Dear Educators, Dear Students,
The 21st century, known as the information age, is a period shaped by rapid changes in knowledge and technological developments that have facilitated easier access to information. In this rapidly changing environment, all educational institutions bear the responsibility of continuously improving themselves in order to provide the most accurate and up-to-date knowledge.
Universities are not only responsible for equipping students with professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes, but also for guiding them on how to access reliable information and manage their time effectively. In this process, various teaching methods are employed, including face-to-face and interactive learning environments.
Among these methods, distance education stands out due to its flexibility, enabling learning regardless of time and place while reaching a wide audience. With the advancement of technology, internet- and computer-based educational systems support learning processes and offer more flexible learning opportunities. Regardless of the tools used in distance education, the learner remains at the center of the learning process, taking responsibility for their own learning by actively seeking information, utilizing provided resources, and benefiting from advisory processes. In this respect, distance education is increasingly preferred due to its learner-centered structure and its capacity to integrate new technologies.
The Acıbadem University Distance Education Center (UZEM) was established in 2014 with the aim of further advancing the quality of education at our university by implementing the principles of distance education. Since its establishment, it has updated its regulations, expanded course diversity, and reached a broader student population. In recent years, benefiting from the information technology infrastructure introduced at our university, it has offered the “5i courses” of two vocational schools and five faculties, along with two foundation courses to students. All course content is developed by the academic staff of our university. The Center delivers course materials through the Learning Management System (LMS), aiming to enhance the effectiveness of learning through pre-uploaded materials, asynchronous courses, as well as synchronous and face-to-face sessions.
Since the 2020–2021 academic year, when the Hybrid Education Model was implemented across the university, our Center has played a leading role in promoting the widespread adoption of multimodal learning approaches across all units through continuous support.
Believing that deep and meaningful learning is possible through active engagement in and internalization of the learning process, we continue our efforts to provide students with a high-quality educational environment in which they can manage their own learning processes.
As always, we are delighted to share the excitement of discovering and learning knowledge together in the new academic term.
Prof. Dr. Vesile Ünver
