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Accountability Politics and Quality in Higher Education

New approaches for the 21st Century ESRUC Conference – Atatürk University – ERZURUM May.28-30, 2010

Hayati YILDIRIM, Research Fellow,

Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

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Key principals in an Organization Accountability Authority Delegation

A Higher education institution, whatever its primary aim is, gets the importance of being an organization in a high scope

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Highway of University Management Management is about getting things done

through people Management is enacted through

accountability and authority patterns that produce home for decisions

Management is underpinned by relationships

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HISTORY OF MEDICINE…

B.C.2000 ….. EAT THIS VEGETABLE AND GET BETTER

A.D.500 ……THAT VEGETABLE IS BAD, GET THIS PETITION TO RELIEVE

A.D.1250 ….. THAT PETITION IS SUPERFICIOUS, HAVE THIS IXIR

A.D.1500 ….. THAT IXIR IS USELESS, HAVE THIS CAPSULE GET BETTER

A.D.1850 ….. THAT CAPSULE IS BAD, HAVE THIS ANTIBIOTIC TO RECOVER

A.D.2000 ….. THAT ANTIBIOTIC IS CHEMICAL, EAT THIS

VEGETABLE GET BETTER

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Accountability doesnot mean solely responsibility ; A complex term involving answerability,

capacity to give responses, responsibility, availability to be measured and to be ready to pay for it

Accountability is a subset of good governance

Governance cannot be achieved without an accountability mechanism

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There has been a global shift to more accountability in 1980’s and 1990’s Global model of quality policy in higher

education has emerged through professional mechanisms

OECD and some international quality assurance agencies in higher education has pushed the institutions forward

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In the past 20 years, the number of agencies, networks and initiatives focused on quality assurance at the national level has grown.

OECD member states have an increasing number of accreditation and quality assurance systems

External quality assurance and accreditation of cross-border education needed for international comparison

Besides, lack of comprehensive frameworks produces gaps in the quality assurance of higher education

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Why is quality important ?

1)Higher Education Institutions explicitly planning and organizing to produce the graduates required by society; are their objectives appropriate ?

2)Is the money being spent well; are the higher education institutions operate efficiently ?

3)Are the HEI’s producing the desired graduates; are they operating efficiently ?

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Shanghai world universities index 2004 top – 500 2009

Country Top 20 Top 100 Top 200 Top 300 Top 400 Top 500 1 United States 17 51 90 119 139 170 2 United Kingdom 2 11 18 29 35 42 3 Japan 1 5 9 13 26 36 4 Germany — 7 17 27 37 43 5 Canada — 4 9 16 19 23 6 France — 4 8 13 20 22 7 Sweden — 4 6 9 9 10 8 Switzerland — 3 6 6 7 8 9 Netherlands — 2 7 10 11 12 10 Australia — 2 6 8 11 14 11 Italy — 1 5 10 16 23 12 Israel — 1 3 4 6 7 13 Denmark — 1 3 4 5 5 14 Austria — 1 1 3 4 5 15 Finland — 1 1 2 4 5

Country Top 20 Top 100 Top 200 Top 300 Top 400 Top 500 1 United States 17 55 90 112 138 152 2 United Kingdom 2 11 23 33 36 40 3 Japan 1 5 9 11 19 31 4 Germany — 5 14 24 36 40 5 Canada — 4 6 18 18 22 6 France — 3 7 14 19 23 7 Australia — 3 6 9 13 17 8 Switzerland — 3 6 7 7 8 9 Sweden — 3 4 7 9 11 10 Netherlands — 2 9 9 11 12 11 Denmark — 2 3 3 4 4 12 Israel — 1 4 4 6 7 13 Norway — 1 1 3 3 4 14 Finland — 1 1 1 3 5 15 Russia — 1 1 1 2 2

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Similar results could be gathered through some other international university rankings scheme like Times Higher Education, CHE rankings etc.

These rankings have been done by not only some specific quality indicators but also by specific international acception like internationally accepted prizes, global projects and initiative applications, globally recognition and affiliation etc.

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Accountability again ? Accountability, in the future, will be right at the

center of the debate. By delivering equity and justice to individuals trying

to access to the HEI’s, accountability should be realized as well

Trends in Education, Higher education, tries to push it ;

Decentralization Autonomy New governance popularity International competition

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Accountability mechanisms to be urged because ; -The relationship between governments and

universities is changing -Efficiency and value for money changing -Internationalization of higher education and

globalization is on their way -Information and communication technologies

changing

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Thank you very much for your attention Hayati Yıldırım

For any inquiries, questions and suggestions please;

Institüt Für Bildungswissenschaft Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberge-mail: hayatiyil@gmail.comphone : +49 (0)6221 547 517