Özet:

Requesting feedback from students on learning processes is seen as one of the important quality indicators in today’s higher education. The internationalization of higher education has increased the importance of quality assurance and quality practices in various forms. In this study, the current trends arising along with globalization and internationalization in higher education institutions have been studied. The elements behind the emphasis on student assessments, which are an important component of the accreditation and accreditation process that is spreading day by day as a quality guarantee mechanism, have been addressed. The location and importance of customer focus, quality, accreditation, student experiences and student assessments are presented through a comprehensive literary scan. The situation has been specifically addressed in the context of Turkey. The examination of the standards focused on student assessments of some programs that have received national and/or international accreditation in accordance with the regulations of the Higher Education Council (Higher Education Council) shows that students’ assessments in many universities are applied according to the standards provided by accreditation bodies and are already an important quality assurance element. Therefore, eliminating potential irregularities in the different dimensions of student assessments in Turkish universities is of great importance for ensuring the quality of teaching in the university in general and increasing the capacity of higher education to transform the student through education.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Özet:

Asking for students’ feedback concerning different constituents of learning is regarded as an important indicator of quality in today’s higher education. As higher education has become more internationalized, quality assurance and its implementation in different forms have gained significance. This study explores current trends in higher education which developed as a consequence of globalization and internationalization. Accordingly, the study analyzes the driving factors behind the current state of accreditation as a widely utilized quality mechanism leading to an emphasis on student evaluations. Relevant literature was reviewed to offer a comprehensive analysis of the role and importance of customer-orientation, quality, accreditation, students’ learning experiences and student evaluations in higher education. The situation was specifically elaborated on for the Turkish context. Also, examination of standards of a number of programs with national and/or international accreditation in accordance with the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) regulations concentrating on student evaluations demonstrates that student evaluations are implemented as part of the quality criteria specified by accrediting agencies, and thus, they are already a constituent of quality assurance mechanisms for many universities. Therefore, it is of prime importance for Turkish universities to eliminate any potential irregularities with regard to different aspects of student evaluations to enhance the transformative power of higher education as well as assuring quality for higher education as a whole.