UNIC recently introduced their UNIC Online Language Modules for Beginners has been developed to support international students and staff. You will be the very first students who benefit from the modules.

There is no grading or examination at the end of the module, the whole project is designed to teach basic Turkish together with Koç University-İstanbul-Turkey related content. You can start and finish the modules anytime at your own pace.

The registration manual for the modules can be seen here.

Since it is the first semester of this module, we also wanted to give voice to the international students and include feedback on some cultural and linguistic aspects of their experience as well as technical experience with the system.

We do appreciate it if you send your feedback via a straightforward survey here.

The sessions are very joyful, and we cover various topics with role-playing activities, games, conversations, and more.

Certificate of Participation

ICO will provide a certificate of participation at the end of the semester for those who attend at least 5 sessions. Therefore, the volunteers will take the attendees’ names each session. 

Those rewarded with a certificate will be registered on the Symplicity platform as “Completed the TCH Program.” Their volunteer participation will be indicated on their social transcripts, if applicable at the graduation. Contact us via Trackit if you have any questions about this matter.

How to Join?

1. Subscribe to the TCH mailing list to receive related meeting details. You can subscribe by filling out the subscription form. Please make sure you provide your university KU e-mail address with the education (edu) domain (like XXX@ku.edu.tr). Note that TCH is available ONLY for KU affiliates and their family members!
   
2. Join the related WhatsApp group according to your level.
   1. Beginners’ WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LMYxbfhCHga4Xc5SzkDd4x
   2. Intermediate/ Advanced WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EzF0tA60VWwCTWhCZhqeoI

Meetings:                                                                                                

Beginners: Every Wednesday, between 17:30 and 18:30. The venue will be announced by the session leader in the WhatsApp group.

Intermediate/ Advanced:  Every Thursday, between 17:30 and 18:30. The venue will be announced by the session leader in the WhatsApp group.

Spring ‘24 TPH Program

More information…

• TCH is on campus and we meet twice a week: one session for beginners and one for intermediate/ advanced level participants each week. 
• Each session will have one volunteer leader and an assistant tutor.
• Participants must have an “edu” domain e-mail address to be able to receive notifications.
• Meetings will last about 1 hour max.
• Your family members are welcome to join if they want to, with or without you provided that they prove their relation to you (only KU members).
• At each meeting, tutors will start conversations about a specific topic or skill for daily life/speech. There will be some sessions to play some language games and/or role-playing. During the meetings, please keep in mind that there will be participants with different levels of Turkish. Therefore, please show courtesy and stay open to other opinions/levels of speaking skills.
• For any questions, suggestions, or concerns, you can reach out to us by creating a Trackit request through Dean of Students Trackit / ICO Requests.

Application to be a Volunteer TCH Leader or Supporter for Fall ’24:

Application Link: TBA

Application Deadline: TBA

The program supervisor: Zikri Mert Demircan (zdemircan@ku.edu.tr.)

CSSH provides ten different levels of Turkish classes for international students ranging from BASIC TURKISH (TURK 201, 202, 203, 204); INTERMEDIATE TURKISH (TURK 301, 302, 303); and  UPPER INTERMEDIATE TURKISH (TURK 401)  to  ADVANCED TURKISH (TURK 402). These courses aim to develop students’ productive language skills by providing a supportive and stimulating learning environment.

In these communicative- based Turkish language classes, assessment is based on testing learners’ linguistic knowledge and accuracy, and their skills in reading and listening comprehension as well as in spoken communication and oral presentation skills.

These courses help students not only to adapt to life in Türkiye and get to know the culture better but also enable them to communicate in Turkish efficiently. They can be offered every semester (fall, spring, and summer) depending on student demand and faculty availability.

Human Resources Directorate offers paid Turkish classes every academic year for pay-rolled faculty members. The announcement of classes is made through KU Daily. Then the faculty members who signed up for the classes attend a test to check their level in the Turkish language.

The university pays a certain amount of the course fee. Therefore just a small amount must be paid by the faculty members. The spouses of faculty members can also benefit from the paid classes. The amount is deducted from the faculty members’ salaries.

More information is announced in KU Daily when it is that time of the year.

You can also contact the HR office for more information regarding sign-ups, regulations, and fees: hr-gelisim@ku.edu.tr.

You can attend the Turkish courses by the İstanbul Municipality (İBB) for free. Several İSMEK centers have the program to give the knowledge and skills of listening, reading, writing, speaking and communicating the daily expressions for simple needs.

It is a portal that allows individuals to learn Turkish in an interactive way with the help of smartphones, tablets or computers without limitation of time and space.

Ankara University TÖMER (Türkçe Öğretim Merkezi) was founded in 1984 with the aim of teaching Turkish to foreigners by patterning leading language and culture centers of the world. There are 2 TÖMER branches in Istanbul: one in Taksim and the other in Kadıköy.