Orientation in Üsküdar also covers faculty members!

In Üsküdar University, in addition to orientation activities supporting students' adaptation to university and academic life, an institutional orientation program has been structured to support faculty members' adaptation to academic, administrative, and digital processes. The “Faculty Member Institutional Orientation Program,” prepared in collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Coordination Office and the Department of Strategy Development and Quality, is being implemented as the 10th lesson of the Trainer Training Certificate Program, while also contributing to quality assurance efforts.

While orientation in universities mostly brings to mind the process of students adapting to the institution and academic life, at Üsküdar University, a systematic structure has been established to support the adaptation of faculty members to institutional processes as well. 

Faculty members' adaptation process to the institution has been made systematic

Prof. Hadiye Yılmaz, Head of the History Department, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Üsküdar University, and Learning and Teaching Coordinator, stated that a program was needed for faculty members to adapt more quickly and holistically to the university's academic, administrative, and digital processes, adding that previously, information was provided by relevant units separately and as needs arose. Yılmaz stated; “This program was needed for faculty members to adapt more quickly and holistically to the university's academic, administrative, and digital processes. Previously, information was provided by relevant units separately and as needs arose, but with the new program, the process has been brought under a single roof with a systematic and standard structure.”

Quality evaluations accelerated the structuring of the process

Yılmaz stated that during quality evaluations and institutional visits, it was questioned to what extent newly appointed faculty members knew institutional processes and systems and how they were informed about them; “During quality evaluations and institutional visits, it was specifically questioned to what extent newly appointed faculty members knew institutional processes and systems, and how they were informed about them. We explained that support was provided to faculty members by various units as needed. Thanks to these questions and the growing awareness, the process of making orientation a standard and systematic program, no longer dependent on individuals or units, was accelerated,” she said.

Structured as Faculty Member Institutional Orientation

Yılmaz stated that in line with the needs of faculty members regarding institutional processes and the expectations highlighted in quality evaluations, the Learning and Teaching Coordination Office and the Department of Strategy Development and Quality collaborated, and as a result of this work, the 10th lesson of the Trainer Training Certificate Program was restructured as “Faculty Member Institutional Orientation.”

Yılmaz; “In line with the needs of faculty members regarding institutional processes and the expectations highlighted in quality evaluations, the Learning and Teaching Coordination Office collaborated with the Department of Strategy Development and Quality. As a result of this work, the 10th lesson of the existing Trainer Training Certificate Program was restructured as ‘Faculty Member Institutional Orientation,’ and the training sessions of the relevant units were gathered under a single program,” she said.

The project team consists of representatives from different faculties

A project team comprising academics from different faculties contributed to the structuring of the “Faculty Member Institutional Orientation” program. In the team led by Prof. Hadiye Yılmaz as Coordinator, Asst. Prof. Ayşegül Balta Özgen from the Sociology Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences served as Assistant Coordinator; while faculty representatives included Rector's Advisor Prof. İsmail Barış, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry Prof. Ziver Ergün Yücel, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Mehmet Aydın, Asst. Prof. Ceren Saran Doğan, and Asst. Prof. Çiğdem Zkuruov from the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences.

Institutional systems and administrative processes are covered

Yılmaz, providing information on the scope of the program, stated that within the scope of the Faculty Member Institutional Orientation, in addition to the use of institutional systems, the processes of various academic and administrative units of the university are also covered. Yılmaz; “Within the scope of the program, the use of institutional systems such as FTS, STIX, OBS/BBS, and EBYS, as well as the processes of quality, personnel, international relations, library, corporate communication, and other administrative units are covered. It is aimed for faculty members to familiarize themselves with the university’s institutional functioning and to effectively use the systems and processes they need,” she said.

Contributes to education quality and quality assurance

Yılmaz emphasized that a defined and systematic orientation program contributes to faculty members carrying out institutional processes correctly and effectively, and stated that this supports the quality of education. She also stated that the program contributes to the institutionalization of the quality assurance system by ensuring standardization and continuity in practices.

Faculty member orientation has gained an institutional structure

Yılmaz stated that transforming faculty member orientation into a defined and systematic program is an important step towards institutionalization and quality assurance for Üsküdar University, and that quality efforts are carried out with a sustainable approach, not limited to evaluation periods.