My teaching philosophy is clear: navigating today’s networked society requires dual mastery. You need an in-depth understanding of media sociology and the practical technical skills needed to create and analyse digital narratives. As a communication and digital media instructor, I set out to do one thing: give students the tools they need to stop consuming information and start producing it. My students will become critical, ethical and highly skilled media producers.
Connecting Theory and Practice
My teaching approach is based on the practical application of communication theory. In my Communication Theories (COMM208) and History of Communication (COMM201) courses, I challenge students to critically analyse algorithmic curation, echo chambers and the socio-political impact of digital platforms. I link these abstract concepts straight to applied skills. In Social Media Data Mining (NMEJ205) and Data Journalism (NMEJ311), I guide undergraduate students through the actual processes of data scraping, cleaning, and visualising public datasets. By doing so, they learn not just how platforms influence society, but how to empirically detect digital trends and network behaviours using computational research methods.
Fostering Ethical Digital Storytellers
In today’s world of decentralised media and rapid information exchange, ethical storytelling is more important than ever. I simulate fast-paced, real-world newsroom environments through courses like Video and Sound Production (NMEJ108), News Editing Techniques (NMEJ252), and Video Journalism (NMEJ321). Students learn the full multi-platform production pipeline in its entirety, from field recording and non-linear editing to search engine optimization (SEO) and platform analytics. I make sure that every mobile journalism (MoJo) package and investigative report I produce adheres strictly to professional media ethics, temporal pacing and narrative integrity.
Mentorship and the Future of Media Education
Teaching extends far beyond the classroom. Since 2014, I have actively mentored high-achieving undergraduates, facilitated industry placements and advised independent projects. I integrate my students into the faculty newspaper (EMU Gündem) and guide them in building functional platforms from scratch in Creating News Portal (NMEJ107). This provides them with tangible portfolios before they graduate.
We are facing an AI revolution in education and industry. My future vision will turn complex digital and algorithmic structures into actionable, real-world competencies. I am committed to cultivating an inclusive, intellectually rigorous and technologically forward-thinking classroom environment.