What does Accreditation Mean for Academics? A Qualitative Research on Quality in Higher Education

With the establishment of the Higher Education Quality Board (YÖKAK), quality management studies in universities in Turkey gained momentum. Thus, most universities have started to carry out activities to increase their recognition and visibility by obtaining accreditation certificates. However, the activities planned for accreditation bring additional responsibilities such as ensuring the provability of processes and providing student-centered education. The research aims to explore the perspectives of academics, which are very important in determining the course of the process. The research was conducted as a qualitative case study with 11 academics who took part in the accreditation processes of a state university. As a result of the research, it was seen that the knowledge and awareness of the academicians who took an active role in the process were at a high level. On the other hand, it has been revealed that some academicians, who think that the activities carried out for accreditation cause additional time costs and an increase in workload, do not adopt the process sufficiently. The results of the research are important because they provide a foresight about the situations that may be encountered in the accreditation process for higher education institutions. In this context, it is expected that the research will contribute to the universities that are just at the beginning of the road in adapting to the change required by the accreditation process in higher education and to new research to be done.