Bilkent University lost Mehmet Serhat Azgur, instructor in the Department of Computer and Instructional Technology Teacher Education and the Department of Computer Technology and Programming in the Faculty of Education, on Monday, October 21.
A respected academician in his field, Mr. Azgur graduated from the Middle East Technical University Department of Management in 1979. He received his master’s degree from the same university’s Department of Computer Engineering. Mr. Azgur was also one of the first students to graduate from the MA Program in Curriculum and Instruction in the Graduate School of Education of Bilkent University, in 2011.
He worked at a number of leading companies, including Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik A.Ş., Ortadoğu Rulman Sanayi ve Tic. A.Ş., ALCATEL Austria Gesellschaft M.b.H. and ITT Telecom Products Corporation, and as a part-time instructor for eight years before joining Bilkent University as a full-time instructor in 2006.
In addition to his professional accomplishments and abilities, his personal qualities made him a beloved colleague and mentor. His courteous, kind-hearted and modest manner, along with his reliability and perseverance, drew a response from students, staff and fellow academics alike. He was devoted to his family, which includes his wife Aynur Azgur and two children.
When Mr. Azgur applied to enter the MA program at Bilkent, he wrote a personal statement. His statement encapsulates his philosophy of teaching, his eagerness to advance his professional skills, and his own modest and quiet approach. He wrote:
“I am neither an experienced teacher nor have I received a formal education in this field. But I started giving ICT-related [courses] in 1998 at Bilkent University. And I loved the profession, and have been continuously searching for different and better methods of teaching since then.
“I started as a part-time instructor; after 25 years of professional experience, I quickly become addicted to teaching and could not leave the University. Eventually, I understood
that the important point is not ‘teaching’ but ‘learning.’
“Thus, instead of re-inventing the wheel, I applied to the Faculty of Education for the MA program to learn education. And to discuss new methods and ways to make my students ‘learn’ better and faster, which would also let me accomplish my job better.”
He ended his statement: “Above all, I am searching for answers to two questions:
“How can I increase motivation in the classroom and maximize student learning outcomes? Secondly, how can I increase the quality and use of time to become a better role model for my students?”
Mehmet Serhat Azgur will be greatly missed by everyone at Bilkent. We would like to express our profound condolences to his family, friends, students and the Bilkent community.
You may offer your condolences at