THEQC Students Commission carries out the Quality Ambassador Training Program (QAP’21) for Higher Education Students

The interactive online “Quality Ambassador Training Program (QAP’21)” organised by the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC) Students Commission to ensure that students, one of the crucial stakeholders in higher education, participate in the quality assurance system in higher education, spread the quality culture, and gain competence in the field of quality assurance, was carried out. The program attracted great attention, and 155 associate, undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degree students in total attended it from 72 different higher education institutions.

The Quality Ambassador Training (QAT) given three times respectively on 5-6 February 2021, 11-12 February 2021, and 19-20 February 2021, under the coordination of Asst. Prof. Gonca Uludag, the Students Commission’s Academic Coordinator, was moderated by THEQC Students Commission members in virtual classrooms. Each training in the scope of QAP was moderated in four virtual classrooms, lasted nine hours, and comprised of giving information about THEQC and THEQC Students Commission, the importance of student involvement in quality assurance processes in higher education, the basic concepts of THEQC’s evaluation processes, and interactive group works on the THEQC Rubric, ISER writing, and evaluation processes.

The program started with the opening speech by Prof. Muzaffer Elmas, THEQC President. Afterwards, Prof.  Sibel Aksu Yildirim, THEQC Vice-President, delivered her speech titled “Why does THEQC care about Student Involvement?” and Prof. Buket Akkoyunlu, THEQC Adviser, also delivered her speech titled “World Beyond Reality and the Quality.” European Students’ Union (ESU) expert students’ evaluator pool members Liv Teresa Muth and Patrick Niebergall participated in the session titled, “National and International Experience in Quality Assurance Processes in Higher Education: Students Talk About Their Experience,” moderated by Burak Tunahan Ekincikli, member of THEQC Students Commission, and talked about student involvement in quality assurance processes in higher education in Europe and Germany. Muhammed Iyisan, graduate student and the founding president of Sakarya University’s Young Quality Society, and Mehmet Enes Aktaş, founding member of the society, expressed the points to be considered in establishing students’ quality societies in higher education institutions. Diren Dogan, PhD student and THEQC evaluator, shared his knowledge and experience regarding THEQC’s institutional external evaluation processes with the participants. A total of 155 quality ambassadors, 6% of whom are enrolled in associate degree programs, 68% undergraduate, 17% graduate and 9% doctorate degree programs, successfully completed the training and received certificates of participation.

Mehmet Bora, the student member of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council and the Chair of THEQC Students Commission, stated that students are the most important stakeholders in quality assurance works in higher education, the Commission members aim to increase the awareness level of students on this issue, and as the number of quality ambassador students in higher education institutions increases, they believe that the quality culture will be internalized and disseminated. Bora expressed that the interest shown in the training is satisfactory, and primarily thanked the Council members and Asst. Prof. Gonca Uludag, the academic coordinator of the THEQC Students Commission, and Sena Catal, Aleyna Feraye Yılmaz, Burak Tunahan Ekincikli, Fatma Ayvat, Furkan Duru, Hatice Kübra Erdogan, Muhammed Iyisan, Simge Akyildiz, the current Commission members, and everyone who contributed to the process.

*Quality ambassadors might be included in the THEQC’s evaluator pool if they apply. As an eligibility criterion, the students to be included in the pool will be required to receive the Evaluator Training given by the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council beforehand. The students receiving the Evaluator Training may be evaluators only if they are active students and have not graduated yet.