Cengiz Hakan AYDIN | Anadolu University (original) (raw)

Papers by Cengiz Hakan AYDIN

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest “big thing” in Open and Distance Lea... more The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest “big thing” in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). MOOCs offer both opportunities and threats that are extensively discussed in the literature, including the potential of opening up education for all at a global scale. On the other hand, MOOCs challenge traditional pedagogy and raise important questions about the future of campus-based education. However, in discussing these opportunities and threats the majority of the literature tends to focus on the origin of the MOOC movement in the United States (US). The specific context of Europe with its diversity of languages, cultural environments, educational policies, and regulatory frameworks differs substantially from the US context. Accordingly, this article offers a European perspective on MOOCs in order to better understand major differences in threats and opportunities across countries and continents, including the use and reuse of MOOCs for regional or global use, via European or non-European platforms. In the context of the EU funded HOME project (Higher education Online: MOOCs the European way), a research initiative was undertaken to identify opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement for European higher education institutions. Three sources of data were gathered and analysed. Opportunities and threats were categorized into two levels. The macro level comprises issues related to the higher education system, European context, historical period, and institutional concerns. The micro level covers aspects related to faculty, teachers, and courses, thus to the operational level. The main opportunities discovered were: the ECTS as a robust system for formal recognition of accomplishments in MOOCs; the trend for institutional collaboration, stimulated by EU-funded programs; and the many innovative and alternative pedagogical models used in MOOCs published in Europe. The main threats mentioned were: implementation problems of the ECTS, difficulties in bridging non/informal and formal education; and too much regulation, hindering experimentation and innovation.

Educational Media International

This study examines cross-cultural interpretations of icons and images drawn from US academic web... more This study examines cross-cultural interpretations of icons and images drawn from US academic websites. Participants from Morocco, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the USA responded to an online questionnaire containing 18 icons and images representing online functions and information types common on US academic websites. Participants supplied meanings for icons and images and selected a preferred image to represent each of four specific online functions. From three images of professors, participants chose one with whom they would prefer to study. Data were collected at the University of New Mexico, USA; in Internet cafes in the Middle Atlas region and at Al-Akhawayn University, Morocco; the Open University of Sri Lanka in Nawala, Nugegoda; and at Anadolu University, Turkey. A qualitative analysis examines participants’ perspectives and preferences for specific representations and identifies cultural themes in relation to Hofstede’s dimensions. Implications for the design of images for cross-...

Educational Media International, 2009

... www.informaworld.com Cultural interpretations of the visual meaning of icons and images used ... more ... www.informaworld.com Cultural interpretations of the visual meaning of icons and images used in North American web design Eliot Knight a *, Charlotte N. Gunawardena b and Cengiz Hakan Aydin c aUniversity of New Mexico ...

Introduction Undoubtedly, the advances in informatics are the most important advances of the prev... more Introduction
Undoubtedly, the advances in informatics are the most important advances of the previous and 21st century. Given the historical development of methods and approaches used in foreign language teaching, it can be seen that almost all of them have appeared parallel to technological inventions and scientific developments. Starting from mid 1980s, in light of the other developments in language teaching, language teaching, which can produce and spread sound or images or both, and benefit from many technological advances, started to frequently use the technology of personal computers (PC) that holds all the mentioned features. Foreign language teachers and computers programmers together have developed software that has different functions to be used in language teaching.
In the 21st century, the idea that language teaching is beyond teaching grammar but teaching skills and has the basic function of maintaining communication among people has been adopted. From this point of view, rich language learning environments that can be enhanced with the technological tools develop four basic skills of language learning; listening, reading, writing and speaking, and provide language learners flexible effective and learner centered learning opportunities with distance language teaching. With the extended use of communication and computer webs, namely the Internet, in 90s, teaching web sites for variety of languages have been designed. Thus, individual and distance education opportunity became possible in this area.
Teaching Turkish as a foreign language was a neglected issue until recently. However, the number of people who wants to use is increasing. Around the world, it has been anticipated that population movements among countries due to reasons related to profession, education, vocation and immigration, and as a result of this the need for learning languages, will gradually increase. International foundations support language-learning facilities, and alternative language teaching methods are considered as priority.
The distance language teaching programs have been increasing due to the increasing importance and use of open and distance education around the world, due to the fact that it can provide various and rich learning environments, use many tools together for language teaching, gather students from different geographical areas, and thanks to its various advantages such as flexible time.
The Purpose of the Study
In the present study, the problems faced in the use of Turkish Certificate Program (TCP) prepared and being implemented in Anadolu University, and solution suggestions for the these problems was mentioned. Given that TCP is the first program in this area in Turkey, the present study will provide a reference for future studies in terms of the problems and solutions discussed.
Findings and Argument
TCP is a certificate program that Anadolu University prepared with the aim of distance teaching of Turkish as a foreign language and presented for use in 2007. The program is a platform that service adults older 17. TCP has wide array of participants from foreigners living in Turkey to Europeans, and Americans; from citizens living in Turkish Republics to Turks who have language inadequacies as they live abroad.
In TCP, users are provided all course and exam services via the Internet starting from registration. These services provide users opportunities to learn Turkish in a more flexible context without the limitation of time and place. Learners can watch the lessons via the Internet; reach the textbooks prepared for the program, reinforce their knowledge with the exercises, tasks and activities, and practice speaking in virtual classrooms by using a camera and microphone with consultants. By this way, Turkish learners are provided facilities to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Students who register TCP are submitted a “ user name”, and “password” information for them to join lessons via the Internet. By using this information, the students can log in to the web site “Turkish Certificate Programs” and they can move to WebCT that is the interface (LMS) of the program. With the WebCT program, learners have the opportunity to change the language of the interface. In the program that has 12 units for each language level, the students are provided 11 different learning context including opportunities of studying, video, book, workbook, assignments, synchronized consultancy services, asynchronized consultancy services, practice exams, speaking exams and writing exams.
Results and Suggestions
The majority of the problems that are related to lesson materials for distance teaching of Turkish as a foreign language and content to teach are problems that are also faced in face to face education. There have been also expected and unexpected problems in the preparation and implementation process of TCP. When the distance language teaching programs are examined, it can be seen that these programs are developed and implemented by teams from different disciplines, as this is an interdisciplinary work. In the preparation phase of TCP, teams from different disciplines gathered and they worked in coordination during the implementation of the program. Problems can be experienced on founding a large team or continuation of regular program work. In these type of work, attitudes, beliefs and determination that an administrator of an institution has towards teaching of Turkish is highly important to motivate program staff.
The problems experienced can be analyzed under the following headings; organizational problems, problems related to creating course content, technical problems, problems related to learning habits, problems related to teaching habits, accreditation problems, and regulation problems.
To sum up, the most important issue that needs to be emphasized is that there were not any similar programs that can provide ideas to teach Turkish while starting this program in 2005. As a result, from designing the program to adopting grammar content to be taught to distance education, each step was studied for the first time. Therefore, TCP was created as a completely authentic program of Anadolu University and it is in a condition that it can be developed depending on technological advances in distance language teaching.

The current study will provide information on the existing literature and discuss the results of ... more The current study will provide information on the existing literature and discuss the results of a quantitative survey study that examined the possible uses of ODL means. Data is randomly drawn from the participants who currently enroll in public education courses provided by the Ministry of
Education and the local Municipalities in Eskisehir, Turkey. Based on the data from a sample of 324 participants, results are expected to provide new insight for students who strive to be lifelong learners and public institutions that try to reach a larger body of learners. Results depict that lifelong untraditional learners are welcoming the possibility of utilizing ODL means for the courses they are taking face-to-face. Factors that affect individuals’ acceptance of ODL, such as age, gender, level of
education, and prior learning experiences will be discussed to provide information to policy maker who design such programs.

Learning is a lifelong endeavor that shape human beings’ quality of life. It is considered as one... more Learning is a lifelong endeavor that shape human beings’ quality of life. It is considered as one of the key skills of the 21st century that individuals should be able to learn, un-learn, and re-learn not only in schools but also throughout their lives. Lifelong learning thus is the voluntary and self-directed effort of
improving individual or professional skills. Within the scope of European Union Lisbon Strategy, lifelong learning is emphasized as one of the significant contributors for efficient implementation of the European Employment Strategy (EES). The current study, attempted to explore the trends in the field
and the expectations of general public from the official lifelong educations institutions. The sample is drawn randomly from a metropolitan mid-eastern city in Turkey. Employing a mixed-method research approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative measures, researchers investigated, particularly,
the potential of distance education means in delivering lifelong learning needs to the public. Based on the data from 613 participants, the paper discusses the participants’ needs, their understanding of distance education, and recommendations for policy makers to reach a larger population with the possibility of various distance education media.

This paper intends to express the importance of open education resources and to introduce the ope... more This paper intends to express the importance of open education resources and to introduce the open education resources of Anadolu University, Turkey. The open education resource movement is especially important in emerging countries where higher education is still considered as a privilege due to shortage of available seats for everyone who would like to get in a university, where knowledge is still been considered as assets of professors, and where there are a few opportunities for people to improve themselves either in their profession or in general. Anadolu University as a dual mode university provides not only open education diploma programs but also open education resources to the Turkish citizens for almost thirty years. Second University, e-certificate, Yunus Emre, ANAPOD, Open Courseware are the major open education resources the University offers. The informal qualitative and quantitative evaluations have shown that a great number of people are benefiting from these resources.

Educational Technology & Society, Jan 1, 2005

In order to benefit from e-learning, companies should conduct considerable up-front analysis to a... more In order to benefit from e-learning, companies should conduct considerable up-front analysis to assess their readiness. There are a number of instruments in the market that can be used for assessing readiness for elearning. However, almost all of these instruments are developed to be used in countries that have a mature field of human resources development. So, these instruments consist of terms, phrases, and applications that are meaningless for many companies in especially emerging countries where human resources development field has just shown an improvement. This article includes the description of a survey instrument that has been developed to assess e-learning readiness of companies in these kinds of countries and the results of a study that examines organizational readiness of companies for e-learning in Turkey. The study reveals that companies surveyed are overall ready for e-learning but they need to improve need to improve themselves, particularly in the area of human resources, in order to be able to successfully implement e-learning. Although this instrument has been developed according to the cultural characteristics of Turkish companies it can easily be adapted to be used by companies of other emerging countries.

Educational Technology Research and …, Jan 1, 2004

This article focuses on the effects of information and communication technology on people's daily... more This article focuses on the effects of information and communication technology on people's daily lives in Turkey and particularly on the effects of recent technologies on the educational system. We begin with an examination of the definitions of culture, technology and globalization, and follow with a clarification of the relationships among these terms. Then we describe some of the main cultural characteristics of Turkish society by referring to Hofstede's (2001) classifications. A brief explanation about the status of information and communication technology use in Turkish society in general and particularly in educational settings follows. The effects of those technologies on society and the educational system are elaborated. The paper concludes with recommendations for future integration of information and communication technologies in Turkey. Research findings from varying fields such as cross-cultural psychology, intercultural communications, politics, and recommendations of experts have been used to draw a picture about the effects of technology on Turkish culture.

Educational Technology Research and Development, Jan 1, 2001

Open Learning, Jan 1, 2006

Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, Jan 1, 2005

A paper presented at the annual International Distance …, Jan 1, 2004

… in computersupported courses, …, Jan 1, 2006

This chapter describes how a traditional distance education provider, Anadolu University of Turke... more This chapter describes how a traditional distance education provider, Anadolu University of Turkey, integrated computer-supported learning into its traditional distance courses. Anadolu University has been struggling with offering quality education to their large body of ...

The Eleventh Annual …, Jan 1, 2004

Açık ve Uzaktan Eğitim Sempozyumu 23-25 …, Jan 1, 2002

Bilgisayar ağlarına dayalı iletişim alanındaki gelişmeler öğrenme topluluklarını zaman ve mekan s... more Bilgisayar ağlarına dayalı iletişim alanındaki gelişmeler öğrenme topluluklarını zaman ve mekan sınırlıklarından bağımsız hale getirmiştir. Böylece öğrenme toplulukları sanal ortama taşınma olanağını elde etmiştir. Bu gelişme, öğrenme topluluklarının, daha çeşitli olanaklar sunan ve daha geniş kitlelere ulaşan yapı kazanmalarını sağlamıştır.

Online Submission, Jan 1, 2005

Developments in computer-mediated communications are not only providing new opportunities for edu... more Developments in computer-mediated communications are not only providing new opportunities for educators but also changing roles and competencies in learning and teaching environments. Experts agree that teaching online requires different roles and ...

Papers-EN by Cengiz Hakan AYDIN

by Emel G. G., Ela Akgün Özbek, Gökhan Deniz Dinçer, Nil GÖKSEL (BA, MA, PhD), Aras Bozkurt, Hasan Ucar, Nazife SEN ERSOY, Sezan Sezgin, Emel GULER, Sibel Yilmazel, and Cengiz Hakan AYDIN

International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2015

This study intends to explore the current trends in the field of distance education research duri... more This study intends to explore the current trends in the field of distance education research during the period of 2009-2013. The trends were identified by an extensive review of seven peer reviewed scholarly journals: The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE), Distance Education (DE), The European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (EURODL), The Journal of Distance Education (JDE), The Journal of Online Learning and Technology (JOLT), Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning (OL) and The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL). A total of 861 research articles was reviewed. Mainly content analysis was employed to be able to analyze the current research. Also, a social network analysis (SNA) was used to interpret the interrelationship between keywords indicated in these articles. Themes were developed and the content of the articles in the selected journals were coded according to categories derived from earlier studies. The results were interpreted using descriptive analysis (frequencies) and social network analysis. The reporting of the results were organized into the following categories: research areas, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, variables, methods, models, strategies, data collection and analysis methods, and the participants. The study also identified the most commonly used keywords, and the most frequently cited authors and studies in distance education. The findings obtained in this study may be useful in the exploration of potential research areas and identification of neglected areas in the field of distance education.