Ebru Kılıç Çakmak

Social media platforms provide large-scale, naturally occurring data that enable researchers to examine public discourse and interaction patterns around major societal issues. Focusing on the late pandemic period, this study investigates how Twitter users discussed online learning by combining social network analysis and sentiment analysis. Tweets posted between July 1 and November 28, 2021 were collected using predefined hashtags and search terms in English and Turkish, resulting in a dataset of 6,070,574 tweets. After data cleaning and integration, network structures were modelled through retweet and mention relationships, and key social network metrics (e.g., node and edge counts, average degree, modularity, and network diameter) were computed and visualized using sociograms. In parallel, users’ emotional orientations were examined via dictionary-based sentiment analysis, classifying tweets as positive, negative, neutral, or mixed. Findings show that online learning discussions form clustered interaction patterns that vary by hashtag density and language, while neutral sentiment dominates overall with variations across terms.

Erken matematik eğitiminde çocuğun gelişim düzeyi ve öğrenme ihtiyaçlarına uygun, somuttan soyuta, basitten karmaşığa, deneyerek öğrenmeye fırsat veren aktif öğrenme ortamlarının ve yenilikçi stratejilerin kullanılması, içeriğin sürecin parçası olması, doğru zamanda ve doğru şekilde sunulması büyük önem taşımaktadır. Teknolojik gelişmeler, günlük hayatın hemen hemen her alanında kullanılarak vazgeçilmez bir araç hâline gelmiştir. Çocuklarda erken matematik becerilerinin desteklenmesinde, web tabanlı programlardan yararlanılabilir ve aileler bu konuda desteklenebilir. Bu bağlamda oyunlar, eğlenceli keşifler, günlük rutinler, somut materyaller ve üretim odaklı teknolojiden yararlanarak çocukların ilgilerine, gelişim düzeylerine ve bireysel farklılıklarına uygun web tabanlı erken matematik aile destek programının (WEB-MAT) geliştirilmesi, uygulanması ve değerlendirilmesi amaçlı bir proje uygulamaya konmuştur. Çocukların erken matematik becerilerinin değerlendirilmesi ve geliştirilmesine yönelik TÜBİTAK destekli bu proje, Türkiye genelinde yürütülecektir. Proje ve projeden elde edilen bilimsel verilerin ülkemizde erken matematik eğitimi konusunda ulusal politikaların desteklenmesine önemli katkılar sağlayacağı öngörülmüştür. Bu çalışmada, projenin kapsamı, önemi ve proje süreci ayrıntılarıyla ele alınmıştır.

In this study, research on distance education in the last twenty years has been analyzed according to years, keywords, countries, and institutions. The sample of the study consisted of 20,634 studies published on distance education in the last twenty years on Web of Science. Data were downloaded from the database by year. The data obtained were analyzed with WOSViewer. For some analyses, data were analyzed with Power BI version 2.11 software to reach meaningful results. The results were analyzed and compared separately for four quarters or periods of time: 2003-2007, 2008- 2012, 2013-2017, and 2018-2023. As a result, most publications were made in 2021 and in the fourth quarter. "Distance learning, higher education, distance education, education, online education, blended learning, online teaching, pandemic, and covid-19" are the most used keywords according to the general distribution of research by keywords. The use of keywords differed by quartiles. The USA, China, England, Australia, and Spain were the countries with the highest number of distance education publications according to general distribution. The USA, England, Australia, Spain, and Saudi Arabia have conducted studies every quarter. The University of California System, N Research Partnership, University of London were the organizations with the highest number of publications during the time periods studied. It was found that only the Open University in the UK published distance education articles in three quarters.

Örgün eğitim, Covid-19 salgınıyla beraber “zorunlu acil uzaktan öğretime” geçmiştir. Hızlı geçiş sağlanan uzaktan eğitim sürecine Yükseköğretimin çözümü ve öğretim elemanlarının sürece destekleri önemli görülmektedir. Öğretim elemanlarının acil durum uzaktan öğretim sürecine/süreçlerine hazır bulunuşluklarını belirlemek amacıyla uzaktan eğitim öz-yeterlik ölçeği geliştirilmiştir. Geliştirilen ölçek, basit rastgele örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilen öğretim elemanlarının cevaplaması için çevrimiçi ortama aktarılmış ve e-posta aracılığıyla gönderilmiştir. Ölçek geliştirme çalışmasında geçerlik ve güvenirlik analizleri 163 öğretim elemanının katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Uzaktan eğitim öz-yeterlik ölçeği için Cronbach’s Alfa iç tutarlılık katsayısı .972 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Ölçek, acil durum uzaktan öğretim süreci göz önünde bulundurularak öğretim elemanlarının verdiği cevaplar ve alan uzmanlarının görüşleri doğrultusunda “eğitim-öğretim”, “sistem tasarımı” ve “yönetim süreçleri” olarak üç faktör toplam 29 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Yükseköğretimde uzaktan eğitimde öğretim elemanlarının öz-yeterlik düzeylerine ilişkin hazırlanan çalışmanın alana katkı sağlaması beklenmektedir.

The COVID-19 epidemic has precipitated a rapid and widespread adoption of online education, leading to its normalization in contemporary society. Online education is evident across several educational levels. However, assessing the efficacy and effectiveness of these training programs can only be achieved by implementing a suitable evaluation methodology. One of the primary challenges associated with online education is the difficulty in assessing its quality and effectiveness. One of the contributing factors to this issue is the instructor's lack of technological skills and knowledge relevant to online teaching. This research aims to develop a scale (Online Evaluation Awareness-OnEvA) to determine the instructors’ awareness of online evaluation. 165 participants’ data from 63 universities was used for exploratory factor analysis. The items of the scale are designed to measure awareness in both pedagogical and technological dimensions. The items in the pedagogical dimension include the essential competencies that instructors should possess, and alternative evaluation methods offered online. In the technological dimension, the items are created to determine instructors’ awareness of the use of technological platforms and tools. For the next step, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to establish the scale’s construct validity with 161 instructors. Additionally, the scale’s internal consistency was determined to be high, with a Cronbach's alpha of .964. It is affirmed that this awareness scale developed within the scope of this research will contribute to the development of future models or frameworks related to the dimensions of evaluation knowledge in online learning.

Micro-lessons increasingly integrate diverse technologies to foster creative thinking skills, aided by AI and emerging tools, regardless of age or education level. Owing to the swift advancement of artificial intelligence, novel technologies, and tools are gaining increasing significance in fostering creative thinking skills. Irrespective of the educational level and age group, encouraging creative thinking within the prepared micro-lessons and conducting studies for its enhancement by students is paramount. This section conducted comprehensive research to identify innovative technologies that stimulate creative thinking within micro-lessons. Throughout the design and implementation of micro-lessons, the strategies employed for nurturing creative thinking, the technological tools utilized, and prospective tools for this purpose in the future are extensively elucidated with the backing of literature. In line with this objective, researchers have formulated the “typology of innovative technologies that trigger creative thinking in micro-lessons.”

The study aims to reveal the existing situation, deficiencies, and results of the applications in the online assessment process and to bring suggestions to researchers and practitioners. For this purpose, the studies on the applications carried out in the online assessment process were examined and analyzed and suggestions were made according to the results. The systematic literature review method was used in the study. The results were analyzed by reviewing the research in the literature with the research topic. The studies were brought together by examining the full texts of the studies included in the analysis, the applications used in the assessment process, and their results. The purpose of the study, the assessment process, and the results of the applications made in this process were examined in detail. These studies were then classified according to focus topics using NVivo 12 software. In addition, the research findings were included by using descriptive analysis. As a result, studies on online assessment are generally about the obstacles and experiences encountered in the assessment process. The technical infrastructure problems, accessibility, and technology literacy problems encountered in these studies are the default elements of online learning environments and must be resolved. By overcoming these problems completely, an in-depth examination of exam security and exam quality can be made. In addition, the negativities experienced in the assessment processes in applied fields are another problem encountered and it is a subject open to research.

The study investigated the effects of gamification on behavioral and cognitive engagement of students in online learning environments. The study was conducted in a quasi-experimental design including a control group. Students in the gamified environment were the experimental group, and the students studying in the non-gamified environment were the control group. Both groups of students studied in an online learning environment for 10 weeks. The study group consists of 46 students selected with the convenience sampling method. There were 18 male and 5 female students in the experimental group, and 19 male and 4 female students in the control group. Four research questions guided the study. Findings revealed that gamification enhanced students’ achievement by increasing their content interaction in the online learning environment. The study recommended the use of gamification in the online learning environment because it makes learning that looks difficult or boring become interesting and easier to understand. Hence, it is activity-based and involves students’ active engagement.

The research aims to determine the elements under the structural component in distance learning environments. The research was conducted as a systematic literature review. The research was conducted on a total of 54 studies. The studies were accessed through the electronic databases accessible at Gazi University. A PRISMA flow chart was used to select the studies. The classification of the studies into categories and codes was done using content analysis, in terms of the structural component. A total of 78 codes were found in 5 categories under which 5409 codings were made. It was found that under the structural component, the Technology category was the most frequently used. This category is followed by flexibility-rigidity, assessment, guidance and curriculum. The most frequently used code in the studies is individual feedback, which falls under the flexibility-rigidity category. As a result of the study, some suggestions were made for designers of distance education media. They should pay maximum attention to the flexibility-rigidity category to support students’ sense of belonging. It is recommended to use different (textual, audio/video) feedback methods in the learning environment. They are expected to pay more attention to the Curriculum category to support learner success. The roles of teachers and learners should be clearly defined. Technology should be planned to support all processes such as interaction, access to content, communication, sharing, collaboration, and evaluation that may be experienced in the learning environment. Formative evaluation should be considered important and more than one method of performance assessment should be used. Since technological platforms are the basic elements of communication, they should be used extensively in learning environments.