal shareholders consist of other elements of our quality assurance system. Another primary element of our Quality Assurance System is to evaluate feedback of the Internal and External shareholders by participating in all processes.

Quality Culture

The Faculty Quality Commission plans seminar programs for students and faculty members with the aim to popularize quality culture.  Exchange of ideas has begun to be carried out in order to ensure that external shareholders are able to participate in the process and to present their contribution. Our university has been carrying out activities related to quality culture by organizing Vision Meetings every year which has begun on June 18, 2019. First Vision Meeting was held in Hilton Otel on November 18, 2019, Second Digital Focused Vision Meeting was held online on June 19, 2020 and Third R&D and Innovative Policies Focused Vision Meeting was held online in September 2020.

PACP circle

Faculty Quality Assurance Process is carried out within the framework of PACP (Plan, Apply, Check, Prevent) circle. The applicability of education objectives planned in line with purpose-objectives are monitored and measurements are taken by carrying out improvements in the areas if deemed necessary.

Internalization

One of our quality policy assurance elements is the internalization of our quality policy and strategies by our internal shareholders. Our internalized outcomes of quality policies are stages of creating our students' learning outcomes with academic studies by our academic personnel, course performances, performances out of school time, homework, reading, projects, thesis, etc.

Sustainability of our internalized activities is provided with suggestions occurring in the regular meetings held between students and academic personnel in our faculty via discussing in Department Committee meetings (and by realizing them).

Another important element of internalization activity is that instructors create education programs. In our faculty, it is decided to hold Quality Commission meetings with this purpose and suitable meetings have started to be held. (Education Meetings for Instructors, Faculty Academic Board Meetings, Department Board Meetings, etc.)

Shareholder Sharing

With the aim for participation and contribution of internal shareholders to the quality assurance system, Department Meetings, Academic Committee meetings and Orientation Meetings are held at the beginning of every academic year. Students are within all sorts of education activities sharing by being in contact constantly with both heads of departments and advisor faculty members. Moreover, departments carry out necessary arrangements by determining feedback and suggestions on education activities of students through assessment and evaluation methods once a every period.

Solution Center provides that students can contribute to the quality assurance system with their requests and opinions. Opinions of students are submitted to related authorities within faculties and departments by this center and it is responded to.

Sharing meetings with representatives of non-governmental organizations, associations and sectors, education and interaction programs are planned with the aim to ask their opinions on education activities and sectors in order for our external shareholders to contribute to this system.

Monitoring and Improvement Process

Our faculty monitors the compatibility of mission, vision, strategic objectives and performance indicators with our quality assurance system through annual reports prepared according to internal assessment process and strategic plans, and our faculty plans improvements in the necessary areas.