Open Training Day 2025
On September 12, 2025, the MEF University School of Foreign Languages hosted its annual Training Day in collaboration with Gordion Akademi and UES Türkiye. The event was centered on the institutional concept of "Sustainable Training," a model designed to recycle and share high-quality professional development resources among higher education institutions in Türkiye.
The 2025 MEF University School of Foreign Languages (SoFL) Training Day was structured around the theme of Sustainable Training, a model focused on recycling and sharing high-quality professional development resources between institutions.
The program featured two primary plenary sessions addressing the intersection of education and technology:
The Essence of Technology: Caroline Fell Kurban examined the human element in AI-mediated classrooms, connecting Heidegger’s philosophical insights to modern instructional challenges.
Academic Integrity in the Age of Generative AI: Chris Sanders provided a high-level overview of AI mechanics and explored strategies for maintaining institutional integrity.
Specialized parallel sessions and workshops covered a variety of pedagogical and technical areas:
Assessment and Feedback: Presentations included "Assessment as Learning" by Joel Compton and "Positive Washback in Action" by Chris Sanders.
Language Analysis: Faculty led intensive sessions on "Modality" and "Sentence Types".
Classroom Engagement: These sessions focused on practical techniques such as "Drama Techniques" for building student confidence, "Gamification," and "Divergent Thinking".
Teacher Development: Mahdis Rostamzadeh led a session titled "Observe, Reflect, Grow," which focused on non-judgmental peer observation and reflective practice.
Supported by Gordion Akademi and UES, the event gathered 70 participants to foster inter-institutional collaboration and advance ELT standards through shared expertise.
