Investigation of the New Generation University Initiative: The Case of Atatürk University

Abstract

The aim of the research is to examine the implementation processes and results of the "New Generation University Design and Transformation Project" carried out by Atatürk University in line with higher education reform movements in the context of new generation university standards. Case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. Data were collected through document analysis. Documents, archive records, working documents, all news and explanations about the project, project development and evaluation reports, strategy documents, workshop result reports were analyzed as part of the document analysis. According to the results of the review, the areas of improvement in terms of the educational mission of the "New Generation University Design and Transformation Project" are the increase in program accreditation by more than 300 percent, the expansion of program self-evaluation studies, and the elimination of deficiencies in course information packages. The aspects of the project that are open to improvement in terms of the educational mission are; limited program monitoring and updating practices, lack of graduate monitoring systems or inability to obtain effective and efficient results, lack of dissemination of different teaching methods and techniques, the existence of faculties without accredited programs, lack of peer evaluation practices, lack of structuring education, research and social contribution processes in relation to each other. Areas of improvement in terms of the "research" mission of the project are the existence of defined processes and practices for research strategy and objectives, and the establishment of monitoring mechanisms for research processes. On the other hand, there is room for improvement in that the results of the monitoring of research processes are not evaluated sufficiently and improvements are limited, information management systems for monitoring performance indicators are used at a limited level, and practices for developing research competence are limited. The area of improvement for the social contribution mission area of the project is that there are defined processes and practices for the social contribution strategy and objectives. The areas open for improvement are that the results of the monitoring of social contribution processes are not sufficiently evaluated and information management systems for monitoring improvements and performance indicators are used at a limited level.