Institutional Internal Evaluation is a systematic self-assessment process in which higher education institutions analyze their own quality assurance systems within a specific methodological framework and report their strengths and areas for improvement based on evidence. In Türkiye, this process is conducted by The Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK), and universities are required to prepare an Institutional Internal Evaluation Report (KİDR) each year and submit it to YÖKAK. These reports are also published on the universities’ websites, ensuring transparency within the framework of accountability.
The KİDR is not merely an inventory of the activities carried out in the previous period; it is a multidimensional development tool that reveals the institution’s understanding of quality, governance structure, the quality of its academic and administrative processes, stakeholder participation, and integration with strategic planning processes. In this respect, the process not only documents the functionality of the internal quality assurance system in higher education institutions but also triggers institutional learning and continuous improvement.
The institutional internal evaluation process is carried out within the framework of 14 criteria and 46 sub-criteria grouped under four main headings determined by YÖKAK:
Leadership, governance, and quality assurance
Education and training
Research and development
Community engagement
For each sub-criterion, universities are required to evaluate their practices within the quality assurance cycle, support these evaluations with evidence, and rate the maturity level for each sub-criterion on a scale from 1 to 5. This graded assessment approach (rubric) enables universities to analyze their own developmental progress more systematically.
Hitit University considers the evaluation process not merely as a legal obligation but as one of the fundamental building blocks of its institutional quality culture. The process is conducted under the guidance of the Office of Strategic Management and Quality and is prepared through a participatory approach with the contributions of quality commission members, unit quality representatives, and relevant stakeholders. During the preparation phase, Unit Internal Evaluation Reports (BİDR), action plans, strategic plan indicators, performance data, and stakeholder feedback from the units are evaluated in an integrated manner.
The prepared KİDR text not only documents the university’s quality level but also directly provides data for external evaluation processes (such as institutional accreditation), strategic plan updates, program accreditations, and the internal control system. Taking into account the results of the annually updated KİDR, the university plans new actions toward its strategic objectives; the findings obtained from the processes are monitored digitally and used as an integral part of the quality cycle.
With this understanding, Hitit University regards the institutional internal evaluation process not merely as a report reflecting the current state, but as a dynamic tool that guides development, focuses on improvement, and supports institutional learning. In order to ensure the functionality of the quality assurance system, the university reconstructs this process every year and uses the data obtained as a primary reference document for academic and administrative development.
