DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION PROJECT
February 18, 2019 / Ağrı
The “New CoHE” has realized many projects such as Internalization in Higher
Education, Mission Differentiation and Specialization Aimed at Regional
Development, Research Universities, YÖK 100/2000 Doctoral Scholarships,
YÖKDİL, YÖK-TEBİP and YÖK Scholarships. “Digital Transformation in Higher
Education” is the main aim of the New CoHE this year.
The New CoHE, with the motto “Digitalized CoHE”, is implementing the
Digital Transformation in Higher Education Project for the first time in
the history of higher education.
Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University hosted the introduction meeting of the
project, which was held with the participation of Vice President Dr. Fuat
Oktay. CoHE President Prof. Dr. M. A. Yekta Saraç, Ağrı Governor Süleyman
Elban, CoHE officials, the rectors of the pilot universities in the
project, the rectors of regional universities, academics and students
attended the meeting.
Prof. Dr. Abdulhalik Karabulut, Rector of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University,
made the opening speech and CoHE Executive Board Member Prof. Dr. Naci
Gündoğan made a presentation on the project.
After the presentation, CoHE President Prof. Dr. M. A. Yekta Saraç made a
speech. He began his speech by saying that the project was launched in
eight pilot universities and that the number of the universities would
gradually increase.
“Universities are now competitive environments for both students and
academics on a global basis. Digital capacity is considered to be one of
the most important elements used to lead the competition,” he said.
CoHE President emphasized that online access to scientific publications and
research data had become the most important requirement for doing science,
creating technological innovation and economic and human development and
underlined that they, as the new CoHE, had also started studies on open
access and open science.
He stated that open academic archive systems that are in line with
international standards would be established at all Turkish universities
and said, “University archives will be integrated with the European Open
Access and academics will be encouraged to use ORCID. We are working on
this topic with TUBITAK.”
Click here to read the full transcript of the speech made by CoHE President
Prof. Dr. M. A. Yekta Saraç. (In Turkish)
Vice President Dr. Fuat Oktay began his speech by sending the regards of
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has always been the pioneer in the
acquisition of transformation of digital technologies and new technologies
in Turkey.
Oktay noted that this period, which is named as Industry 4.0 in Germany,
Society 5.0 in Japan and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the U.S.A.,
corresponds to National Technology Move and Digital Turkey in Turkey. He
emphasized that Turkey must stand on its own feet in all areas from
education to information technologies.
He stated that they had set the digitalization standards for Turkey after
working on the legislations required for all these processes and said,
“According to the World Economic Forum, the impact of digital
transformation on the economy will be about 100 trillion dollars over the
next decade. To this end, we are trying to develop national technologies in
order to ensure that Turkey could compete in digital transformation.
Universities must play a leading role and pave the way during this
process.”
After the speeches, the rectors of the pilot universities signed the
protocols on the implementation of the project in the pilot universities
selected from the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Region.