Assessment and Improvement

In this program, various assessment methods are applied, such as midterm exams, assignments, exercises, projects, practice and final exams. Assessment methods may include classic exams, multiple-choice exams, take-home assignments, performance assessment and product assessment. To graduate from the program, a weighted grade point average of at least 2.00 is required. The grade of a course is determined as a result of evaluating the above elements and is given as a letter. To pass a course, at least a DD letter grade is required. Letter grades and the coefficient of each grade are indicated below.

The Department of Political Science and International Relations is built on a holistic quality assurance system carried out with a continuous improvement approach to education quality. The starting point of the system is the Program Educational Objectives (PEO) and Program Learning Outcomes (PLO). The extent to which these objectives and outcomes are achieved is regularly monitored with data collected from three main stakeholder groups:

• Graduates and External Stakeholders: external stakeholder meetings and graduate tracking surveys,
• Academic Staff: course evaluation reports and course files,
• Students: data is collected through course evaluation surveys and student representative opinions.

The collected data are evaluated in detail by the Dean’s Office, the Faculty Quality Commission, the Department Head’s Office, the Department Board and the Accreditation Commission. The Department Advisory Board also contributes opinions and suggestions at every stage of this process. In line with the evaluation results, necessary improvements in the curriculum, course contents, internship and practice activities are planned and put into practice. The results of these practices are used as the main input in reviewing the PEOs and PLOs again, so the continuous improvement cycle operates without interruption.

External stakeholder meetings are a permanent and strategic component of our department’s quality assurance system and are held regularly every academic year. Our department’s external stakeholders consist of two main groups: graduate external stakeholders and non-graduate external stakeholders. At external stakeholder meetings, the PEOs and PLOs are shared with stakeholders, our educational program is evaluated in line with the current expectations of the public sector, the private sector and civil society organizations, and the experiences of our graduates in the field are listened to. Decisions taken at the meetings are discussed in the Department Board and turned into action plans, and the results obtained are presented to our stakeholders at the next meeting.