On 28-29 of July, Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) hosted the International Conference on Trends and Issues in Communication and Media (ITICAM) and the International Conference on New Horizons in Education (INTE), organised for the eighth time this year with the participation of 15 speakers from around the world.
A total of 160 articles, 60 of which were approved by the scientific committee, were published at the conferences held in cooperation with ARUCAD, Sakarya University, Educational Communication and Technology Association (AECT) and Istanbul University – Cerrahpaşa. Making the opening speech of the conference, ARUCAD Vice Rector, Assist. Assoc.Prof. Dr. İbrahim Dalkılıç expressed the immense satisfaction of the university to host such worthwhile conferences.
Sakarya University Faculty of Communication faculty member Prof. Dr. Aytekin İşman moderated the conferences and for two days speakers from many different countries such as USA, Portugal and Malaysia participated. Academics who could not come in person due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak delivered their papers online and participated in live sessions.
In the conference speakers addressed various issues related to today’s challenges in education. Prof. Douglas Franklin stated that higher education is at the centre of every event that happens in society. Franklin described the world we live in as the “VUCA World” meaning “volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous”, and added that we needed to have a place in our lives to think logically, analyse and be collaborative in order to cope with this world.
Prof. Teresa Franklin from Ohio University emphasised that there are two options for moving forward after the Covid-19 crisis: “to continue as before or to use this crisis as a tool that can transform higher education.” In this sense, she emphasised the importance of using artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate higher education research.
The two-day event ended with presentations of papers and workshops.