Quality assurance and the Bologna process in higher education

Abstract

Higher education is expected to meet a wide range of needs for evolving knowledge societies: educating larger numbers of the population, creating new opportunities for students, developing research and innovation, responding to local and regional needs and acting to improve quality and efficiency in all aspects of the higher education. The number of students and institutions has been increasing both nationally and globally. It is essential to focus and increase the quality of educational programs in higher education. The European Union has been developing policies in order to increase the quality of education. The Bologna Process has been one of the important development for increasing the quality in higher education. The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the quality assurance of the Bologna Process policies in higher education and its application in the Turkish educational system. Higher education institutions should plan and implement their quality management processes and curriculum planning within the scope of the Bologna Process.