News

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Nedim Karakayalı who received a Bilkent Distinguished Teaching Award for 2012. This is the 11th teaching award for FEASS (and 2nd in 2012!) and it is a reflection of our emphasis on teaching excellence. Here is Nedim Hoca's reflections on the award: I am very honored. This is almost a double award since, for me, being recognized as a teacher is already a huge privilege in itself. In fact, I sometimes doubt whether I teach anything substantial. Rather, I see my task as igniting some curiosity and a desire for exploration in my students. My question is often: how can I turn the classroom into an environment for critical and creative reflection? So, I see myself as a kind of environmental planner. The real burden is on the learners. And I think it should be so, because learning is actually a deeply paradoxical process. In a sense, we always learn from others; where would I be without my teachers? But, in another sense, we always learn by ourselves, with our own effort. Without this effort, perhaps no one would be able to teach us anything. So, first of all, I am indebted to my students for taking the burden of teaching from me over the years and yet appreciating me as a teacher. I am also indebted to the extremely collegial atmosphere in my department and at Bilkent University. Finally, as a teacher, I would like to express my great appreciation for the efforts of the Teaching and Learning Committee to make Bilkent an educational center of excellence.