Preparing future faculty in Türkiye: fostering teaching support network for graduate students

Official URL: https://yocad.org.tr/assets/IHEC-2025-tam-metin-kitap.pdf

Most universities in Türkiye currently lack structured programs that support the development of teaching skills for aspiring or early-career faculty members, comparable to the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) initiative in the U.S. To address this gap, Sabancı University and Abdullah Gül University initially adapted the PFF model to the Turkish context with a focus on strengthening pedagogical competence. As the program expanded, Boğaziçi University joined the collaboration, contributing to its further development. Building on positive outcomes of these pilots, we aim to expand the programs and establish a nationwide network of graduate students and early-career academics. This paper draws on insights from a roundtable discussion held to identify challenges, opportunities, and collaborative strategies for scaling the PFF Türkiye initiative. The findings emphasize shared needs among institutions and outline the potential for developing a sustainable national PFF network to support and strengthen teaching capacity across higher education in Türkiye.