Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching, Application and Resaerch Center

Hacettepe University Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching, Application and Research Center (TÖMER) is the continuation of the Turkish Lessons Unit, which was established in 1982 to give Turkish lessons to international students who wanted to study at Hacettepe University. Based on this professional experience, with highly qualified instructors, HÜ TÖMER shares the universal principles, adopts a scientific approach, uses contemporary methodology and techniques in language teaching, and aims at equipping students from different parts of the world with Turkish language and academic skills that will enable them to communicate effectively not only in academic but also in business and social domains of life.

TÖMER has taught Turkish to students coming from nearly 60 different countries. Through a learner-centered approach to eaching, The Turkish Language Preparatory Program helps students acquire the required level of Turkish (C1) for entry into academic programs in their chosen departments. TÖMER is also responsible for various elective and compulsory language courses for undergraduate students who continue their education in their departments. With these courses, it helps students to use language skills effectively and to easily follow the departments’ courses.

Additionally, in an environment of cultural diversity, TÖMER contributes to the quality of Turkish teaching and learning in the whole country and abroad by organizing foreign language courses of high standards for public, private, and international organizations. TÖMER conducts these courses both via distance education on MOODLE and through face-to-face teaching at a range of different levels aligned with the level descriptions (A1-A2-B1-B2-C1) in the Common European Framework of Reference.

Moreover, continuous efforts are made to improve the quality of educational practices through teacher training certificate programs which are also open to pre-service Turkish language teachers or teachers from different institutions. Two of the prominent programs that our center holds on a regular basis are “Certificate Program for Testing and Evaluation in Teaching Turkish To Foreigners” and “Certificate Program of Teaching Turkish To Foreigners in Turkey and in the World (Online)”.

Finally, Hacettepe TÖMER carries out research and studies in coordination with the Institute of Turkish Studies at Hacettepe University and has the privilege to put theory into practice in the field. The master's and doctorate programs in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language at the Institute of Turkish Studies are the first postgraduate education programs opened in this field in Turkey. Many students in the postgraduate education programs at the Institute work directly or indirectly in the field of teaching Turkish to foreigners, which provides an important researcher resource for a variety of projects to be held in the field.

Learning Management System at Hacettepe University TÖMER

Hacettepe University TÖMER offers Turkish courses in both hybrid and fully online options. Today, learning management systems (LMSs) are extensively used in conducting and implementing educational programs either through distributed or fully online course delivery models. MOODLE is the platform already used by many leading universities in Turkey, including Hacettepe University, in the distance education process in Turkey. By means of the modules it has in the system, MOODLE supports the activities that could be offered in face-to-face education and enables these activities to be done in a shorter and easier way. Today, thanks to systems such as MOODLE, people are entitled to receive certificates and even diplomas given by the best institutions or organizations from where they are, regardless of time and place. Through the use of its modules and constantly updated system, MOODLE can create environments that can be adapted to learning theories. Especially, taking the target goals and objectives into account, with its existing platform, it can support modern studies and courses as well as make the target goals of envisaged face-to-face environments achievable.

Projects and Protocols at TÖMER

Hacettepe University has protocols with EU universities and it is one of the universities with the highest number of Erasmus exchange students. TÖMER offers courses for basic communication skills in Turkish to help these students to quickly adapt to the daily life and the new culture during their stay for their studies. The ultimate goal of the course is to help the students gain awareness, appreciation and insight into Turkish language and culture.

TÖMER has also project agreement with Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). TÖMER has been hosting international students who are Turkey scholarship holders since 2012. Every year many students, who want to study higher education in many different Universities in Turkey, choose to take their Turkish Preparatory year education at Hacettepe University. TÖMER provides the students with the necessary language skills so that they can receive C1 level language diploma to be able to continue their social and academic lives in Turkey.