The Future of Education

Regarding the international dimension of higher 
education, quality assurance is a key component for higher education systems around the world, and the purpose and functions of quality assurance must be investigated locally as well as globally. Accreditation, as a tool for quality assurance of the internationalization in higher education, is a mark of distinction for academic programs. Universities with all their stakeholders inside and outside the institutions directly benefit from the involvement in a comprehensive assessment of how effectively the program or institution meets its stated mission. This study aims to investigate the impressions of academics on the accreditation process of the programs in the context of internationalization utilizing a qualitative research design. The study group consists of 20 instructors working at a state university in Turkey. The data gathered from the remarks of the instructors were analyzed through qualitative content analysis method. The results of the study revealed six themes: Perceived accreditation, perceived functions of accreditation, change contingent on accreditation, perceived organizational performance, perceived organizational improvement, and quality assurance. With respect to the codes found out under the themes, perceived accreditation were made up of compliance in standards, international recognition, determination of qualifying criteria, mechanism for quality assurance, improvement in the conditions, and overcoming the deficiencies; perceived functions of accreditation involved standardization, internationalization, improvement, increase in performance, a tool for quality assurance, sustainability, modernization, external inspection, and reliability; change contingent on accreditation comprised of regular reporting, accountability, international validity, improvement in technology, systematization, and effective use of resources; perceived organizational performance consisted of professional development, organizational division of labor, administrative arrangements, and unchanged performance; perceived organizational improvement involved improvement in technology, physical conditions, and programs; quality assurance involved accreditation, standards for organizational needs, and in-service training.

Keywords: accreditation, quality assurance, internationalization, higher education.

References: (partial references shown)
[1] Kehm, B. M., & Teichler, U. (2007). Research on Internationalisation in Higher Education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3/4), 260-273.
[2] ESG, Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area, (2015). http://www.ehea.info/Uploads/SubmitedFiles/5_2015/ 151153.pdf
[3] Kinser, K. (2014). Questioning Quality Assurance. New Directions For Higher Education, 168, 55-67. doi: 10.1002/he.20113.
[4] Shin, J. C. (2018). Quality assurance systems as a higher education policy tool in Korea: International convergence and local contexts. International Journal of Educational Development, 63, 52-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.10.005
[5] Brennan, J., & Shah, T. (2000). Managing Quality in Higher Education: An International Perspective on Institutional Assessment and Change. UK: OCED, SRHE and Open University Press.