Artificial Intelligence is in Universities! A protocol was signed between the Council of Higher Education and the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.
President of the Council of Higher Education Özvar: "Thanks to this protocol, we plan to include the courses given by BTK Academy in the curricula of our universities and to credit these courses. BTK Academy courses will be followed by students online or offline, and exams will be held face to face at our universities. “This represents a first step in the history of Turkish higher education.”
“I believe that the cooperation between our Board and BTK will make serious contributions to the training of qualified human capital that our country needs in strategic areas and to the development of university-sector cooperation.”
A Cooperation Protocol on the Use of BTK Academy Course Contents was signed between the Council of Higher Education and the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) regarding the inclusion of courses on artificial intelligence and digital technologies in university curricula. A protocol signing ceremony and BTK Academy Artificial Intelligence Summit'24 were held at BTK with the participation of Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and President of the Council of Higher Education Erol Özvar. In his speech at the ceremony, President of the Council of Higher Education Özvar pointed out that qualified manpower is needed in all relevant sectors in parallel with the rapid developments in the field of digital technologies. Özvar stated that for this purpose, "Artificial Intelligence Engineering" and "Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering" departments have been opened at the undergraduate level and different programs at the graduate level in recent years, and that this number will be increased when necessary.
Artificial Intelligence Studies
Emphasizing that the issue of digital security has gained importance in the digitalizing world, Özvar reminded that 4 newly established cyber security vocational schools started education in this academic year. Underlining that they attach great importance to the effects of artificial intelligence on higher education and the contributions it can make to the technological and economic development of the country, Özvar said, "We have been spending serious time on this issue recently." said. Özvar said that they have now started to turn the technical studies carried out within the Council of Higher Education into concrete steps. Stating that they attach great importance to developing cooperation with all stakeholders, including the public and private sectors, regarding digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, Özvar expressed his belief that the cooperation protocol to be signed with BTK will yield extremely beneficial results in this sense. Özvar said that BTK Academy has a huge potential with approximately 2 million users, raises awareness of technology in a wide range of people with its activities and courses, and offers new job and career opportunities to young people.
We established the "Working Group on Determination of Artificial Intelligence-Based Programs"
Stating that a Working Group on Determination of Artificial Intelligence-Based Programs has been established within the Council of Higher Education, Özvar continued as follows: "This working group has an important role in determining the new departments and programs that need to be opened in order to meet the human resource needs arising in matters such as artificial intelligence, digitalization and big data. undertaken. As a result of the first evaluations made by the working group, it was decided to open a new associate and undergraduate program based on information technologies and artificial intelligence. Opening of other programs may be on the agenda in the future. At this point, although the main responsibility for determining the curricula of these programs belongs to the universities, our working group will provide all kinds of support to the universities regarding the curricula due to the lack of experienced faculty members.”
YÖK – BTK Cooperation
Özvar stated that at this point, the idea of crediting the courses given by BTK Academy and turning them into diplomas emerged and that it was evaluated that a cooperation between the Council of Higher Education and BTK would provide serious benefits, and continued: "Dear students, thanks to this protocol, the courses given by BTK Academy will be included in the curricula of our universities. We plan to include and credit these courses. The inclusion of courses in the course pools of our universities will be carried out through the 'Working Group' established within our Board. BTK Academy courses will be followed by students online or offline, and exams will be held face-to-face at our universities. I think this represents a first step in the history of Turkish higher education. In this regard, I would especially like to thank our Esteemed Minister Abdulkadir for his contributions. "In the next stage, by establishing a joint working group between BTK and the Council of Higher Education, it will be possible to further advance cooperation in matters such as opening new courses and carrying out curriculum studies together." Emphasizing that he believes that the cooperation between the Council of Higher Education and BTK will make serious contributions to the training of qualified human capital that the country needs in strategic areas and the development of university-sector cooperation, Özvar said, "I would like to confirm the will of our Board to further strengthen our cooperation in the coming period." he said.
Artificial Intelligence Summit
Özvar thanked those who supported and contributed and wished the protocol to be beneficial. After the speeches, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Higher Education Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktaş and BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu signed the protocol. Minister of Transport Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, President of the Council of Higher Education Erol Özvar, as well as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Higher Education Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktaş, Executive Board Members Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Karaman and Prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak, academicians, industry representatives and students attended. After the signing ceremony, BTK Academy Artificial Intelligence Summit was held.
