Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) which will continue its first semester online, has organised a face-to-face orientation program for the freshmen students between 5 and 9 October. The program, which has specifically prepared educations for the students of both faculties and vocational schools, has carried out in Akıngüç Auditorium in accordance with the pandemic rules.

“Face-to-Face Orientation Program is an Advantage for Us”

Enes Tekçe, student from the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, who attended the Orientation Program stated that “The face-to-face Orientation process is quite good for us because we can meet our friends here. When we were entering university, our temperatures were taken and were asked about our HES codes. At the same time, we are sitting according to the social distance rules. The reason why I came to this Orientation Program was to meet my classmates, my lecturers and to see the university environment.”

Also, Damla Yaren Karaoğlu, student from the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, said “I am here to meet my friends and my lecturers. Face-to-face Orientation Program is an advantage for us because in this period, there is no way for us to have a face-to-face education.”

Both Online and Face-to-Face Orientation
Stating that they organised both online and face-to-face Orientation Programs for the new Academic Year, Dr. Neslihan Fatma Er, Head of the IKU Student’s Life, Career, Alumni Support Unit (Kültür Point) and Distance Education Application Unit, also said “Every year we are making an application called ‘Peer Mentorship’ for our students. Every freshman meets with their peer mentors from upper-classes right after the students’ register processes are complete. This year we have organised this meeting online. We saw that our students are extremely excited. As a result, we wanted to host our students here. We divided our students in accordance with their faculties. We have carried out the programs we created specifically for them according to the social distance and hygiene rules. Therefore, we wanted to greet our students with short and effective program. We invited our students, who were not able to join to the face-to-face program, via online broadcasts.”

“We Were All Ready for the Distance Education System”
Stating that they were already ready for the Distance Education system, Dr. Er, also said that “We have easily adapted into the Distance Education System which has started in March 23rd. The reason why it was easy because we have already prepared our infrastructure for these situations. As university we were ready for this. We used to give this system’s orientation to our students even in the past years. From the moment we started to this online process we immediately shared this information to our students from the websites we created.”

“We Are Responding to Every Need Via Virtual Counter”

Informing about the Virtual Counter application which has been created for to become an answer and solution for students’ needs and questions, Dr. Neslihan Fatma Er states that “Our starting point was to think about the services we give to our students and if we could transfer them into the digital area. In the context of Virtual Counter, especially the Department of Student’s Affairs, Department of Administrative Financial Affairs, Unit of International Relations and Graduate Education Institute, we have opened the virtual offices of Department of Human Relations, Student’s Life, Career Alumni Support Unit (Kültür Point), Library, Infirmary (Health Services) and Psychological Guidance and Counsellor Unit.”