Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Professions will not disappear, they will only transform”

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, was a live guest on AKİT TV’s “Education Atlas with Murat Şahin” program. Tarhan emphasized that in university preference, not only the choice of department but also psychological resilience, right decision-making skills, and digital competencies are important. Stating that professions will not disappear but transform, Tarhan made evaluations on many topics, from the effects of generative artificial intelligence on the education world to project-oriented learning, from social diploma applications to psychological resilience. He stated that young people should prioritize their social and emotional development as much as academic success while preparing for the future. 

“An education ecosystem where they can ask the right questions and make the right decisions”

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasized that university education is not limited to providing a profession, but also requires students to develop skills such as psychological resilience and digital competency. Tarhan said; “In university preference, not only the student's talent and chosen department are important. Individuals entering university not only start learning a profession but also learn how to sustain their professional success. In addition, they need to learn to strengthen psychologically and manage themselves. A person who cannot manage themselves cannot manage another group or organize tasks. Today, it is of great importance for individuals who will live with artificial intelligence to develop their digital skills. For this reason, we recommend that students study in an education ecosystem where they can develop their psychological resilience, adapt to digital transformation, manage themselves correctly, ask the right questions, and make the right decisions, rather than just thinking ‘I will learn a field of knowledge’.”

“Professions will not disappear, they will only transform”

Stating that generative artificial intelligence offers significant opportunities in the world of education and science, Tarhan drew attention to the importance of using these technologies in line with ethical principles. Tarhan said; “We are no longer talking about classical artificial intelligence, but generative artificial intelligence. We are carrying out comprehensive studies at our university regarding these systems, called Generative AI. In fact, we have taken important decisions in our senate regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence. Because these systems can write articles and produce information, but sometimes they can also present information that is contrary to reality, meaning they can produce hallucinations. For this reason, we attach importance to declaring the extent to which artificial intelligence is used within the framework of ethical principles. We aim to be a learning university, a learning organization. As Elon Musk said, ‘Intelligence has become cheap, character has become expensive.’ This statement is very valuable today. Accessing information is now very easy, but there is a global crisis in character development. We see more and more examples of artificial intelligence being used for malicious purposes every day. For this reason, we want our students to be individuals who use artificial intelligence correctly and can integrate it into their professions as a skill. Because some professions will not disappear, they will only transform and become easier to perform.”

“One of the most important features that makes a human being human is consciousness”

Tarhan stated that artificial intelligence will accelerate decision-making processes, but the final decision will always belong to humans; “Artificial intelligence will make our lives easier and increase our decision-making speed. However, to make the right decision, the final decision must still be made by humans. Because artificial intelligence is not the owner of life. Consciousness, which is unique to humans, is still one of the most studied topics in the scientific world today. The question ‘Can consciousness be created in artificial intelligence?’ is being investigated, but one of the most important features that makes a human being human is consciousness. In addition, it is very important for people to be able to socialize, be emotionally strong, and learn from their mistakes. People who continue to learn new things after finishing school and gaining a profession will be the winners of the future. Individuals with a learning organization mindset learn a lesson from every mistake. They see criticism as part of development, and accept their mistakes as natural steps on the road to perfection. The real failure is not making mistakes, but not learning from mistakes. People who think this way do not fall into learned helplessness when they encounter a crisis. They think, ‘How do I overcome this obstacle?’, ‘How do I navigate this path?’ This is the perspective we need to instill in young people. Today, what is important is not just to perform, but to deliver the right performance.”

“What matters is being able to offer a meaningful purpose…”

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that they aim to spread a project culture at the university, and emphasized the great importance for students to gain practical experience alongside theoretical knowledge and develop project production skills. Tarhan said; “Last year, we organized the first Student Congress. Our students wrote and presented the projects they prepared throughout the year in TÜBİTAK format, and successful projects were rewarded. Each faculty was evaluated within its own field. Seeing the excitement students showed while presenting their projects was truly invaluable. When young people are shown the right goals, they can direct their energy to very different areas. What matters is being able to offer them a meaningful purpose. In addition, our instructors meticulously teach that projects should be prepared within the framework of ethical values and ethical standards. I am not hopeless about young people; on the contrary, I am very hopeful. Various criticisms are made about Generation Z, but I believe that they can produce very successful work when guided correctly. For this reason, our students must prepare a graduation project before graduating. Because writing a project requires mental effort. It teaches research, planning, resource management, teamwork, and disciplined work. These are not learned only through theoretical knowledge; they are learned by practicing and taking part in the process. If one needs to get into the water to learn to swim, one needs to be part of the project to learn to produce projects. These experiences will contribute to our students’ scientific production and achieving significant success in their fields in the future. Life itself is actually a project. Setting the right goals, making plans, managing time well, and working outcome-oriented are also the most important parts of this project.”

“We want our students to come to university with a project idea”

Emphasizing that university education should be based on questioning rather than rote learning, Tarhan drew attention to the importance for students to develop a research culture by asking the right questions. Tarhan said; “A student coming to university should come not by asking ‘What will I learn today?’, but by asking ‘What can I ask my instructor today?’. A student who asks the right question makes the right choice and makes the right decision. There is a very good example regarding this. When a female scientist who won an award in Central Europe was asked what she owed her success to, she replied, ‘I owe it to my mother.’ When asked why, she said, ‘My mother never asked me what my teacher asked me or what I answered when I came home from school. She always asked me what I asked my teacher.’ This is how critical thinking and questioning develop. We also want our students to come to university with a project idea. A student who thinks ‘What project can I work on with my instructor today?’ embraces the laboratory and takes part in the application. Laboratories are very important, especially in application-heavy fields such as health, engineering, and neuroscience. In addition, we attach great importance to creating environments where our students can apply their theoretical knowledge in the field through sector collaborations.”

“They need to strike a balance between individual benefit and societal benefit”

Stating that university education should not be limited to academic success alone, Tarhan drew attention to the importance of supporting students with social responsibility activities and international experiences. Tarhan said; “In addition to the academic diploma, we now attach importance to documenting the social gains our students acquire throughout their university life. In addition to the diploma supplement given under the European Union’s Bologna criteria, we are also implementing a social diploma or social transcript application. Our students’ club activities, social responsibility projects, sporting achievements, and volunteer work will be evaluated within this scope. Many activities, from volunteer activities carried out in the earthquake region to social projects, contribute to our students’ social development. Our university has approximately 5,000 international students. We bring these students together with our Turkish students through a peer mentoring system. Together, they get to know the city, participate in cultural events, and form strong social bonds. Because today, due to the effect of digitalization, many young people live in a virtual world. If we do not want to be slaves to algorithms, we must relearn to socialize. Our biggest advice to young people is to strike a balance between individual benefit and societal benefit when making their choices. Scientific research shows that one of the elements that makes people happiest is participating in activities that contribute to society in line with purposes that transcend themselves. People who form strong social bonds are both happier and lead a psychologically more robust life.”

“We teach psychological resilience to young people”

Emphasizing that academic success alone is not enough, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that developing young people's social and emotional skills will be decisive in the future world. Tarhan said; “Academic success alone is no longer sufficient. It is also necessary to teach young people social and emotional success. Especially in developed countries, trauma-informed education models and social-emotional learning programs are rapidly becoming widespread. In an era where digital bullying is increasing, it is more important than ever for young people to be psychologically strong. For this reason, we added the Positive Psychology course to our curriculum in 2013. Later, Harvard University implemented similar practices in 2015, Yale University in 2018, and Bristol University in 2019. With this course, which we give in the first year, we aim to equip our students with psychological resilience. In the feedback we receive from our students at the end of the course, we see very valuable evaluations such as ‘My relationships with my friends improved,’ ‘My communication with my family strengthened,’ and ‘My perspective on life changed.’ This feedback clearly demonstrates that social and emotional learning directly contributes to the lives of young people. Individuals who will be successful in the future world will not only be those who have knowledge but also those who are psychologically strong, adaptable to change, and can continue lifelong learning.”