Post-Pandemic Hybrid Curriculum Recommendations for an Undergraduate ICT Senior Project Course

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Date

2023

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Tempus Publications

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Computer Engineering
(1998)
The Atılım University Department of Computer Engineering was founded in 1998. The department curriculum is prepared in a way that meets the demands for knowledge and skills after graduation, and is subject to periodical reviews and updates in line with international standards. Our Department offers education in many fields of expertise, such as software development, hardware systems, data structures, computer networks, artificial intelligence, machine learning, image processing, natural language processing, object based design, information security, and cloud computing. The education offered by our department is based on practical approaches, with modern laboratories, projects and internship programs. The undergraduate program at our department was accredited in 2014 by the Association of Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs (MÜDEK) and was granted the label EUR-ACE, valid through Europe. In addition to the undergraduate program, our department offers thesis or non-thesis graduate degree programs (MS).
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Software Engineering
(2005)
Department of Software Engineering was founded in 2005 as the first department in Ankara in Software Engineering. The recent developments in current technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, and Blockchains, have placed Software Engineering among the top professions of today, and the future. The academic and research activities in the department are pursued with qualified faculty at Undergraduate, Graduate and Doctorate Degree levels. Our University is one of the two universities offering a Doctorate-level program in this field. In addition to focusing on the basic phases of software (analysis, design, development, testing) and relevant methodologies in detail, our department offers education in various areas of expertise, such as Object-oriented Analysis and Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Software Quality Assurance, Software Requirement Engineering, Software Design and Architecture, Software Project Management, Software Testing and Model-Driven Software Development. The curriculum of our Department is catered to graduate individuals who are prepared to take part in any phase of software development of large-scale software in line with the requirements of the software sector. Department of Software Engineering is accredited by MÜDEK (Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Engineering Programs) until September 30th, 2021, and has been granted the EUR-ACE label that is valid in Europe. This label provides our graduates with a vital head-start to be admitted to graduate-level programs, and into working environments in European Union countries. The Big Data and Cloud Computing Laboratory, as well as MobiLab where mobile applications are developed, SimLAB, the simulation laboratory for Medical Computing, and software education laboratories of the department are equipped with various software tools and hardware to enable our students to use state-of-the-art software technologies. Our graduates are employed in software and R&D companies (Technoparks), national/international institutions developing or utilizing software technologies (such as banks, healthcare institutions, the Information Technologies departments of private and public institutions, telecommunication companies, TÜİK, SPK, BDDK, EPDK, RK, or universities), and research institutions such TÜBİTAK.

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Abstract

Among the numerous aspects of everyday life affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, education stands out as one of those deeply impacted. In this context within university settings, the ICT senior project courses were no exception either. This study presents the recommendations for a hybrid curriculum based on the online implementation of a senior project course in the ICT departments of an engineering faculty. The data were collected to better understand the impact of this re-structured course on 99 undergraduate IT students and their projects during three semesters, and later analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to obtain some insights. The results indicate that, during the pandemic, the students adapted their senior project studies to the related restrictions by changing certain aspects related to the project, improving their teamwork, and increasing the level of communication. However, they also reported certain problems related to their overall psychology as well as social interactions. In light of the pandemic effect on the software industry towards remote working environments, further suggestions are provided to eliminate the drawbacks of remote working reported by the students and to equip them with the necessary skills. The resulting recommendations could be used by other higher -education institutions and be further adjusted for application in other disciplines.

Description

Kilic, Hurevren/0000-0002-9058-0365; Turkmen, Guzin/0000-0003-0884-4876

Keywords

ICT senior, graduation project course, COVID-19 pandemic, virtual meetings, hybrid curriculum

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0

WoS Q

Q4

Scopus Q

Q2

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Volume

39

Issue

1

Start Page

228

End Page

240

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14411/8978

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WOS