Figure: A Representation of Knowledge Generation and Sharing at Universities
I have witnessed physical and psychological violence over and over again throughout my education since I was 5. Therefore I am very passionate to improve the education experience of those in my courses such that they can focus on learning the most, without getting any negative connotations to learning. Learning begins and ends with respect, within a positive learning environment.
My drive is to contribute to human development through my research, scholarship, and teaching. In that regard that is exciting to find any opportunities to contribute to growth of learners and inspire ethical leadership. I believe, respect, accountability and transparency are three key principles. I value active learning and encourage interaction. Integrating contemporary topics and research findings then improve the quality of weekly sessions/ lectures. A nice evidence is becoming the project-owner for the first Vertically Integrated Project course at TED University and in Turkey, in 2024 Spring. That course itself is an initiative developed as an Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education, funded by the European Union.
I have been working at TED University in Ankara, Turkey, since 2017. I initially accepted Dean’s offer for an assistant professor position – which did not realize due to centralized and highly bureaucratic regulations at the time.* Instead I worked as an hourly paid adjunct instructor and then became a lecturer, and then an assistant professor. This experience allowed me to observe and interact with all ranks of stakeholders in academia.
I delivered Social Media Marketing (BA465), Brand Management (BA464), and New Product Development (BA462), for the first time at TED University – established in 2012. Due to the request of the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, I developed the course, Digital Marketing for Education Institutions (MEI505), and delivered to a class of professional educators in the Management in Educational Institutions Master of Arts program. Other courses I delivered includes the compulsory courses Production and Operations Management (BA305), Research Methods (BA401, ECON401, PSIR401) and Principles of Marketing (BA301). In addition to these courses, I supervised 15 graduation projects in Business Administration (BA402) and 1 in Economics (ECON402).
At TED University, overall, I have delivered 10 courses, reaching more than 1,000 learners. In anonymous course evaluation surveys, my average rating is about 4.5 out of 5.0. Notably, in MEI505, the rating was 4.89 out of 5.00 by professional educators, including teachers with over thirty years of experience. I find these as consistent indicators of satisfaction with learning experiences. My ratings dropped significantly only when government and university response to two major earthquakes severely interfered with classroom experience, e.g., postponing all scored activities practically to last two weeks of the semester.
I highly appreciate the role of universities for societies in providing a robust venue for learning.
This is true for university students and professors alike.
*”[A]mong college professors, there is a saying, ‘A handshake is good enough between businessmen. But when your university’s dean promises you something, get it in writing'” (Dixit and Nalebuff, 1993, p.151)
Dixit, Avinash K., and Barry J. Nalebuff. Thinking strategically: The competitive edge in business, politics, and everyday life. WW Norton & Company, 1993.