Quality Assurance in Turkish Higher Education in the Framework of Policy Process Model

Abstract

Today, higher education is regarded as a field of public policy with its economic and social dimensions rather than being solely an education issue. In higher education sector, the role of non-state actors is increasingly expanding within the new policy contexts transcending national boundaries. Many actors at various levels, from international organizations to students as individuals are involved in the policy process. Therefore, the field of higher education policy represents a complex process where policy-making stages are intertwined with various actors and blurred boundaries. Quality assurance is one of the policy areas that best represent this complexity with many stakeholders on the international, national and institutional level. Globalization and international competition bring the quality problem to the forefront of many higher education systems. In the Turkish higher education system, as in other countries, quality assurance has become an important agenda item in recent years. The new higher education system approach of the Council of Higher Education has been defined as mission differentiation and diversity, flexibility and institutional autonomy which require a significant transformation in the current system. Thus, a new road map has been adopted by the formulation of new policies, legal frameworks and institutional structures. In this study, quality assurance policies in Turkish higher education are explored in accordance with the conceptual framework of the policy process/cycle model. Accordingly, the quality issue is handled in line with the basic stages of policy cycle which are agenda setting, policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.