THEQC Organizes Student Evaluator Training for English Preparatory Schools External Evaluation Program
THEQC Organizes Student Evaluator Training for English Preparatory Schools External Evaluation Program
On November 12, 2018, the THEQC organized student evaluator training for the students included in the evaluation teams of the English Preparatory Schools External Evaluation Program.
During the training, THEQC President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Elmas delivered a speech, in which he stressed the significance of student participation in evaluation processes to keep pace with the constantly changing global context, adding that active participation of students in the processes is of great importance to ensure impartial and independent results.
The student evaluators were informed on the details of the guideline and criteria formed within the program as well as their responsibilities before, during and after the site visits.
In the presentation she made throughout the training, THEQC Member Assoc. Prof. Dilek Avşaroğlu Erkan underscored that student participation in evaluation teams is crucial since students are the most important stakeholders in higher education system and provide different perspectives and added value to the external evaluation process as both agents and subjects of the system.
Along with the students, the leaders assigned for the evaluation teams also attended the training, which provided the students with an opportunity to share their ideas and pose questions regarding the site visits and following stages of the process
“English Preparatory Schools External Reviewer Training Program” was held at THEQC on October 10-11
As part of the English Preparatory Schools External Review Program coordinated by the THEQC and the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) in cooperation with British Council, one of the leading external stakeholders in English language education, English Preparatory Schools External Reviewer Training Program was organized at THEQC on October 10 and 11. The English Preparatory Schools of Bezm-i Alem University, Boğaziçi University, Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, Bilkent University, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Izmir Institute of Technology, Karabük University, Koç University, Middle East Technical University and Sabancı University attended the program as pilot universities.
The training was organized at the THEQC Conference Room with the attendance of THEQC President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer ELMAS, British Council representatives, and the trainers and 30 reviewer candidates who will join the review teams within the program.
Delivering the opening speech during the training, THEQC President Prof. Dr. Elmas put emphasis on the importance of the criteria formulated for the review process, adding that the 10 pilot English preparatory schools will be reviewed according to these criteria. Expressing that introducing a set of standards for foreign language education is among Turkey’s national priorities; Prof. Dr. Elmas remarked that the practices and procedures in this respect must be closely monitored. He ended his speech by expressing his thanks to CoHE, DEDAK, British Council, the prep school directors of six universities (Boğaziçi University, Bilkent University, İzmir Institute of Technology, Koç University, Middle East Technical University and Sabancı University), and the trainers and reviewer candidates taking part in the program for their contributions.
During the two-day training, reviewer candidates were informed about the guideline and criteria of the pilot program while further details of the program were shared. Also, the reviewer candidates were notified on the duties and responsibilities they will take on before, during and after the site visits.
As part of the program, reviewer teams will pay site visits to the pilot schools between November 26 and 30. Throughout the site visits, the reviewers will evaluate the teaching methods of the schools in consideration of reading, writing, listening and reading skills. The teams will finally submit a report on their evaluations to the THEQC.
After the site visits, the English Preparatory Schools Feedback Report will be penned and the final version of the report will be published on the websites of THEQC and relevant English Preparatory Schools.
Didem Mutçalıoğlu Presentation
Meeting on External Review Program for English Preparatory Schools held on Oct. 2
On October 2, 2018, a meeting was organized at the THEQC Conference Room to introduce and provide further information on the External Review Pilot Program for English Preparatory Schools coordinated by THEQC and the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) in cooperation with the British Council, the leading external stakeholder of CoHE and THEQC in English language education. THEQC President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Elmas, THEQC Vice President Prof. Dr. Sibel Aksu Yıldırım, THEQC Council Member Prof. Dr. Tuncay Döğeroğlu, British Council Turkey Director Cherry Gough, British Council Education Director Ayşen Güven and the foreign languages or English preparatory school directors of the 10 pilot universities attended the meeting. Making the opening speech of the meeting, Prof. Dr. Elmas stressed the significance of the external review program coordinated by the THEQC, adding that the pilot program addressing the English preparatory schools will greatly contribute to our country’s objectives and CoHE’s strategies. Prof. Dr. Elmas went on to underline that the higher education institutions are required to equip their graduates with language competence along with knowledge and skills regarding their field of study. He finally remarked that the primary purpose of this pilot program is to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of foreign language education in Turkey. Following the opening speech, Prof. Dr. Tuncay Döğeroğlu provided brief information about the works CoHE has so far conducted in this scope and explained the guideline of the pilot program. Prof. Dr. Döğeroğlu stated that with the External Review Program for English Preparatory Schools, they aim to improve the language proficiency of university graduates in line with international standards by increasing the quality of English language education. Expressing their appreciation for the incorporation of the British Council in the CoHE’s and THEQC’s efforts on English language education in Turkey, the British Council representatives attending the meeting underscored that this cooperation will foster a quality culture for English language education in Turkey. Subsequently, the directors of the universities’ foreign language schools attending the pilot program delivered speeches and engaged in discussions regarding the details of the external review program. Throughout the meeting, the directors introduced “The External Review Pilot Program for English Preparatory Schools Guideline”, which was penned by the foreign language school directors of six universities basing on the “THEQC Institutional Evaluation Guideline”. They expressed that the review teams formed by THEQC will evaluate the English preparatory schools’ compliance with the minimum standards and criteria set by the program. In the following phase of the program, the review teams will undergo “English Preparatory Schools Reviewer Training” at the THEQC office in Ankara on October 10 and 11. Below you can find the presentations made during the meeting.
CoHE, THEQC implements pilot project with British Council to improve the quality of teaching English in HEIs
With the aim of introducing a national quality assurance system in English preparatory education provided by higher education institutions, the THEQC set out to conduct a pilot project in collaboration with the British Council.
The efforts to introduce a list of standards in English language education were initiated in 2015 with a workshop organized by the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) and the British Council, which hosted 40 universities. In the light of the discussions in the workshop, a comprehensive report that presented recommendations for bettering the quality of teaching English was issued with a focus on the disparities between universities in terms of curriculum, learning outcomes and quality levels.
In 2017, a pilot programme named “Quality Development Programme (QDP)” in English education was implemented with 5 state universities with the purpose of enhancing institutional capacities to meet the national quality assurance requirements.
In February 2018, the THEQC, the CoHE and the British Council organized the Workshop on Quality Assurance for English in Higher Education to formulate an output-oriented national accreditation model in English preparatory education with the participation of foreign language department directors of 26 universities.
As a continuation of this process, English preparatory schools of 10 pilot universities were included in the External Review Program for English Preparatory Schools, a pilot project to maintain external review works in the framework of the national standards. The pilot universities are Bezm-i Alem, Boğaziçi, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent, İstanbul Medeniyet, Karabük, Koç, Sabancı and Middle East Technical Universities and İzmir Institute of Technology.
Further information and additional documents on the pilot program will be announced on our website in the forthcoming days.
