Dr. İbrahim Arıkan Teaching Awards

The MEF University Dr. İbrahim Arıkan Teaching Awards is an institutional award given to recognize, reward, and make visible—across the university—high-quality, student-centered, and evidence-based teaching practices. All evaluation and decision-making processes belong to the Teaching Evaluation Commission (ÖDK): it evaluates applications, scores them using a rubric, and determines winners by closed ballot.

📣 We are launching in Fall 2026–2027 with two awards: the Grand Prize · Best Flipped Learning Practice, and the Best Adaptive Learning Platform (ALP) Integration Award. The Generative AI (GenAI) Integration and Project/Product-Based Assessment categories are planned [for subsequent terms].

Teaching Evaluation Commission (ÖDK)

Impartiality, diversity, and cross-faculty representation are essential. Membership lasts one academic year.

• Vice Rectors for Education and for Research (no voting rights)

• One faculty member from each faculty, nominated by the Dean (five members)

• The CELT Director and Associate Director (For each application, the CELT representative who has had less direct professional interaction with the candidate casts the vote.)

• Two student representatives: one graduate student designated by the Institute, and one undergraduate student designated by the Dean of Students (whose faculty is determined by lottery)

• One alumni representative designated by the Career and Alumni Center (whose faculty is determined by lottery)

• The previous year's Grand Prize winner (from the second year onward; serves for one year with voting rights)

Impartiality and Student Voice

✓ Evidence-based process — The entire process rests on documents and evidence; decisions are made by closed ballot.

✓ Traceability — Scoring is carried out in a traceable manner, using rubrics that are developed according to literature-based standards and validated through reliability and validity analyses.

✓ Transparency — Rubrics are shared publicly; at the end of the process, candidates who request them are given their scores and the rationale behind them.

✓ Multi-source scoring — The decision is not left to a single source: the ÖDK's rubric evaluation (60%) is combined with the results of student surveys (40%).

✓ Student voice — Throughout the semester, CELT conducts three student surveys and encourages participation; the process runs independently of the instructor. Students’ comments are also used as supporting data in the ÖDK’s rubric-based scoring.

✓ Safeguards — Student comments unrelated to the course are excluded from evaluation. For quantitative data, if analytical methods are applied to reduce the effect of possible bias, the method used is disclosed openly.

Award Categories

Grand Prize: Best Flipped Learning Practice

→ Apply for the Grand Prize

The alignment of the entire teaching process with the Flipped Learning approach is evaluated—from pre-class preparation to in-class practice, from active learning activities to the use of technology. The evaluation has two stages.

🏅 Award:

• A medal

• A product or platform subscription related to education and teaching

• Flipped Learning Achievement Certificate for all students enrolled in the course

❶ Stage 1 · Nomination File (all candidates)

• Nomination letter — four guiding questions, maximum 1,000 words (please see the application form for the questions)

• Course syllabus

• Blackboard page — a screen recording or images with explanatory notes

• Active learning documentation — a sample activity instruction and explanation

• Student feedback — anonymized results of in-term surveys (forwarded to the ÖDK by CELT; not requested from the candidate)

❷ Stage 2 · Finalist Evaluation (finalists only)

• Class observation or class recording — at the finalist's preference, an ÖDK member observes the class in person, or the Flipped Learning Studio records the class on video

• Learning analytics — Blackboard and, if applicable, platform interaction data (forwarded to the ÖDK by CELT; not requested from the candidate)

• Student feedback — results of the end-of-term surveys (forwarded to the ÖDK by CELT; not requested from the candidate)

Stage 1 scores are reviewed and finalized in light of the evidence obtained in Stage 2.

Best Adaptive Learning Platform (ALP) Integration

→ Apply for the ALP Integration Award

The integration into a course of adaptive learning platforms (Pearson, McGraw Hill, Cengage, etc.), in a way that supports data-driven and personalized learning, is evaluated. The evaluation has a single stage.

🏅 Award:

• A medal

• A product or platform subscription related to education and teaching

Application file

• Nomination letter — three guiding questions, maximum 900 words (please see the application form for the questions)

• Course evidence — syllabus, activity and assignment instructions, announcements (all with explanatory notes)

• Dashboards — a screen recording or images with explanatory notes

Platform usage analytics and student survey results are compiled by CELT and forwarded to the ÖDK; they are not requested from the candidate.

How Is the Evaluation Done?

60% of the total score comes from the ÖDK's rubric evaluation, and 40% from the quantitative averages of student course evaluation surveys.

Rubric evaluation (60%): Evidence is scored on a 1–4 scale against research-based standards.

• Grand Prize Evaluation Criteria

• ALP Integration Award Evaluation Criteria

Student feedback (40%): Two surveys administered by CELT during the term, together with the end-of-term institutional course evaluation survey, are incorporated into the process; the survey process is conducted independently of the instructor.

🗓️ Timeline

Awards begin to be given as of the 2026–2027 Academic Year. Applications are accepted in the fall and spring terms; all awards are presented at the graduation ceremony at year's end.

✉️ Applications and Contact

Applications: The call opens each term during registration week, on this page and via ÖDK email announcement.

Questions and support: odk@mef.edu.tr

Teaching Evaluation Commission (ÖDK) · MEF University