Examining the communication skills of student evaluators in higher education accreditation processes: The case of Türkiye

Quality and accreditation are key concepts of our age. In the new world order shaped by the globalization process, the importance given to quality and accreditation at the institutional level is increasing. Higher education institutions are not exempt from this trend. The Turkish Higher Education Quality Council, established in 2015, has increased awareness and consciousness of quality and accreditation in higher education. This study aims to examine the evaluator competencies of student evaluators involved in accreditation processes. As internal stakeholders of higher education institutions, student evaluators play a significant role in quality and accreditation processes in higher education. The effectiveness of evaluation processes depends on the high evaluator competencies of student evaluators. The study, which adopts quantitative research design, was conducted using survey techniques and statistical analysis methods. The sample of the research consists of student evaluators in the evaluator pool of the Turkish Communication Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council (ILEDAK). ILEDAK, a national quality assurance organization, has a key role in communication education and communication accreditation. The study found that student evaluators in the ILEDAK evaluator pool had knowledge and awareness about quality and accreditation. This situation was interpreted as the positive effect of the training they had previously received regarding the evaluation process. The findings obtained within the scope of the study are parallel with the international and national literature and draw attention to the importance of evaluator competencies and communication skills of student evaluators.