Regulation

NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE UNIT (EEU)
REGULATION

SECTION 1

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Purpose

Article 1
The purpose of this regulation is to define the working principles of the Education Excellence Unit and its affiliated departments.

Scope

Article 2
This regulation includes the general working principles and operational rules governing the Education Excellence Unit. It also describes the services provided by the Unit across the University, as well as the duties and responsibilities of the coordinatorships affiliated with the Unit.

Legal Basis

Article 3
This regulation has been prepared based on the Higher Education Law No. 65/2005 of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as amended and consolidated by Amendment Laws No. 21/2008, No. 40/2009, and No. 23/2017, and in accordance with the undergraduate, postgraduate education, and examination bylaws of Near East University.

Definitions

Article 4
The definitions of the terms and concepts used in this regulation are as follows:

  • University: Near East University
  • Rectorate: Near East University Rectorate
  • Rector: The Rector of Near East University
  • Unit: Education Excellence Unit
  • Coordinatorships: Sub-units operating under the Education Excellence Unit that are responsible for organizing and delivering various services
  • Academic Units: All faculties, institutes, and research centers of Near East University
  • Director: The academic staff member who presides over the Education Excellence Unit
  • Assistant: The staff member who assists the coordinator of the Education Excellence Unit in ensuring the functionality of the Unit
  • Coordinator: The academic staff member responsible for the planning and operation of the centers/coordinatorships established under the Education Excellence Unit
  • Board: The administrative board composed of the Director of the Education Excellence Unit and its coordinators
  • Student: A person enrolled in any academic unit of Near East University for educational purposes
  • Academic Staff: A person providing full-time or part-time educational services within any academic unit of Near East University

SECTION 2

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

Objectives of the Education Excellence Unit

Article 5
The Education Excellence Unit (EEU) aims to:

  • Implement innovative educational practices across the University to provide learning and teaching experiences that are contemporary, equitable, and of exceptional quality—experiences capable of transforming the personal and professional lives of students and academic staff.
  • Plan and deliver services that support and enhance professional development at the higher education level.
  • Organize and deliver various assessment and evaluation practices throughout the University.
  • Plan, organize, and deliver courses that are offered university-wide as public, common, or elective courses.
  • Ensure the effective use and development of existing educational technologies and facilities across the University.
  • Support academic staff in integrating current educational technologies into courses and in designing new courses/curricula, lesson planning, and assessment processes, taking into consideration the rules of relevant accreditation bodies and the needs of students.

Coordinatorships under the Education Excellence Unit

Article 6
a) There are four main coordinatorships operating under the Education Excellence Unit. These are the Learning and Teaching Coordinatorship, Curriculum Development Coordinatorship, Measurement and Evaluation Coordinatorship, Public and Elective Courses Coordinatorship, and Common Courses Coordinatorship. The duties of these coordinatorships are as follows:

1.Learning and Teaching Coordinatorship (LTC):
Responsible for providing support to all academic units and staff to enhance educational quality by organizing services such as continuous monitoring of existing teaching practices, classroom observations, course consultations, and professional development training. Additionally, providing one-on-one academic support to students in areas deemed necessary is among the responsibilities of the LTC.

2.Curriculum Development Coordinatorship (CDC):
Responsible for assisting and training academic staff across the University in aligning educational services and practices with European Union standards and in curriculum development. It plans and organizes all current and prospective special programs and agreements (e.g., dual degree programs and student exchange programs) and develops programs that promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

3. Measurement and Evaluation Coordinatorship (MEC):
Responsible for reviewing, updating, and implementing the University’s assessment and evaluation policies. Additionally, the MEC ensures diversity in assessment and evaluation methods, maintains reliability in measurement processes, identifies the needs of students with special requirements, and provides assessment and evaluation services tailored to those needs.

4. Common Courses Coordinatorship (CCC):
Operates under the Education Excellence Unit and is responsible for identifying and organizing courses offered university-wide as common and/or elective courses.

5. Public and Elective Courses Coordinatorship (PEC):
Operates under the Education Excellence Unit and is responsible for identifying, organizing, and delivering all courses offered to the public as well as those offered university-wide as common and/or elective courses.

b) To establish new centers or coordinatorships under the Education Excellence Unit, the Unit Director shall submit to the Rectorate a detailed document outlining the mission, vision, and operational plan of the proposed center or coordinatorship.

Upon the approval of the Rector, a coordinator selected from among the academic staff shall be appointed by the Unit Director to organize the operations of the new center/coordinatorship. The center/coordinatorship becomes operational following this appointment.

Operation of Centers and Coordinatorships under the Education Excellence Unit

Article 7

  • The activities and services of the centers/coordinatorships affiliated with the Education Excellence Unit are determined by the respective coordinators before the start of each academic term (in June and August). The detailed activity schedule is submitted to the Unit Directorate for discussion in board meetings.
  • After being discussed in the board meeting, all activities are implemented on the specified dates with the approval of the Unit Director.

Services Provided by the Education Excellence Unit

Article 8
The Education Excellence Unit provides two types of services:
1.Scheduled Activities: Planned activities determined and scheduled by the coordinators, announced to all academic staff and/or students in advance. The dates of these activities are predetermined and cannot be changed.

2.On-Demand Services: Services offered by any center or coordinatorship under the Unit to academic staff and/or students who wish to benefit from them. These services are provided by appointment—applicants must contact the relevant center/coordinatorship to arrange a suitable day and time for their session.

Announcement of Services, Activities, and Courses Offered by the Education Excellence Unit

Article 9
Services, activities, and courses approved by the Unit Director are announced publicly online through the Near East University website. Additionally, information is communicated to students and academic staff via their official Near East University email accounts.

Participation in the Activities and Courses of the Education Excellence Unit and Access to Its Services

Article 10

  • To benefit from services provided by appointment, individuals must contact the relevant center/coordinatorship, select a suitable date, and schedule the service accordingly.
  • Students and academic staff may also participate in pre-scheduled activities, which are held on predetermined dates during the academic term.
  • Attendance is mandatory for all full-time academic staff of the respective faculties at face-to-face professional development activities organized for academic staff. If such activities coincide with the teaching hours of any course the academic staff member is responsible for, the staff member must make the necessary arrangements to reschedule the class as a make-up session.
  • Academic staff may benefit from appointment-based services outside their teaching and office hours.
  • For activities that result in certification, participants must attend all sessions included in the activity program and personally sign the attendance forms. In online events, participants who attend with their NEU email accounts and follow all sessions in full are eligible to receive a certificate. Upon completion, certificates are issued by the Education Excellence Unit to participants with verified attendance and signatures.
  • During an academic term, both students and academic staff are entitled to participate in as many activities or courses as they wish.

SECTION 3

STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS OF THE EDUCATION EXCELLENCE UNIT

Article 11

  • The Director of the Education Excellence Unit is appointed by the Rector of Near East University from among the academic staff. The Director is responsible for organizing and supervising the operations of all centers and coordinatorships listed in Article 6 of this regulation, as well as any new centers or coordinatorships that may later be established under the Education Excellence Unit. The Director is also responsible for appointing the coordinators.
  • At the end of each academic year, the Director prepares a comprehensive report detailing the educational and other activities conducted throughout the year and submits it to the Rectorate. This report also includes a draft plan of activities proposed for the upcoming academic year.
  • An assistant is appointed to the Director to help conduct needs analyses and assist in organizing the operations of the centers/coordinatorships.
  • The Education Excellence Unit Board consists of the Director and the coordinators of the centers/coordinatorships affiliated with the Unit.
  • The Board convenes at least twice a year (in August and January). During these meetings, all educational activities and services planned to be offered by the centers/coordinatorships in the upcoming term are reviewed and discussed. The minutes of the meeting, including all opinions, suggestions, and decisions, are submitted to the Rectorate for approval. Decisions approved by the Rector are considered effective and binding.

SECTION 4

FINAL PROVISIONS

Enforcement

Article 12
This regulation shall enter into force on the date of its approval by the Senate of Near East University.
Execution

Article 13
The provisions of this regulation shall be executed by the Rector of Near East University.