Eastern Mediterranean University Research Articles

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Education in a Joint Medical Program from the Students’ Perspective

Aim: In the 21st century, despite advanced technology, pandemics and natural disasters have forced universities to evacuate their classrooms. As a result, there has been a shift from conventional to online education. This study aimed to examine the advantages and disadvantages of online education for preclinical medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2020 and May 2021. The study population comprised preclinical medical students of the Marmara University–Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Joint Medical Program. The survey form used in the study was prepared using Google Forms, and a special link was sent to all students via the Microsoft Teams platform used for distance education. The survey included four sections, namely, demographic characteristics, advantages of online education, disadvantages of online education, and references of students. Results: The survey was sent to all students (n = 155) enrolled in the preclinical program, and 112 students (72%) participated in the study. Of the participants, 63.4% were women; moreover, 38.4% were Turkish, 31.3% were Turkish Cypriot, and 30.3% were international students. The number of students in the first, second, and third years were 35, 51, and 26, respectively. The most common advantages of online education were a chance to review missed parts of the lesson (97.3%), an opportunity to plan the study time (59.8%), and increased comfort (54.5%). The majority of the students indicated that they faced numerous challenges during online education. The most common issues were the difficulty in learning practical lessons, lack of socializing, ineffective communication, technical issues during online classes, less interactive lectures that resulted in concentration loss, and difficulty in obtaining answers from lecturers. Of the surveyed students, 48.2% preferred conventional education, only 9.8% favored online education, and 42% preferred hybrid education. Conclusions: Preclinical students at Marmara University–EMU Joint Medical Program prefer conventional education over online education. Although rewatching a lecture is a key advantage of online education, it is associated with several disadvantages for medical students. However, distance education seems to have become inevitable owing to factors such as diseases, natural disasters, and wars in the region as well as advancements in information technology. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research to overcome the limitations.

Tıp Öğrencilerinin Yapay Zeka Konusundaki Bilgi ve Tutumları: Kesitsel Bir Araştırma

Background:
 Artificial intelligence (AI) may be explained as robotic systems that are made by humans. These robotic systems are designed based on statistics and used for executing functions of human-like behavior. AI is used in medical fields such as surgical areas and medical education. The purpose of this study was to analyze the knowledge and attitude of medical students at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) about AI in medicine.
 Methods:
 A cross-sectional study was conducted among all the medical students in the EMU Faculty of Medicine by using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included 3 parts; participant demographics, knowledge about AI, and attitudes toward AI. The results were collected and inspected via Microsoft Excel. The data from the survey were analyzed by chi-square tests using SPSS v26. 
 Results:
 88 medical students responded online survey. Most of the survey responders (77%) were already aware of information related to AI in medicine. The majority of the participants acquired this information from mainly social media and media. Only 26.1% of students indicated that they learned something about AI from lectures. 29.5% of preclinic phase students believe that the human physician will be replaced by AI in the foreseeable future, but the percentage is decreased to 18.5% among clinic phase students. Male students significantly stated that they have a basic understanding of AI (p

Implicit and Explicit Modelling: Case Study of EMU (Eastern Mediterranean University) Teacher Educators’ Perceptions and Practice

The broad purpose of this qualitative study is three-fold. One, to gain Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) teacher educators’ views on the significance of the teaching methods of implicit and explicit modelling. Two, to ascertain aspects of practice they modelled and, three, benefits and challenges associated with using the methods. To achieve the purpose all 11 teacher educators from the faculty were asked three broad questions via a semi-structured interview protocol. Interviews were audio recorded then transcribed. The data was analysed using content analysis and the three questions as pre-set categories. Examples of the findings include the fact that all the participants have a favourable attitude towards both implicit and explicit modelling. All regarded modelling as important for personal and professional growth. Time is the main constraint to their use of the methods, and critical friendship based on a collaborative relationship is considered to be of central importance to their engagement with the methods. Implications of the findings for teacher education and educators include the need to encourage open discussion, reflection, the use of the methods among teacher educators, the development of a supportive environment, and the provision of continued professional development opportunities.

Implicit and Explicit Modelling: Case Study of EMU (Eastern Mediterranean University) Teacher Educators’ Perceptions and Practice

Implicit and explicit modeling are two approaches commonly used by university teacher educators in their perspective and practice (Kavanagh, S. S., & Grant, T., 2019). These approaches aim to enhance the teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes of pre-service and in-service teachers. Implicit modeling refers to the teacher educators' practice of embodying effective teaching strategies and behaviors in their own instructional practices. Rather than explicitly teaching these strategies, teacher educators demonstrate them through their actions and interactions with students. This approach relies on the power of observation and imitation, allowing aspiring teachers to internalize effective teaching practices without explicitly being told what to do. Teacher educators who adopt implicit modeling often create a positive learning environment, establish respectful relationships with students, demonstrate effective communication skills, and employ instructional strategies that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and reflection (Schutz, P. A., & Davis, H. A., 2020). By observing and engaging with these practices, pre-service and in-service teachers learn to emulate and apply them in their own classrooms. Explicit modeling, on the other hand, involves the direct and intentional instruction of specific teaching strategies and techniques. Teacher educators explicitly teach and explain effective teaching practices to aspiring teachers, breaking them down into smaller components and providing step-by-step guidance. This approach is particularly useful when introducing new or complex teaching strategies that may require explicit instruction and practice. When employing explicit modeling, teacher educators might use various methods such as demonstrations, guided practice, and simulations. They might explicitly explain the rationale behind each strategy, provide examples, and engage in collaborative discussions to deepen the understanding of the concepts being taught. Through this explicit instruction, aspiring teachers gain a clear understanding of effective teaching practices and how to implement them in their own classrooms. In practice, many teacher educators use a combination of both implicit and explicit modeling approaches to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of their learners. They may begin with implicit modeling to establish a foundation of effective teaching practices, followed by explicit modeling to provide a deeper understanding and step-by-step guidance for complex strategies. This combination allows teacher educators to create a comprehensive and scaffolded learning experience for pre-service and in-service teachers (Tejada, F. M., & Leander, K. M., 2022). Overall, implicit, and explicit modeling are valuable approaches employed by university teacher educators. These approaches enhance the professional development of teachers by providing them with real-life examples, demonstrations, and explicit instruction to develop their pedagogical skills and knowledge.

Preface

The first International conference on Design Innovations and Management for Sustainable Environment (ICDIMSE) was conducted on 15th and 16th March 2022 jointly by Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, India and Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus held online in Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference aimed to bring together academicians, scientists, practitioners, researchers and students from a range of different disciplines to explore and share their experiences and research work in Sustainable Design of Built Environment. To prevent technical issues that can arise during the virtual mode of presenting, all the presentations of the accepted research papers were compiled beforehand which ensured a seamless conduct of the event by the participants who were from different parts of the world.Day 1 began with an opening session, which was followed by the keynote presenters Prof. DR. Shaleen Singhal, Dean (Research & Partnerships), TERI School of Advanced Studies, and Prof. Ali A. Alraouf (Associate AIA, Middle East and Gulf Chapter, Professor at HBK University in Qatar). Four parallel sessions that were moderated and chaired by DR. Monsingh David Devdas, Prof. Polat Hançer, Ar. Milon Dutta, and Prof. Illiona Outram followed the inaugural session.DR. Steffen Lehmann (Assoc. AIA, RIBA) and Prof. DR. Rohinton Emmanuel (Director of the BEAM Research Centre, Professor in Sustainable Design and Construction in Glasgow Caledonia University) delivered the keynote address on Day II of the conference. This was followed by four parallel sessions moderated and chaired by Tokie Laotan-Brown, DR. Abdul Razak, Yonca Hürol and DR.Swetha Madhusudhan. For all the eight sessions, best papers were awarded.Seventy nine research papers were presented during the conference under the themes: Design Innovations, Building Design and Performance Evaluation, Smart Materials and Artificial Intelligence, Sustainability in Architectural Design, Sustainable Design and Construction Processes, Urban Resilience, Safety, Disaster and Risk Mitigation, Sustainable Urban and Rural Development and Environmental Policy and Governance. The online conference was of great success having a diverse group of expertise and backgrounds with participants around the globe. This enabled a rich knowledge sharing environment with enthusiastic discussions.Forty of the conference papers were accepted for publication in the IOP EES Conference Proceedings. We express our gratitude to all the members who were a part of the peer review process and spent their valuable time in reviewing the papers.We express our deep gratitude to the Management of the Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology and Eastern Mediterranean University, invited speakers, reviewers, and session chairs for their hard work along the series of conference events until this proceeding publication. We also thank all participants and authors for taking excellent opportunity for discussing and publishing the papers. We thank all the committee members and all those who have contributed for the success of ICDIMSE 2022 and publications of the Proceedings.List of Organising Committee, Executive Committee, Advisory Committee, Scientific Committee, Peer Review Committee, Technical Committee is available in the pdf.

A CASE STUDY OF A GERMAN LANGUAGE LEARNING PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS ON ANDROID SYSTEMS AT THE SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY

At the present time, with the advancement of technology in mobile phones and tablets which have equipped people with mobile computers, and because of students’ preferences for convenient and low-cost approach of learning, the idea of using mobile applications for educational purposes is gradually getting stronger. Hence, it is essential to investigate about the benefits and drawbacks of using applications in education and develop this idea in order to improve and prosper the future of pedagogy and expand it beyond classrooms. The aim of this research is to analyze the viewpoint of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) students, who are registered to the German Language Learning course (ELT502) which is given by the School of Foreign Languages. In this research, a quantitative approach was used, and the required data was gathered through questionnaires which were responded to by the students at the School of Foreign Languages and has been analyzed by SPSS 25. The results of this research illustrated that students were satisfied by using this type of education and are willing to utilize it again in order to improve their language learning skills. Along with the results, this research has provided some recommendations like applying the efficient methods in M-Learning in order to improve the learners’ language learning process.

Tourism Growth: A Bibliometric Analysis from the Web of Science (WoS) Database

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of published studies related to tourism growth. Based on the titles of publications with the phrase "tourism growth" in the title, it was scanned from the Web of Science database. The research findings are limited to the Web of Science database since this is the preferred database. The scanning process did not include any field filtering; therefore a total of 941 publications were found. The source countries of the publications were found to be primarily China, the United States of America, and Turkey. Tourism development, economic growth, and tourism growth are the three most frequently used keywords. Eastern Mediterranean University has the highest average number of citations, while Turkey has the highest number of studies and citations. Furthermore, studies often employ the panel co-integration method. Tourism and economic growth do not appear to have a clear relationship. Based on the sample and time period selected, the findings vary. The study recommends the use of regime-switching models in this area, apart from cointegration and causality analysis.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding proton pump inhibitors among community pharmacists and pharmacy students.

There are concerns about inappropriate use and insufficient knowledge of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) use among medical staff. This study was designed to examine pharmacy students' and community pharmacists' knowledge, attitude, and practices toward PPIs and their relationship with specific sociodemographic characteristics. This descriptive study was conducted on the pharmacy students (first and last year) at Eastern Mediterranean University and community pharmacists in North Cyprus Data were collected by a validated questionnaire, which assessed knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding PPI use. Students were included without sampling in a volunteer-based manner. Registered community pharmacists were selected randomly. First-year pharmacy students (n = 77) showed significantly lower knowledge levels than last-year students (12.00 vs. 13.65; P < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference between last-year students (n = 111) and community pharmacists (n = 59). First-year pharmacy students were significantly less aware of PPIs' "dosage and administration" than the other two groups. Last-year students and community pharmacists exhibited significantly higher attitude scores regarding PPI use (24.7 and 24.6 vs. 22.7; P < 0.001). Omeprazole was found to be the most preferred PPI among the three studied populations. Community pharmacists used PPIs mainly to treat acid reflux. Gender, nationality, and pharmacy education program type did not influence pharmacy students' knowledge, attitude, or practices. There was not a significant difference regarding knowledge and attitude between the last-year pharmacy students and community pharmacists. The practices of community pharmacists were significantly different from the pharmacy students. It was concluded that certain essential topics regarding PPI use should be emphasized in pharmacy education and during pharmacy practice. Further, it is essentially important for community pharmacists to continue their education through training programs after graduation to enhance their knowledge of PPI use.

Students’ Academic Performance and Perceptions towards Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Large Public University in Northern Cyprus

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education systems in educational environments, especially in universities. In some educational institutions, including Eastern Mediterranean University, the decision was made to replace face-to-face learning with online learning to ensure the health of students and instructors. It is necessary to find out how a transition would impact the education quality and what the feedback will be among students. This study examines the level of satisfaction with the current online learning platforms, students’ preference between face-to-face and online learning, and the students’ continuous intention to use online learning. Students’ academic performance during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic era and the two years before the COVID-19 pandemic era are compared together in this research to examine the change in their academic performance outcomes. To collect data, a cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 1087 participants fully responded to the online survey. The findings of this study provide strong support for online learning against face-to-face learning. The evaluation of students’ academic performance showed a very slight drop, which showed that the level of satisfaction of students from online learning might not be linked to their academic achievements. The results of this study can help educational environments to improve the situation of online education, and policymakers will have a good view of students’ acceptance and satisfaction with online learning.

Bibliometric Analysis of Turnover Intention Using VOSviewer

This study aims to determine the development map of "Turnover Intention" from 2008 - 2022. This study is based on a literature study of various scientific journals conducted by searching the Scopus database, using the keyword "Turnover Intention." To get a map of research developments, the data obtained is exported in RIS format. The exported data are then processed and analyzed using the VOS Viewer to find out the bibliometric map of “Turnover Intention.” The data used in the study were 302 documents. The results of the analysis show that the trend of turnover intention is highest in 2021. The institution that contributes the most research on turnover intention is Eastern Mediterranean University. Most of the research on turnover intention is published in Frontiers in Psychology. The author who most consistently writes about turnover intention is Karatepe, OM, who contributes 8 themes to the same research publication.

Edu-tourists’ loyalty to university town: field evidence from North Cyprus

ABSTRACT Focusing on educational tourism (Edu-tourism) in Northern Cyprus, this study analysed the effects from different university-related variables such as university-related antecedent, town-related Information, town-related offerings, and town-related facility on Edu-tourists’ (international students) town loyalty through university reputation, student town reputation, student town satisfaction and the effect of switching cost on student town satisfaction. Knowing that Edu-tourism has become an alternative form of tourism, especially in island states. In total, a sample size of 250 international students at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) was surveyed. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that town reputation, influenced by university reputation and student town satisfaction plays a crucial role in students’ town loyalty.

Prof. Joachim Holtz Gives a Distinguished Lecture at Eastern Mediterranean University [Society News

Reports on the IES society Distinguished Lecture series.

Recognition of Dorsal Hand Vein in Small-Scale Sample Database Based on Fusion of ResNet and HOG Feature

As artificial intelligence develops, deep learning algorithms are increasingly being used in the field of dorsal hand vein (DHV) recognition. However, deep learning has high requirements regarding the number of samples, and current DHV datasets have few images. To solve the above problems, we propose a method based on the fusion of ResNet and Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) features, in which the shallow semantic information extracted by primary convolution and HOG features are fed into the residual structure of ResNet for full fusion and, finally, classification. By adding Gaussian noise, the North China University of Technology dataset, the Shandong University of Science and Technology dataset, and the Eastern Mediterranean University dataset are extended and fused to from a fused dataset. Our proposed method is applied to the above datasets, and the experimental results show that our proposed method achieves good recognition rates on each of the datasets. Importantly, we achieved a 93.47% recognition rate on the fused dataset, which was 2.31% and 26.08% higher than using ResNet and HOG alone.

A Performance-Based Window Design and Evaluation Model for Naturally Ventilated Offices

This study proposes a performance-based window design model for optimised natural ventilation potential by reducing the level of indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and improving thermal comfort, consequently minimising supplementary heating/cooling loads. The model consists of several stages: (1) Knowledge acquisition, (2) establishing a relationship between window design and natural ventilation, (3) identifying performance criteria and the design of experiments (DOE), (4) conducting performance-based dynamic simulations, (5) evaluation of findings, and (6) making informed design decisions. The study also proposed an evaluation method by which assessments of indoor CO2 concentration and adaptive thermal comfort are performed using the threshold suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) and the acceptability categories of the British/European standard BS EN 15251:2007. The proposed model was applied to a single office inspired by the staff offices at the Department of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, North Cyprus. The findings show that the developed model of performance-based window design enables the handling of various window design variables along with different performance criteria to determine the near-optimal window design alternatives for effective natural ventilation (NV) and mixed-mode (MM) offices. This model can guide architects in making informed decisions in the early stages of office window design.

Being a Syrian Student in Northern Cyprus: An Ethnographic Study

This ethnographic study aims to examine Syrian students’ various experiences with belonging and identity while studying at Eastern Mediterranean University. The main objective of this study, which consists of the experiences of a sample group of students, is to examine in detail the subject of belonging and identity. The model of the study is ethnographic research, one of the qualitative research methods. Ten Syrian students participated in the fieldwork. The interviews were analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. As a result of the study, we see that Syrian students emphasize the similarities between the TRNC and Syria, such as food and climatic structure. However, in addition to this positive similarity, we found that differences in language and culture stressed the students. The relationship between Syrian culture and some of the variables, about both belonging and identity, is examined in detail and the results are given in the light of the literature as a result of this study.

Editorial: The inaugural issue of Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

Editorial: The inaugural issue of Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Preclinical Medical Students and Effects on Their Lifestyles

COVID-19 has appeared in Wuhan in December 2019. It has become an epidemic, leading to the transition to online education in medical schools, and students have been affected in some way by the pandemic. This study aimed to investigate perspectives of Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) preclinical medical students on COVID-19 and its effects on their lives.

Implementation of a Thematic Analysis Method to Develop a Qualitative Model on the Authentic Foreign Language Learning Perspective: A Case Study in the University of Northern Cyprus

Environmentally friendly occasions allow foreign language learners to further concentrate on realizing their extensive knowledge of the English language. Exercises and activities performed in foreign language classes have been criticized for a lack of authenticity, which prevents language learners from learning the real-life usage of language. In this paper, we developed a qualitative model based on the thematic analysis method (TAM) to distinguish the efficacy of research strategies. The number of participants was defined based on theoretical saturation. To collect the data, 18 participants were selected from the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in Cyprus. The selection of participants was according to their involvement in research-based projects. Theoretical saturation occurred after 15 semi-structured interview forms from participants; however, we selected three extra participants to obtain more reliable results. The reliability of the qualitative model was explicitly illustrated by colleagues who were experts in this field by reviewing and analyzing the proposed model with previous models. It was concluded that the two principles of motivation (principle 11) and provision of collaborative opportunities (principle 4) had the highest frequencies, of 22.47% and 19.66%.

ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS FOR CAMPUS OUTDOOR SPACE: A MICROCLIMATE ANALYSIS OF THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY (EMU) CAMPUS

ABSTRACT Open spaces—whether public, urban, or part of a campus—offer a variety of activities and opportunities to people. Therefore, open spaces should be considered a vital component of any built-up area and designed to meet the needs and address the comfort of potential users. Because of their presence in daily life and their preponderance of characteristics, open spaces have drawn the attention of many researchers, designers, and planners with varying perspectives. The current study takes a scientific approach to analyzing the environmental parameters of the Campus Outdoor Space (COS) in the case of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). An extensive literature review supported the identification of seven important environmental parameters effective in the microscale analysis of a COS: geographical location, meteorological situation, urban form, surface materials, amount of vegetation and watershed, and anthropogenic pollution. Analysis of the environmental parameters called for a hybrid method that included a detailed field survey and the following set of simulations: sun-path, radiation, sky view factor, and turbulence analysis. The accuracy of the field survey directly contributed to the effectiveness of the simulations. Grasshopper® 3D software and Computational Fluid Dynamics were used to simulate the conditions of the EMU study area. The outcomes show that the spatial organization, building forms, and building orientation negatively affect the COS of EMU. In the Mediterranean climatic region of EMU, shade and flowing breezes greatly enhance comfort and usability of outdoor spaces from April to October. The massive form of buildings and minimal planning for effective building orientation to the sun increased heat storage capacity and neglected prevailing winds, resulting in flow separation and formation of eddies on the leeward side of buildings. These negatively influenced the microclimate, and thereby user comfort, at the core of the EMU’s main COS.

A new complementary model for integrating historico-geographical and configurational approaches: the case of Famagusta

This paper presents a ‘complementary model’ for analyzing urban form by utilizing the historico-geographical and configurational approaches of urban morphology to achieve a better comprehension of the evolution of the urban form and, in particular, of the street formation of Famagusta. The results confirm that structurally the historico-geographical character and configuration of the town are determined by socio-economic activities. Within this context, both approaches identify the historical patterns of urban form as the key element to comprehend the relationship between socio-economic activity and urban form, which are both configurational and historical. Famagusta, a small historical town located in the eastern part of Cyprus, lacks a detailed urban morphological study and has been used to test this complementary method. The complementary model tested in Famagusta represents the strong relationship between land use and socio- economic activities, which determine how the urban form is transformed throughout the last six historical periods, and how socio-economic changes affected the urban form during these processes. Following political conflicts in the 1960s and the division of Cyprus in 1974, Varosha became the “ghost town” it remains to this day. These are the major hindrances to further development of the city toward the south. With the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean University in 1979, the overall socio-economic structure of Famagusta has undergone rapid development. The Walled City remains intact and functioning, but is no longer the centre of socio- economic activity of the region, and the most integrated place in terms of global integration.