The Faculty of Engineering recently held a workshop on the topic “Experimental Pedagogies in Science, Technology and Society,” co-organized by Dr. Emine Öncüler Yayalar from Bilkent University and Dr. Arsev Aydınoğlu from Middle East Technical University. The event, which focused on what kind of pedagogical strategies might be developed to enable interdisciplinary conversations in the classroom and beyond, took place at Bilkent on January 13 and attracted nearly 30 participants from eight universities and research institutes.
The workshop began with Dr. Diler Öner (Boğaziçi University) and Dr. Erkan Saka (Bilgi University) introducing various pedagogical tools for integrating digital technologies into the higher education classroom to promote engaged learning. In the second session, Dr. Melike Şahinol (Orient-Institute İstanbul) and Dr. Robin Downey (Bilkent University) focused on the importance of experience-based learning in their presentations on the use of applied projects as a pedagogical tool.
The afternoon session consisted of a roundtable discussion about going beyond the classroom to engage the public on issues related to science and technology. Dr. Özlem Ak (TÜBİTAK), Dr. Sevinç Gelmez Burakgazi (Hacettepe University) and Dr. Eric Deibel (Bilkent University) discussed popular science magazines, science centers and emerging forms of dialogue between producers and users of scientific knowledge.