Organizing Committee: 

Eda AŞILMAZ is the Director of Foreign Languages and the English Preparatory School at Bahcesehir Cyprus University, where she is also pursuing her Ph.D. Eda holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Bilkent University, Turkey, and a Master of Arts in Literature and Criticism from Greenwich University, England.

With over 20 years of teaching experience, Eda has developed a profound expertise in educational administration, skill-based academic English teaching, and English language testing. Her career is marked by a seamless blend of pedagogical proficiency and extensive administrative acumen, honed through various roles in higher education.

Eda’s leadership qualities are demonstrated by her energetic and patient management style, which has led to significant achievements, including securing EAQUALS Accreditation for the Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School at Bahcesehir Cyprus University. Her commitment to educational excellence and her ability to inspire both students and colleagues make her a respected figure in her field.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Aman RASSOULI, an esteemed alumnus of Eastern Mediterranean University, currently serves as the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and the Rector’s Coordinator for International Relations at Bahcesehir Cyprus University. With over 20 years of experience in teaching English, Aman has founded two language schools and has held various administrative roles in international universities.

Over the past 15 years, he has held multiple administrative positions at three universities in North Cyprus. He has demonstrated strategic expertise in higher education promotion, successfully attracting international students from 106 different nationalities. As Dean, he established two Master’s programs at BAU Cyprus University. His research interests encompass psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and educational administration.

In addition to his administrative roles, Aman teaches various courses related to English language teaching, as well as Negotiation Skills and Marketing courses. He has also been an instructor for IELTS, TOEFL iBT, and PTE Preparation Courses since 2000.

Before embarking on his professional career as an ELT expert, Aman was a competitive powerlifter, earning several national and international medals. His management skills are highlighted by his ability to achieve targets through effective teamwork. He believes in resolving challenges with lasting solutions rather than temporary fixes and excels in andragogy, adhering to the philosophy of teaching skills that empower students for the long term. His approach to education emphasizes practical skill development, equipping learners with the tools they need to succeed independently.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Erkan ARKIN holds a BA and MA from Boğaziçi and Bilkent universities and a PhD from Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). He has over twenty years of teaching experience contributing to the education and development of pre-service and in-service teachers, thanks to the dual roles he has had as a lecturer at EMU’s EFL teacher education program and a teacher mentor at the Foreign Languages and English preparatory school (FLEPS). Previously he also acted as FLEPS’ head of professional development, responsible for EAP teacher training and the Rector’s coordinator for academic affairs. Currently, he works as a consultant trainer for NILE (Norwich Institute for Language Education). He contributes to the MA in Professional Development for Language Education (MAPDLE) program as a thesis supervisor. He is also a tutor on the program’s Teaching English for Academic Purposes (TEAP) module and on NILE’s online and face-to-face “English as a Medium of Instruction” courses. He has recently joined Bahçeşehir Cyprus University as a part-time lecturer teaching courses at the ELT and the departmental English support programs.

Scientific Committee:

  • Prof. Dr. Emrah Erkurt
  • Prof. Dr. Necdet Osam
  • Prof. Dr. Ulker Vanci Osam
  • Assist. Prof. Dr. Erkan Arkin
  • Assist. Prof. Dr. Aman Rassouli

Key Speakers

Beril YÜCEL has been involved in English Language Teaching for 32 years as an instructor, teacher trainer, textbook writer and administrator. She holds a BA in ELT and an MSc in Educational Sciences from Middle East Technical University. Currently, she works as the Foreign Languages Department Director at Turkish Education Association (TED) Headquarters.  She is one of the founding members of the Board of Directors of İngiliz Dili Öğretimi ve Mesleki Gelişim Derneği (TESOL Turkey).  She previously served as the coordinator of IATEFL TTED SIG for 3 years.  Beril has extensive experience in teacher training and trainer training. She has taken part in many professional development projects both nationally and internationally. She presented at many conferences, published articles and chapters of books.  She is mainly interested in learner autonomy, critical thinking, professional development, educational administration, leadership, research and materials design.
Sinem ATAMSOY KOŞAR has been a teacher for about 30 years and a learning advisor for managers, teachers, students and parents for about 10 years. Sinem is a full-time teacher and a teacher educator at Ege University SoFL. She is also the current Vice-Head and the Continuous Professional Development Unit Coordinator of the school.

She is one of the founding members and the executive board members of TESOL Turkiye. She has had a short experience as the SIG (Special Interest Group) Representative. She also served as the president of TESOL Turkiye from 2022 to 2023.

Her particular interest is in educational psychology, educational management, growth mindset and soft skills; and her mission is to accompany others in their teaching, learning and management journeys in order to further develop their skills as well as hers.

Sinem has joined many international certificate/diploma programs on teacher training, trainer training, testing, management development, mentorship and coaching and personal effectiveness, presentation techniques, brain-based learning, Enneagram and numerology. She has also attended both national and international conferences as a presenter.

And not to forget; she is a proud Turkish Cypriot!
Assist. Prof. Dr. Bahar GÜN holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in ELT. She currently works as a lecturer and a teacher trainer in the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) at Izmir University of Economics (IUE). She is the former head of the Teacher Development Unit in the SFL. Her research interests include EFL teacher education in general, and teacher cognition and Reflective Teaching and Learning in particular. She is also a CELTA tutor. She has presented in many national and international conferences and extensively published in the field of ELT. She is the former president of the TESOL Türkiye Association, the joint coordinator of IATEFL TTEdSIG and TESOL Türkiye TEDSIG as well an executive board member of DEDAK, the national language programs accreditation agency.

 

Honorary Workshop Facilitators

Dr. Hakan TARHAN is a lecturer and PD facilitator in the Department of Foreign Languages at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Türkiye. He holds BA, MA, and PhD degrees in English Language Teaching from Middle East Technical University. Hakan is an executive committee member at TESOL Türkiye Teacher Education and Development Special Interest Group (TEDSIG) and a trainer for the SIT TESOL Certificate Course. Besides teaching and teacher education, he has a keen interest in qualitative research. He is a professional MAXQDA trainer, helping novice and experienced researchers design qualitative research studies and conduct computer-assisted qualitative data analysis. He is also a member of the editorial board at The Qualitative Report Journal. His research focuses on language teacher education, teacher mentoring, applied linguistics, and qualitative inquiry.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Fatoş UĞUR ESKİÇIRAK has a PhD in ELT (İstanbul University), an MA in Educational Administration (BAU) and a BA in American Philology (Ankara University). She holds COTE (now known as ICELT) and DELTA from Bilkent University and is a certified ICELT tutor. She currently works as the Teaching & Training Operations Coordinator at Bahcesehir University SFL. She also gives BA & MA courses at the ELT Department and contributes to the Teacher Training Program of Turkish as a Second Language of the same university.  She does some freelance work as an ELT teacher trainer, course-book reviewer, and editor of supplementary materials for some publishing companies.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Erkan ARKIN holds a BA and MA from Boğaziçi and Bilkent universities and a PhD from Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). He has over twenty years of teaching experience contributing to the education and development of pre-service and in-service teachers, thanks to the dual roles he has had as a lecturer at EMU’s EFL teacher education program and a teacher mentor at the Foreign Languages and English preparatory school (FLEPS). Previously he also acted as FLEPS’ head of professional development, responsible for EAP teacher training and the Rector’s coordinator for academic affairs. Currently, he works as a consultant trainer for NILE (Norwich Institute for Language Education). He contributes to the MA in Professional Development for Language Education (MAPDLE) program as a thesis supervisor. He is also a tutor on the program’s Teaching English for Academic Purposes (TEAP) module and on NILE’s online and face-to-face “English as a Medium of Instruction” courses. He has recently joined Bahçeşehir Cyprus University as a part-time lecturer teaching courses at the ELT and the departmental English support programs.