The Historical Development and Adaptation of Open Universities in Turkish Context

Abstract

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has a long history, one marked by the emergence of open universities, which was a critical development in the ecology of openness. Open universities have taken on significant local and global roles within the framework of meeting the needs of their respective regions of influence, and as such, their roles have evolved over time. Against this background, the purpose of this research is to explore the open university phenomenon by examining the case of Anadolu University in Turkey, a mega university that has transformed into what is now a giga university. More specifically, the research first looks at openness in education and how the concept itself has led to the emergence of open universities, before turning attention to Anadolu University, which is a dual-mode, state university with around 3 million enrolled students. Other issues that are addressed as part of this research include the rise of ODL and how it positioned itself within Turkish higher education; the historical development of Anadolu University and its massiveness, in terms of student numbers and services provided; local and global ODL practices; learner profiles, learning materials and spaces; exams and assessment and evaluation processes; learner support services, and Anadolu University’s contribution, as an open university, to the field of ODL. The research shows that as an open university, Anadolu University has narrowed the information gap and digital divide, has enhanced equality of opportunity in education, and has provided lifelong learning opportunities. More importantly, as an institution that has gone beyond the conventional understanding of an open university, Anadolu University serves as a catalyst of change and innovation in its emergence as a role model for other higher education institutions. The following recommendations were able to be developed from the examinations of this study: (1) develop a definition of “openness” based on the changing paradigms of the 21st century and online learning, (2) enter into national and international collaborations between open universities, (3) adopt culturally relevant open pedagogies, (4) develop and design heutagogy-based curricula, and (5) unbundle ODL services in mega and giga universities.

Academic Procrastination and Performance in Distance Education: A Causal-Comparative Study in an Online Learning Environment

“…In the context of distance education, most of the open universities deliver educational content to a massive number of students. For instance, at Anadolu University, a giga university with 3 million enrolled learners, the age range of students is 18 to 68 and they come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (Bozkurt, 2019). Considering that the age span and socio-economic status of the learners in the present study were narrower in range (e.g., from 18 to 23, undergraduate young learners), a different age span may lead to different research findings.…”

E-Learning as a Development Tool

“…A. Bozkurt [37] in turn took into account the contribution of Anadolu University in Turkey in reducing the information gap and digital divide by increasing equality of educational opportunities and expanding opportunities for lifelong learning.…”

The Acceptance of M-Heutagogical Practice in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review

“…In other words, M-Heutagogy can be implemented in any area as long as it is implemented in universities, technical and vocational institutions, colleges, and high schools. Distance learning education institutions can try to apply the M-Heutagogy to the students and used suitable technologies such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Nearpod, and Learning Management System (LMS) [43] [64]. To use M-Heutagogy, educators need to give autonomy to students to decide their learning objectives, contents, activities, and assessments [12] [38-41].…”