Vocational School of Justice
IUE’S MARATHON FOR EXCELLENCE
Izmir University of Economics questioned the place of technological developments in higher education at the "Technology Enhanced Teaching in Higher Education Conference" and "2nd International Consultancy Council Meeting". Ekrem Demirtaş, President of IUE Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Oğuz Esen, IUE Rector, Seeram Ramakrishna, IUE Consultant and Lecturer at University of Singapore, Prof. Dr. Philip Kitchen, IUE Visiting Lecturer, Adrian Kirkwood from Open University, England, and scientists from various universities across Turkey participated at the meetings where the need for innovation and technological developments to be reflected to course systems discussed thoroughly. Prof. Dr. Neil Gordon from University of Hull, England also participated via web camera.
President Ekrem Demirtaş stated that the technology took precedence over everything. He said, "Technology became dominant in education. We are working on know-how’s and outcomes of technological education. There are different titles such as flexible, distance, and digital education. There are far too many concepts that the world is drifting to somewhere else. We have no more lecturers who are teaching as they are preaching, or students who are listening to courses as they are listening to preaches. Therefore, we are questioning the education system.”
President Demirtaş stated that they wanted to keep Izmir University of Economics at the top level among the universities based on meeting the needs of the era. He said that they discussed the technology enhanced teaching with the participation of international consultants who are experts in education and lecturers from various universities across Turkey. Demirtaş indicated that they did not aim to be among the top universities worldwide but to get their graduates to work at the important organizations worldwide. "We need to switch to practical education. We want to teach the knowledge of future, not the old information,” stated Demirtaş.
Rector Prof. Dr. Oğuz Esen stated that they identified the strategic goals of the university after last year’s search conference, and excellence in education was among the top ones. Prof. Dr. Esen said, "We can only reach excellence by integrating the techniques into the courses that meet the learning needs of the new generations. We will be establishing the courses and programs that meet the needs of the new generation starting from the next academic year. Because of this, we brought the national and international experts together.”
'New generations opt for technology based learning'
New generations had different demands, they stood out by using technology, stated Prof. Dr. Seeram Ramakrishna, IUE Consultant and Lecturer at University of Singapore. He said, “Thousands of courses are being uploaded in the web at University of Singapore. We are able to offer education to generation Y via smart class systems. The new generation gets happy with entrepreneurship, creativity. Technology based learning is the foundation of the new generation.” Ramakrishna stated that technology based learning became very important after 2000's, and the new generation wanted more individualized, related education, where teacher and technology co-exist. Ramakrishna also said that the new technologies needed to enter the classrooms.
'Virtual learning provides more content'
Adrian Kirkwood from Open University, UK, indicated that they had students from all parts of the World and that they produced television programs, books, and now they used technology. Kirkwood said, "Efficient use of learning technology is a complicated ones. Concepts of the university, students, and teachers all perceive learning differently. Thanks to technology, you can be part of a group of 20 in a course where 15 thousand students enrolled.” Kirkwood, who stated that virtual learning provided more content, said the following:
"You may use technology in 3 different interactions, the first of these is student-content interaction, other one is student-teacher interaction, and the last one is student-student interaction. It becomes a different story when it comes to using technology intellectually, and accessing information. Using technology good is not enough to improve higher education. Universities definitely need to become digital literate. Students should be taught about avoiding plagiarism, and copy-paste.”
Prof. Dr. Philip Kitchen, IUE Visiting Lecturer, called attention to the increase in student mobility. Prof. Dr. Kitchen stated that technology activated universities stood out. He said, "Universities are in a transition process. We need to adapt innovatively. We need to use business models and business language.”
Education: Both flexible and Technological
Prof. Dr. Neil Gordon from University of Hull, England, who also participated in the conference live via web camera, gave information about ‘Flexible Pedagogies: Technology- Enhanced Learning’. Gordon mentioned that they were able to reach out to students who have different learning styles thanks to the technology enhanced flexible programs they implemented.