Sustainability of Higher Education in Emergencies: The Case of Turkey

Yıl 2023, , 751 - 769, 30.10.2023

Burcu Erdemir

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1344652

Öz

The COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on higher education systems and necessitated policymakers to take immediate measures. While this period is an opportunity to correct imperfections in higher education systems, it is also a challenge in terms of planning new policies that necessitate digitalized equipment and personnel support that increased due to the pandemic. The study aims to examine which factors of higher education learning communities can help sustain higher education institutions during and beyond emergencies. Based on a qualitative study presenting views of Turkish faculty, major findings reflect the key components of higher education learning communities. These were spotted as; ‘democratic and collaborative environments that target equitable student access to education, student success, as well as faculty professional development and well-being of faculty and students and examined through the lenses of critical pedagogy and transformational theory. Apart from the suggestions of the participants for sustainability, the author also presented some immediate-to-long-term policy suggestions for higher education decision-makers that prioritize equity, accountability, and quality, and the main principles of learning communities as collaboration and democracy, all of which are also important concepts for further development of society.

Anahtar Kelimeler

COVID-19 pandemic, emergency situations, higher education learning communities, sustainability

Olağanüstü Durumlarda Yükseköğretim Öğrenme Topluluklarının Sürdürülebilirliği: Türkiye Örneği

Öz

COVID-19 pandemisinin yükseköğretim sistemlerine yıkıcı etkileri oldu ve politika yapıcıların acil önlemler almalarını gerektirdi. Bu kriz dönemi, yükseköğretim sistemindeki eksiklikleri gidermek için bir fırsat olsa da, aynı zamanda, salgın kaynaklı artış gösteren dijital ekipman temini ve personel desteğini gerektirecek yeni politikalar planlama açısından zorlayıcı bir durumdur. Bu çalışma, acil durumlarda ve acil durumların ötesinde, yükseköğretim öğrenme toplulukları prensiplerinden hangilerinin yükseköğretim kurumlarının sürdürebilirliğine yardımcı olabileceğini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Türk öğretim elemanlarının görüşlerini sunan nitel çalışmadaki başlıca bulgular, yükseköğretim öğrenme topluluklarının temel bileşenlerini yansıtmaktadır. Bunlar; ‘öğrencilerin eğitime adil erişimini, öğrenci başarısını, aynı zamanda öğretim elemanlarının profesyonel gelişimini ve hem öğretim elemanı hem de öğrencinin iyi oluş halini hedefleyen, demokratik ve işbirlikçi ortamlar’ olarak tespit edilmiş ve eleştirel pedagoji ve dönüşümsel teori bakış açısından incelenmiştir. Katılımcıların sürdürebilirlik için olan önerilerinin yanında yazar da kısa ve uzun vadeye yönelik yükseköğretim karar vericileri için, hakkaniyet, hesapverilebilirlik ve kalite ve öğrenme topluluklarının temel prensiplerinden olan işbirliği ve demokrasiyi önceleyen politika önerilerinde bulunmuştur ki bunların hepsi toplumun ileri gitmesi için önemli kavramlardır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

COVID-19 pandemisi, olağanüstü durumlar, yükseköğretim öğrenme toplulukları, sürdürülebilirlik

Kaynakça

• Aristovnik, A., Keržiˇc, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževiˇc, N., & Umek, L. (2020). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the life of higher education students: A global perspective. Sustainability, 12, 8438. DOI:10.3390/su12208438
• Arnhold, N., Brajkovic, L., Nikolaev, D., & Zavalina, P. (2020). Tertiary education and COVID-19: Impact and mitigation strategies in Europe and Central Asia. World Bank. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341781394
• Baran, E., & AlZoubi, D. (2020). Human-centered design as a frame for transition to remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2), 365-372. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/216077
• Bell, L., & Schniedewind, N. (1987). Reflective minds/intentional hearts: Joining humanistic education and critical theory for liberating education. Journal of Education, 169(2), 55-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/002205748716900205
• Biesta, G. (1998). Say you want a revolution. Suggestions for the impossible future of critical pedagogy. Educational Theory, 48(4), 499-510. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.1998.00499.x
• Boyer, E. L. (1987). College: The undergraduate experience in America. Harper & Row.
• Boztürk, B. (2021). Barış akademisyenleri görevlerine dönemedi: AYM tartışması. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://p.dw.com/p/42buE
• Bradley-Levine, J., & Carr, K.A. (2015). Critical theory and Catholic social teaching: A research framework for Catholic schools. Journal of Catholic Education, 18(2), 27–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.15365/joce.1802032015
• Brown, K. (2004). Leadership for social justice and equity: Weaving a transformative framework and pedagogy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 77-108. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X03259147
• Clark, M. C., & Wilson, A. L. (1991). Context and rationality in Mezirow’s theory of transformational learning. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(2), 75-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001848191041002002
• CoHE. (2020a). Press briefing on distance education. (March 18, 2020). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://covid19.yok.gov.tr/alinan-kararlar
• CoHE. (2020b). Coronavirus (Covid 19) briefing note: 1. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/coronavirus_bilgilendirme_1.aspx
• CoHE. (2020c).15 Haziran 2020 tarihi itibariyle üniversitelerde akademik takvime dönülmesi kararına ilişkin açıklama (05.05.2020). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/akademik-takvime-donulmesine-iliskin-aciklama.aspx
• CoHE (2020d). YÖK’ten üniversite öğrencileri için kayıt dondurma ve erteleme hakkı (01.04.2020). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/erteleme-ve-kayit-dondurma-hakki.aspx
• CoHE. (2020e). 6GB internet quota in support of online education for university students. (29.4.2020). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/ogrencilere-egitime-destek-kotasi.aspx
• CoHE. (2020f). Engelli öğrencilerin uzaktan eğitimde yaşadığı sıkıntılara yönelik YÖK harekete geçti. (07.05.2020). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/engelli-ogrenciler-icinuzaktanegitim.aspx
• CoHE. (2020g). YÖK’ten tez aşamasındaki lisansüstü öğrencilerine ek süre hakkı (10.06.2020). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/lisansustu-ek-sure-hakki.aspx
• CoHE. (2020h). YÖK’ten küresel salgın ile mücadele sürecinde yeni düzenlemeler - II (04.06.2020). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2020/kuresel-salgin-surecinde-yapisal-duzenlemeler-2.aspx
• CoHE. (2021). 2021-2022 eğitim öğretim yılı salgınla mücadelede tedbir ve uygulamalar değerlendirme toplantısı İstanbul’da gerçekleştirildi (21.9.2021) Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Haberler/2021/yok-baskani-ozvar-istanbul-daki-universitelerin-rektorleri-ile-bir-araya-geldi.aspx
• CoHE. (2023). Syrian refugee student numbers in the CoHE in 2021-22. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://istatistik.yok.gov.tr/
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson.
• Demir, Ö., Toprak, M., Yıldız, S., Demir Z., Bakan Kalaycıoğlu, D., Güç, A., Uğur, Z., Eyerci, C., Toprak, A., Yıldız, Ö., & Çelikkaya, R. (2020). İzolasyon döneminin Türkiye’deki akademisyenler üzerindeki etkileri: Araştırma genel raporu. Ankara: Türkiye. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from http://omer-demir.net/pubs/izolasyon-doneminin-turkiyedeki-akademisyenler-uzerine-etkileri/
• Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Sage. DGMM. (2023). Temporary protection. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.goc.gov.tr/gecici-koruma5638
• Doolan, K., Barada, V., Burić, I., Krolo, K., & Tonković, Ž. (2021). Student life during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: Europe-wide insights. European Students’ Union. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.esu-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/0010-ESU-SIderalCovid19_WEB.pdf
• EC. (2019). DG ECHO thematic policy document no 10. Education in emergencies in EU-funded humanitarian aid operations. European civil protection and humanitarian aid operations. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/news/eie_in_humanitarian_assistance.pdf
• EC. (2020). Achieving a European education area by 2025 and resetting education and training for the digital age. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/e%20n/ip_20_1743
• Elmer, T., Mepham, K., & Stadfeld, C. (2020). Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland. PLoS ONE, 15(7): e0236337. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236337
• Farnell, T., Skledar Matijević, A., & Šćukanec Schmidt, N. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on higher education: A review of emerging evidence. NESET report, Executive summary. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. DOI: 10.2766/916313.
• FRA. (2020). Coronavirus pandemic in the EU- Fundamental rights implications. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2020/covid19-rights-impact-april-1
• Harvard Medical School. (n.d.). Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness. Retrieved September 28, from, https://masscpr.hms.harvard.edu/about-us
• Henriksen, D., Gretter, S., & Richardson, C. (2018). Design thinking and the practicing teacher: Addressing problems of practice in teacher education. Teaching Education, 1(21), 209–229. DOI.10.1080/10476210.2018.1531841
• Holmes, K. (2020). Sustaining learning communities through and beyond COVID-19. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/holmes-sustaining-learning-communities-COVID-19
• IOM. (2020). Countering xenophobia and stigma to foster social cohesion in the Covid 19 response and recovery. UN Migration Covid-19 Response Issue Brief Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl486/files/documents/countering_xenophobia_and_stigma_130720.pdf
• Iwai, Y. (2020). Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What do we gain and what do we lose when classrooms go virtual? Scientific American. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/online-learning-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic/
• Johnson, M. D., Sprowles, A. E., Goldenburg, K. R., Margell S. T., & Castellino, L. (2020). Effect of a place-based learning community on belonging, persistence, and equity gaps for first-year STEM students. Innovative Higher Education, 45, 509–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09519-5
• Karadağ, E., & Yücel, C. (2020). Yeni tip koronavirus pandemisi döneminde üniversitelerde uzaktan eğitim: Lisans öğrencileri kapsamında bir değerlendirme çalışması. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 10(2), 181–192. DOI:10.2399/yod.20.730688
• Kaya, M. (2018). Turkey’s purge of critical academia. Middle East Report, 288. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://merip.org/2018/12/turkeys-purge-of-critical-academia/
• Kırşehir Ahi Evran Universitesi. (2020). Kriz döneminde faklı bir yönetim yaklaşımı. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.ahievran.edu.tr/arsiv-haberler/5908-aydep-koordinatorlugu-tarafindan-uzaktan-egitimde-yapilan-calismalar-rapor-haline-getirildi
• Kubota, T. (January 13, 2021). Lab life at Stanford during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stanford News. Retrieved September 28, 2023, from https://news.stanford.edu/2021/01/13/research-covid-19-pandemic/#:~:text=Embracing%20new%20tools%20and%20resources,virtual%20and%20in%2Dperson%20experimentation.
• Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2006). What matters to student success: A review of the literature. National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) Commissioned Paper. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from http://nces.ed.gov/npec/pdf/kuh_team_report.pdf
• Lassoued, Z., Alhendawi, M., & Bashitialshaaer, R. (2020). An exploratory study of the obstacles for achieving quality in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Sciences, 10(9), 232. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10090232
• Lee, K. (2020). Coronavirus: Universities are shifting classes online – but it’s not as easy as it sounds. The Conversation. Retrieved October 23, 2021, from https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-universities-are-shifting-classes-online-but-its-not-as-easy-as-it-sounds-133030
• Lenning, O. T., & Ebbers, L. H. (1999). The powerful potential of learning communities: Improving education for the future. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 26(6). The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
• Mezirow, J. (1995). Transformation theory of adult learning. In M. Welton (Ed.), In defense of the lifeworld: Critical perspectives on adult learning (pp.37-90). State University of New York Press.
• Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult: Core concepts of transformation theory. In J. Mezirow & Associates (Eds.), Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress (pp. 3–33). Jossey-Bass.
• Mitchell, A. K., Mork, A. L., Hall, J., & Bayer, C. R. (2021). Navigating COVID-19 through diverse student learning communities: importance and lessons learned. Health Education, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-01-2021-0012
• Montacute, R. (2020). Social mobility and covid-19: Implications of the Covid-19 crisis for educational inequality. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-19-and-Social-Mobility-1.pdf
• Mülteciler Derneği. (2023). Türkiye’deki Suriyeli sayısı Mart 2023. https://multeciler.org.tr/turkiyedeki-suriyeli-sayisi/
• Nosaka, T., & Novak, H. (2014). Against the odds: The impact of the key communities at Colorado State University on retention and graduation for historically underrepresented students. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 2(2), Article 3.
• OECD. (2020). Lessons for education from Covid-19: A policymaker’s handbook for more resilient systems. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/education/policy-outlook/
• Raaper, R., & Brown, C. (2020). The Covid-19 pandemic and the dissolution of the university campus: Implications for students support practice. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5(3/4), 343-349. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-06-2020-0032
• Roose, K. (2020). Sorry, but working from home is overrated. The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/working-from-home.html
• Sefton-Green, J. (2020). COVID-19 shows the flawed ways societies use education to address inequality. UNESCO Futures of Education Ideas LAB. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/sefton-green-flawed-ways-societies-use-education-address-inequality
• Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday/Currency.
• Servage, L. (2008). Critical and transformative practices in professional learning communities. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(1), 63-77. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23479031
• Shapiro, N. S., & Levine, J. H. (1999). Creating learning communities: A practical guide to winning support, organizing for change, and implementing programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• SPARK (n.d.). Higher education services. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://spark.ngo/programme/higher-education-services-hes/
• Studyportals. (2020). 36% of students consider changing their academic plans due to COVID-19. Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://studyportals.com/press-releases/36-of-students-consider-changing-their-academic-plans-due-to-covid-19/
• TEDMEM. (2020). Covid-19 sürecinde eğitim. Uzaktan öğrenme, sorunlar ve çözüm önerileri. Türk Eğitim Derneği.
• THE. (2020, October). How Turkey’s universities are mastering digital transformation. THE World University Rankings. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/coursera/p/how-turkeys-universities-are-mastering-digital-transformation
• The Global Platform. (2020). Higher education in emergencies: On the road to 2030. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.globalplatformforsyrianstudents.org/index.php/news-room/higher-education-in-emergencies-on-the-road-to-2030-is-now-available
• Tinto, V. (1998). Colleges as communities: Taking research on student persistence seriously. The Review of Higher Education, 21(2), 167-177. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/30046
• Tinto, V. (2012). Moving from theory to action: A model of institutional action for student success. In Seidman, A. (Ed.). (2012). College student retention: Formula for student success (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
• UNESCO. (2020a). Startling digital divides in distance learning emerge. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://en.unesco.org/news/startling-digital-divides-distance-learning-emerge
• UNESCO. (2020b). Education for sustainable development: A roadmap. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374802
• UNESCO IESALC. (2020). COVID-19 and higher education: Today and tomorrow. Impact analysis, policy responses and recommendations. UNESCO IESALC. Retrieved on November 10, 2021, from https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/en/publicaciones-2/
• UNESCO. (2021a). Supporting learning recovery one year into Covid-19: The global education coalition in action. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000376061
• UNESCO. (n.d.). Higher education and the sustainable development goals. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://en.unesco.org/themes/higher-education/sdgs
• UNHCR (2020). DAFI annual report 2020: Aiming higher. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from https://www.unhcr.org/publications/brochures/6177e5204/dafi-annual-report-2020.html
• UNHCR. (2020-21). Turkey country chapter 2021-2022. 3RP regional refugee resilience plan 2018-19. http://www.3rpsyriacrisis.org/
• Vogt, W. P. (1997). Tolerance and education: Learning to live with diversity and difference. Sage. White, M., Legg, E., Foroughi, B., & Rose, J. (2019). Constructing past, present, and future communities: Exploring the experiences of community among last-dollar scholarship students. Journal of Community Psychology, 47(4), 805–818. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22154
• WHO. (2020a). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
• WHO. (2020b). Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 19 October 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---19-october-2021#:~:text=Download%20(2.3%20MB)-,Overview,as%20those%20reported%20last%20week's
• WHO. (2021). Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://covid19.who.int/ World Bank. (2020). The COVID-19 Crisis response: Supporting tertiary education for continuity, adaptation, and innovation. World Bank. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/621991586463915490/
• Young-Powell, A. (2020). It's a nightmare: How coronavirus is wreaking havoc on students' exams. The Guardian. Retrieved October 30, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/25/its-a-nightmare-how-coronavirus-is-wreaking-havoc-on-students-exams
• Zhao, C. & Kuh, G. (2004). Adding value: Learning communities and student engagement. Research in Higher Education, 45, 115‐138. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RIHE.0000015692.88534.de
• Zmuda, A., Kuklis, R., & Kline, E. (2004). Transforming schools: Creating a culture of continuous improvement. ASCD