UNRAVELLING THE QUALITY CONUNDRUM: Teacher Education Program Administration in the New Normal

Abstract

Like all the stakeholders in the field of education, teacher educators were profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. During these unprecedented times, teacher educators and ELT managers experienced a plethora of challenges and opportunities, necessitating a significant shift in their professional lives and requiring them to develop solutions and rapidly adjust to new ways of doing. The lessons learnt have begun to inform their future practices. In the “New Normal,” all the stakeholders in the field of teacher education have a great opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences, reflections and responses to the unexpected challenges posed. In the light of this opportunity, this chapter aims to examine the experiences of teacher educator administrators working at a university in Turkey, mainly focusing on the quality assurance mechanisms adopted for the following areas: hiring and evaluation of faculty, teacher education program development, and addressing teacher morale. Providing tangible evidence and examples within the framework of accreditation, the aim is to guide those facing similar issues experienced in teacher education programs during the transition into post-pandemic times. This close-up analysis of an institution at the tertiary level addresses the quality-survival conundrum, with clear implications for administrative leaders in teacher education worldwide. © 2023 Taylor and Francis.