Opening speech delivered by CIU academicians
Academicians from CIU spoke at the opening of the three conferences held concurrently at Harvard University
Cyprus International University (CIU) academicians Prof. Dr. Fatoş Silman and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilan Çiftçi delivered the opening speeches of the ‘International Conference on New Horizons in Education’, ‘International Conference on Trends and Issues in Communication and Media’ and ‘International Conference on Educational Technologies’ held concurrently at Harvard University.
The opening of three international conferences held at the Harvard University Faculty Members Club was attended by academics from many different fields ranging from Educational Sciences to Information Technologies, from Communication to Media Studies. The Turkish Consul General in Boston Murat Uğurluoğlu also was among the attendees.
Prof. Dr. Fatoş Silman, who has been working on the use of technology in educational management and teaching processes, shared important insights in her opening speech on how technology can improve learning experiences. Silman also pointed out the potential of innovative approaches such as virtual classrooms, personalized teaching and interactive educational tools in the field of education and training, and asked educators to closely follow the developments in this field.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilan Çiftçi, in her speech, provided information about current trends and challenges in the field of communication and media, drawing attention to the importance of media literacy in the digital age. Çiftçi also emphasized that educational institutions should create programs to develop their skills in this area, and emphasized the importance of student-centered approaches and technology integration in education. Çiftçi also stated that evaluating the rapid changes in the field of education and the new opportunities offered by technology is important for the media sector.
The first day of the event featured many renowned expert speakers. Professor Teresa Franklin from Ohio University gave a presentation titled “Higher Education Meet GenAI: Helping Educators Improve Learning” and discussed the role of artificial intelligence in education. Professor Douglas Franklin from Ohio University addressed new trends in quality assurance and accreditation.
In the afternoon sessions, e-learning expert Prof. Dr. Badrul H. Khan talked about "SMART Learning", while Prof. Dr. John H. Hitchcock from WESTAT spoke on Using Mixed Methods Approaches in Large Scale Studies.
During the two-day conferences at Harvard University, Prof. Dr. Silman also gave a presentation on “The relationship between preschool and primary school teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions and their general attitudes toward artificial intelligence,” while Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiftçi shared her study on “Bi-communal organizational communication” with the participants.