Author: Ogny

Olgun Çiçek

University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

The role of SDGs in the Global Higher Education & Quality Assurance Ecosystem

Bio

Professor Olgun Cicek is currently affiliated with the University of Ljubljana as a Senior Researcher in a Horizon Europe project. He is an international expert in quality assurance and accreditation, microcredentials, and internationalisation strategies for higher education institutions. Over the past three decades, Professor Cicek has held senior leadership, advisory, external examiner, and keynote speaker roles in higher education institutions, quality assurance agencies, ministries, and international organisations. His experience includes collaboration with INQAAHE in Spain, CHEA-CIQG in the United States, the TNE Institute in the United Kingdom, as well as various ministries and national and regional higher education networks across Europe and beyond, covering three continents.

Abstract

In today’s interconnected global environment, higher education is expected not only to transmit knowledge, but also to build understanding across cultures, promote global citizenship,  advance sustainability, and prepare learners for a rapidly transforming future. In this context, the role of SDGs in the global higher education and quality assurance ecosystem has become increasingly significant, as they provide a shared framework for aligning institutional missions, educational outcomes, research priorities, social responsibility, and international engagement with broader societal needs.

Quality Assurance in Higher Education therefore has a more strategic role than ever before. It is no longer limited to compliance and accountability; rather, it must serve as a dynamic instrument for trust-building, innovation, relevance, inclusion, sustainability, and continuous improvement. By integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into quality assurance frameworks, institutions and quality assurance agencies can promote a more holistic understanding of quality—one that connects academic standards with ethical responsibility, equity, employability, lifelong learning, environmental  awareness, and measurable societal impact.

At the same time, as artificial intelligence reshapes teaching, learning, assessment, research, and institutional management, quality assurance systems must evolve to ensure that innovation is accompanied by integrity, transparency, fairness, inclusion, and academic standards. A future-oriented quality assurance approach should help institutions address key questions: How do we ensure that AI enhances learning rather than weakens critical thinking?

How do we maintain fairness, ethics, and reliability in assessment? How do we preserve the human, cultural, social, and sustainability dimensions of education in an increasingly digital world?

At the global level, quality assurance can act as a bridge—connecting systems, supporting recognition, fostering mobility, promoting sustainable development, and strengthening confidence among institutions, students, employers, policymakers, and societies. In an AI-driven and sustainability-focused world, our shared responsibility is to ensure that higher education remains human-centered, internationally connected, socially responsible, and quality-driven.

Maurizio Tira, EUA Board Member

University of Brescia, Italy

Universities for Sustainability beyond 2030: navigating long-term transformation

Bio

Maurizio Tira is Full Professor of Urban and regional Planning at the University of Brescia, where he served as Rector from 2016 to 2022. He is member of the Board of EUA, delegated to sustainability, to the Executive Committee of the Magna Charta Observatory and the EUA-CDE-Steering Committee. Past-President of the Italian Society of Urban Planners, he is member of the Board of the Academy of Science, Letters and Arts in Brescia and Corresponding Member of the Academy of Science of Bologna and the Academy of Science of Region Lombardy. He is member of the Transport Research Committee of the International Transport Forum (at OECD) as representative of the Italian Government, President of Consortium GARR “The ultra-broadband network dedicated to the Italian research and education community” and member of the board of the “National Centre for HPC, Big Data and Quantum Computing”, as representative of the Italian Minister of University and Research. In December 2020 he has been appointed Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Abstract

Many of the defining challenges of our time, climate change, biodiversity loss, demographic change, technological disruption and social fragmentation, unfold across generations rather than political cycles. They require institutions capable of combining long-term thinking with action in the present. Universities are among the few institutions that naturally operate across generations. They educate future citizens and professionals, preserve and create knowledge, and provide spaces for critical reflection and dialogue. This unique position gives universities a particular capacity and opportunity to address long-term societal challenges. The ways in which universities contribute to sustainable development are likely to influence how they evolve as institutions, just as changes within universities may shape their capacity to contribute to sustainable societies. The speech will briefly present the result of the EUA’s survey on “Sustainability and greening in European higher education” and some consideration on how universities can contribute to sustainability beyond 2030 and how they can strengthen their capacity to help societies navigate long-term transformation.

Aras Bozkurt

Anadolu University, Türkiye

Fifty Shades of AI

Bio

Aras Bozkurt is a researcher and faculty member at Anadolu University, Türkiye. With MA and PhD degrees in distance education, Dr. Bozkurt’s work focuses on empirical studies in areas such as distance education, online learning, networked learning, and educational technology. He applies critical theories like connectivism, rhizomatic learning, and heutagogy to his research. Dr. Bozkurt is also interested in emerging research paradigms, including social network analysis, sentiment analysis, and data mining. Dr. Bozkurt’s studies also cover the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into educational processes in the axis of human-machine interaction.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has stopped being a peripheral tool in higher education and become a structural force reshaping who learns, who teaches, and who is even present in the room. This keynote, Fifty Shades of AI, rejects the binary of pro-AI versus anti-AI and instead examines the spectrum of tensions educators now navigate. It traces the gap between formal AI policy and informal AI use, the emergence of the “ghost student” enabled by agentic AI browsers, and the blurred line between organic and synthetic content in research and writing. It confronts cognitive debt, where short-term gains from AI assistance produce long-term losses in independent thinking, alongside the cultural and institutional fault lines that shape who adopts AI and who resists it. Drawing on recent scholarship on AI literacy, agentic AI governance, and human-AI interaction, the talk argues that resilience, not acceptance or rejection, is the only viable institutional posture. It closes with four unresolved questions about credentialing, agency, architecture, and intellectual debt, leaving the audience not with solutions but with the obligation to choose deliberately. The shade we choose reveals more about us than about the technology itself.

Certificates of Participation will only be issued to those who register and attend the conference.

IHEC 2026 REGISTRATION FEES

Dates: August 18,  2026 – September 20, 2026

Notes

• Audience: Conference attendance is free.

Payment

All bank charges and commissions are paid by the participants.

Bank Account (USD)

Account Name: Yükseköğretim Çalışmaları Derneği

Bank : Garanti Bank

Branch : Pendik

Branch Code: 137

City : Istanbul

Account Number : 9072493

IBAN : TR89 0006 2000 1370 0009 0724 93

Swift Code: TGBATRISXXX

Participation Types

Oral Presentation (15 minutes)

Oral presentations typically cover completed or nearly completed research. Researchers will present their work and then respond to any explanatory feedback and questions from the audience and session chair. Presenters should be careful with their time allocation, and session chairs may adjust the timing based on the number of presentations. Each oral presentation will be planned for 15 minutes.

Abstract for Oral Presentation: The abstract should be between 500-750 words, excluding references, and include the following sections:

1. Description of the problem,
2. Aim of the study or Research question(s),
3. Conceptual/Theoretical Framework,
4. Research Method (for empirical work),
5. Findings (preliminary findings for work in progress)/Discussion points, and
6. Conclusion.

You can download the oral presentation format from this link. (docx)

Symposium (60-90 minutes)

Each symposium proposal must include minimum 3 maximum 5 presentations. The Symposium Discussant must introduce symposium presenters and submit the proposal (symposium summary and symposium presentation abstracts).

Symposium Summary: Excluding references, the summary should be between 500-700 words and include the description of the symposium, its purpose, conceptual/theoretical framework, the contribution of symposium presentations to the symposium, discussion points and conclusion.

Symposium Presentation Abstracts: Each abstract, excluding references, should be between 300-500 words and include the following sub-titles:

1. Description of the problem,
2. Aim of the study or Research question(s),
3. Conceptual/Theoretical Framework,
4. Research Method (for empirical work),
5. Findings (preliminary findings for work in progress)/Discussion points, and
6. Conclusion.

You can download the symposium format from this link. (docx)

Roundtable (time for presentation: 10 minutes)

Roundtable sessions allow high interaction among presenters and with attendees. It would be more appropriate for junior researchers and work-in-progress research studies. The discussions will take place in a small group of session presenters clustered around shared interests in a roundtable/boardroom setting. A moderator who is knowledgeable about the research area facilitates interaction and participation. The moderator introduces the discussion topic and session presenters briefly. Then, the discussion focuses on specific questions and challenges. The conclusions such as key-learnings, ideas on the next steps and concrete actions are drawn.

Abstract for Roundtable Session: Session presenters are required to submit a paper or commentary paper addressing central questions regarding the issue under consideration. Excluding references, the abstract should be between 350-400 words. Commentary papers need to address the elements required for paper submissions:

1. Purposes;
2. Perspectives(s) or theoretical framework;
3. Methods, techniques or modes of inquiry;
4. Data Sources,
5. Results and/or substantiated conclusions for arguments, and
6. Expectations from the session regarding the research and/or questions

You can download the roundtable format from this link. (docx)

Guidelines for Authors

The conference languages are Turkish and English. Those who submit abstracts in English are required to present in English.

IHEC 2026 is a peer-reviewed scientific conference. All submitted papers/symposiums will be evaluated by at least two expert reviewers within the framework of a double-blind review process. Acceptance or rejection decisions will be based on the reviewers’ evaluations.

Participants of jointly authored works must each pay the participation fee to attend the conference. A participant may present a maximum of two papers, and an author’s name may appear in up to three papers.

To be included in the conference program, registration must be completed by September 7, 2025.

Participants may choose to publish the papers presented orally at the conference either in the YÖÇAD Full Text Proceedings Book (in Turkish or English) or in the Higher Education Governance & Policy (HEGP) published under YÖÇAD, subject to the peer review process.

Below are details regarding the publication processes:

(1) Full Text Proceedings Book process conducted by YÖÇAD:

The deadline for submitting full texts in Turkish or English for the Proceedings Book is November 1, 2026. Full texts prepared should be submitted in the specified format to yocad.ihec@gmail.com as a Word document. Submitted Full Text Papers by participating authors will be sent to print following the approval of the book editors, after the authors have completed the suggested revisions.

Full Paper Book Format

You can reach the full paper book format in this link. (PDF)

You can download the full paper book format from this link. (docx)

(2) Journal process conducted in collaboration with the Higher Education Governance & Policy (HEGP):

The Higher Education Governance & Policy (HEGP) will be published in English. Papers presented in Turkish at the conference can also be published in this journal if translated into English. The journal’s regular annual publication process will be operated. The deadline for submitting texts in English is November 1, 2026, and details of the publication process can be accessed via the following links:

– Journal website: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/hegp

– Journal submission guidelines: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/hegp/writing-rules

– Journal indexes: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/hegp/indexes

The printing of the articles will depend on the decisions made at the end of the peer review process conducted by the journal editors after the author’s conference participation is confirmed.

Higher Education for a Sustainable Future: 2030 and Beyond

Higher education systems play a central role in societal development through scientific knowledge production, the cultivation of qualified human resources and active citizens, and community engagement. As an open and complex system, higher education operates in constant interaction with society, the economy, culture, politics, and the environment. Therefore, while higher education institutions have the potential to shape the future of societies, higher education policies are formed around the socio-economic transformation paradigms of their time.

The current reflection of this dynamic is the closer alignment of higher education policies with sustainable development goals, driven by the increasing impacts of climate change and a stronger commitment to sustainability. This shift can be summarized as a transition from the neoliberal motto of “higher education for the global knowledge economy” (dominant since the 1990s) to “higher education for sustainable development.”

The sustainability agenda offers a powerful transformative potential for higher education policies and the institutional mission of universities across three main dimensions:

• Addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development
• Establishing a new social contract in response to the challenges of neoliberalism.
• Offering a new strategic framework for societies and universities in times of uncertainty.

While Quality Education (SDG 4) and Gender Equality (SDG 5) are the goals most directly related to higher education, the “higher education for sustainable development” approach expects universities to play an active role in all sustainable development goals.

This transformation is currently visible in several key developments:

• The strategic plans and policy documents of universities are increasingly linking research, education, and community service activities with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Alternative institutional concepts and models, such as the “sustainable university” and the “ecological university,” are emerging.
• International ranking systems have begun measuring green campus initiatives and sustainability activities.
• The twin green and digital transitions are gaining significant weight in research funding.

As the target year of 2030 for the Sustainable Development Goals approaches, the progress made toward these goals and the strategy for the post-2030 era are major topics of discussion among international organizations, particularly UNESCO. Therefore, the 9th International Higher Education Studies Conference (IHEC 2026) will focus on the following core sub-themes under the overarching theme of “Higher Education for a Sustainable Future”:

• Sustainable university and ecological university models
• Sustainability-oriented transformation of universities’ research, education, and community service missions
• Integration of sustainability into curricula across different academic fields (sustainability education)
• Integration of sustainability dimensions into quality assurance systems
• Climate change strategies and action plans of universities
• Green campus and “living lab” applications in universities
• Sustainability metrics in international rankings
• The relationship between artificial intelligence, digital transformation, sustainability, and higher education
• Higher education scenarios for the post-2030 era

Furthermore, the fact that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) will be held in Turkey in November 2026 provides a significant motivation to focus on the transformative power of higher education for a sustainable future.

As YÖÇAD (Association for Higher Education Studies), we are pleased to collaborate under this shared theme with Anadolu University, which has served as an international model since its establishment through its contributions to lifelong learning and distance education, and continues to pioneer sustainability studies in various fields today.

General Conference Topics

The conference program is not limited to the main theme above; it is open to submissions on the following fundamental agendas of higher education studies:

• Academic freedoms and university autonomy
• Academic experiences and needs
• Science and technology policies
• Science communication
• Regional development and higher education
• Digitalization and artificial intelligence in education and research
• Entrepreneurship, community contribution, development, and sustainability
• Graduate student experiences and needs
• Micro-credentials and flexible learning
• Faculty training and development policies
• Higher education for the Sustainable Development Goals
• Mental health and well-being of university stakeholders
• University-city relationships
• University-industry/private sector collaboration and helix ecosystems
• Undergraduate student experiences and needs
• Experiences of foundation (private) universities
• New generation universities and alternative university models
• Internationalization of higher education
• Ethics, principles, and values in higher education
• Quality assurance in higher education
• Pedagogical and andragogical approaches in higher education
• Access to higher education, equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion
• History and philosophy of higher education
• Mission, vision, and role of higher education
• Higher education systems and governance
• Massification of higher education
• Financing and sustainability of higher education

ORGANIZING BOARD

• Dr. Mete Kurtoğlu, The Association for Higher Education Studies
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Harun Serpil, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Elif Bengü, Abdullah Gül University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Şahabettin Akşab, Gaziantep University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Feride Öksüz Gül, İstanbul Medeniyet University
• Doç. Dr. Aylin Çakıroğlu Çevik, Ted University
• Dr. Güney Aydın
• Prof. Dr. Halil Kürşad Aslan, Medipol University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi, Alper Çalıkoğlu, Nazarbayev University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Funda Kurt Keskin, Gazi University
• Doç. Dr. Deniz Gülmez, Necmettin Erbakan University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Dr. Ferhat Ünal, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Tuna Uzunyol, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Funda Kurt Keskin, Gazi University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Hilal Karaoğlan, Marmara University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Pelin Yüce, ODTU
• Prof. Dr. Meral Güven, Anadolu University
• Prof. Dr. Bahadır Erişti, Anadolu University
• Prof. Dr. Veda Aslım Yetiş, Anadolu University
• Prof. Dr. Yavuz Akbulut, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Murat Doğan Şahin, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Ceyhun Kavrayıcı, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Bülent Alan, Anadolu University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Eren Kesim, Anadolu University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Murat Özdemir, Anadolu University

ADVISORY BOARD

• Prof. Dr. Yusuf Adıgüzel, Anadolu University Rektörü
• Prof. Dr. İbrahim Halil Diken – Anadolu University Eğitim Fakültesi Dekanı
• Prof. Dr. Rachel Brooks, Surrey University, İngiltere
• Prof. Dr. Susanne Maira Weber, Marburg University, Almanya
• Prof. Dr. Stan Taylor Durham University, İngiltere
• Prof. Dr. Fatma Nevra Seggie, Boğaziçi University (Emekli)
• Prof. Dr. İhsan Sabuncuoğlu
• Prof. Dr. Armağan Erdoğan
• Prof. Dr. Ömer Demir, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler University (Kurucu Rektör)
• Prof. Dr. Mehmet Durman, Yeditepe University
• Prof. Dr. Yüksel Kavak, TED University
• Prof. Dr. Metin Toprak, Sabahattin Zaim University
• Prof. Dr. Öktem Vardar, TED University (Kurucu Rektör)
• Prof. Dr. Oya Yerin Güneri, ODTU
• Prof. Dr. Bülent Açma, Anadolu University
• Prof.Dr. Adnan Boyacı, Anadolu University

SCIENTIFIC BOARD

• Prof. Dr. Kürşat Çağıltay, TED University
• Prof. Dr. Mehmet Durman, Yeditepe University
• Prof. Dr. Türker Kurt, Gazi University
• Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Prof. Dr. Barış Uslu, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
• Prof. Dr. Yusuf Gürcan Ültanır, Mersin University (Emekli)
• Prof. Dr. Şefika Mertkan, Doğu Akdeniz University
• Prof. Dr. Halil Kürşad Aslan, Medipol University
• Prof. Dr. Meral Güven, Anadolu University
• Prof. Dr. Bahadır Erişti, Anadolu University
• Prof. Dr. Veda Aslım Yetiş, Anadolu University
• Prof. Dr. Yavuz Akbulut, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Sedat Gümüş, The Education University of Hong Kong
• Doç. Dr. Aylin Çakıroğlu Çevik, TED University
• Doç. Dr. Betül Bulut Şahin, TED University
• Doç. Dr. Duygun Göktürk Ağın, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Doç. Dr. Hasan Yücel Ertem, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University
• Doç. Dr. Sevinç Gelmez Burakgazi, Hacettepe University
• Doç. Dr. Zehra Taşkın, Hacettepe University
• Doç. Dr. Güleda Doğan, Hacettepe University
• Doç. Dr. Serap Emil, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Doç. Dr. Pınar Ayyıldız
• Doç. Dr. Adem Yaman, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
• Doç. Dr. Ömür Hakan Kuzu, Selçuk University
• Doç. Dr. Alper Çalıkoğlu, Nazarbayev University
• Doç. Dr. Ezgi Pehlivanlı, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Doç. Dr. Elif Bengü, Abdullah Gül University
• Doç. Dr. Deniz Gülmez, Necmettin Erbakan University
• Doç. Dr. Ceyhun Kavrayıcı, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Bülent Alan, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Murat Doğan Şahin, Anadolu University
• Doç. Dr. Gökçe Gökalp, Middle East Technical University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Şahabettin Akşab, Gaziantep University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Maissam Nimer, İstanbul University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Feride Öksüz Gül, İstanbul Medeniyet University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Yusuf İkbal Oldaç, The Education University of Hong Kong
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Harun Serpil, Anadolu University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Hakan Ergin, Boğaziçi University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Eren Kesim, Anadolu University
• Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Murat Özdemir, Anadolu University
• Dr. Mete Kurtoğlu, Yükseköğretim Çalışmaları Derneği
• Dr. Sonay Caner Yıldırım, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University
• Dr. Oya Uslu Çetin, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University
• Dr. Bekir Burak Soyer, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University
• Dr. Ferhat Ünal, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Dr. Furkan Uzan, MEB Yükseköğretim ve Yurt Dışı Eğitim Genel Müdürlüğü
• Dr. Güney Aydın
• Dr. Zeynep Bumin Süzen, Gazi University
• Dr. Kristian Szadkowski, Adam Mickiewicz University
• Dr. M. Esad Kuloğlu, Abdullah Gül University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Funda Kurt Keskin, Gazi University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Tuna Uzunyol, Orta Doğu Teknik University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Hilal Karaoğlan, Marmara University
• Araştırma Görevlisi, Pelin Yüce, Orta Doğu Teknik University