The Effect of Digitalization Process on Public Relations Education: A Research on Academics

Abstract

The education process, which has undergone digital transformation due to factors such as the transition to information society, change in technology, social dynamics, and globalization, has also affected the discipline of public relations. In this direction, the study aims to systematically obtain expert opinions on the digitalization process in public relations education. In addition, this study further aims to make predictions of public relations education, reveal expert opinions, and reach consensus with the panel members consisting of 15 academicians/experts in the field of public relations. The results of the research, which applied Delphi technique as a method, pointed out that the panel members reached a consensus on 50 variables in 3 rounds in total. In this regard, there was one particular opinion that was emphasized in the field work: flipped and blended education models were considered as the most successful and efficient digital education models during public relations education’s digitalization process. According to another finding of the study, flexibility and adaptability, social and cross-cultural skills, communication and collaboration, information literacy, ICT literacy, and global awareness are among the most important skills and themes that both academics and students should have in public relations education’s digitalization process. Finally, the research findings show that in competencies (proficiency-qualification), learner competence for academicians and creative communicator competence for students came to the fore.

Keywords

• Public Relations
• Education
• Digitalization in Education
• Delphi Technique
• Digital Education

Dijitalleşme Sürecinin Halkla İlişkiler Eğitimine Etkisi: Akademisyenler Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Bilgi toplumuna geçiş, teknolojideki değişim, toplumsal dinamikler ve küreselleşme gibi faktörlerin etkisiyle dijital dönüşüme uğrayan eğitim süreci halkla ilişkiler disiplinini de etkilemiştir. Bu doğrultuda araştırmada, halkla ilişkiler eğitiminde dijitalleşme sürecine ilişkin uzman görüşlerinin sistematik bir şekilde elde edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Ayrıca, halkla ilişkiler alanında 15 akademisyenden/uzmandan oluşan panel üyeleri ile halkla ilişkiler eğitiminin geleceğine ilişkin tahminlerde bulunmak, uzman görüşlerini ortaya çıkarmak ve uzlaşma sağlamak çalışmanın bir diğer amacıdır. Araştırmada yöntem olarak Delphi tekniği kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda, panel üyelerinin 50 değişken üzerinde toplamda 3 turda tamamen fikir birliğine ulaştıkları görülmüştür. Araştırma bulgularına göre halkla ilişkiler eğitiminde dijitalleşme sürecinde en başarılı ve verimli dijital eğitim modellerinin ters-yüz edilmiş ve harmanlanmış eğitim modelleri olduğu görüşü ön plana çıkmıştır. Araştırmanın diğer bir bulgusuna göre, halkla ilişkiler eğitiminde dijitalleşme sürecinde hem akademisyenlerin hem de öğrencilerin sahip olması gereken en önemli beceriler ve temalar arasında, esneklik ve uyum, sosyal ve kültürlerarası beceriler, iletişim ve iş birliği, bilgi okuryazarlığı, bilişim teknolojileri okuryazarlığı ve küresel farkındalık unsurları yer almaktadır. Sonuç olarak, yeterliliklerde (yetkinlik-nitelik) ise akademisyenler için öğrenen yeterliliği, öğrenciler için yaratıcı iletişimci yeterliliği ön plana çıkmıştır.

Keywords

• Halkla İlişkiler
• Eğitim
• Eğitimde Dijitalleşme
• Delphi Tekniği
• Dijital Eğitim

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