A design workshop—a facility found at only a few other universities—has been established to enhance the efficiency of practical courses such as video editing and assembly, digital design, digital photo processing, typesetting and layout, and graphic animation within the Audiovisual Techniques and Media Production program at our university's Vocational School of Social Sciences. The goal is to ensure students enter the industry with practical experience.
The workshop, equipped with 24 high-performance computers, a sound system, and a smart board, was inaugurated with the participation of our Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican, Vocational School Director and Rector’s Advisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özalper, as well as academic staff, students, and members of the press.
Rector Alican, who inaugurated the Media Design Workshop and attended the first class, stated, "We believe that this workshop—featuring high-performance computers and advanced technological resources—will make significant contributions to our students' education, helping them keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and prepare for their professional lives."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özalper, Director of the Vocational School of Social Sciences and Rector’s Advisor, noted that the workshop had long been on their agenda and that they had accelerated efforts to establish it. He said, "Establishing this workshop was essential for keeping up with current technology and preparing our students for the real-world job market. In this context, we took the initial steps after consulting with our department faculty. We were able to overcome the delays caused by the financial costs involved thanks to the support and approval of our Rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican." Stating that the workshop—established to align with the current student capacity—is sufficient for the department's courses and training programs, Özalper remarked: "We will keep our workshop, which houses 24 computers, up-to-date by monitoring technological advancements and ensuring the use of high-performance computers suited to our objectives. Such a workshop was essential for this department, which aims to train qualified personnel for the media sector—often referred to as the 'fourth estate.' We strive to manage these processes with an understanding of the close relationship between infrastructure, technology, and education. I extend my gratitude to our Rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican, for his unwavering support during the establishment of the workshop, and I sincerely congratulate our faculty members—Lecturer Mehmet Demirel, Lecturer Tuğba Adıgüzel, and Lecturer Ahmet Çiçek—for their dedicated efforts throughout this process. I hope this workshop proves beneficial to our university."
Lecturer Ahmet Çiçek, who played an active role in establishing the Media Design Workshop, said: "The software side of digital image processing technology evolves constantly; frequent updates can render computers with older hardware obsolete. To prepare our students for their careers and provide them with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with industry-standard digital image processing software during their education, we requested high-performance, up-to-date computers from the university administration, and our request was fulfilled in a very short time."
Expressing his thanks to everyone who contributed to the establishment of the Media Design Workshop, Çiçek... "Establishing a workshop of this kind is a costly and demanding undertaking. I would like to express my gratitude to our Rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican; the Director of the Vocational School of Social Sciences and Rector's Advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özalper; and all my colleagues for their contributions to the establishment of this workshop, and I hope it proves beneficial to our university," he said.
