European University of Lefke Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Head, Asst. Prof. Dr. M. Selen Abbasoğlu Ermiyagil attended the 17th Interior Architecture Department Heads Meeting, which was held with the title of “New Directions and Approaches in Interior Architecture Education”, attended by department heads and representatives of different universities providing education in Turkey and the TRNC. The meeting hosted by Atılım University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design was held online.

“Within the scope of the meeting, the Covid-19 pandemic process, which we have been in for almost two years, has led to new searches in the field of education as in every field. Especially in departments such as studio/project courses, where applied courses form the backbone, new orientations have been shaped in the education process in order to act in parallel with the new conditions. Even the more traditional educational approaches to the Interior Architecture education process had to reduce this understanding at certain points. Stating that she had to restructure the institutional, theoretical and practical conditions of the students in Interior Architecture education during the pandemic period, Ermiyagil said, “At this point, at the 17th Interior Architecture Department Heads meeting, the experiences related to the new orientations and approaches in interior architecture education were presented in three different working commissions ( Working Commission 1: Studio Courses in Interior Architecture Design Education Project ((Scope and Area Sizes (Square / Quantity), Working Commission 2: Traditional and Digital Visualization Technologies Uses in Interior Architecture Design Education, Working Commission 3: Evaluation of Interior Architecture Design Internship Applications) , stated that it is aimed to produce ideas and develop suggestions.

Ermiyagil said, “At the meeting, a communication environment was created between universities providing interior architecture education, and different approaches were discussed in the context of the determined study topics being implemented and implemented in different universities. Heads of departments working in Turkey and Cyprus had the opportunity to work in the group of their choice. Accordingly, I had the opportunity to work in the second study commission, saying, “Use of Traditional and Digital Visualization Technologies in Interior Architecture Design Education” in this working commission, different teaching approaches were opened for discussion, the advantages and disadvantages were discussed in detail, and the same in different working commissions. She stated that very valuable evaluations were made for the interior architecture education process and the profession, and information was shared at the new normal teaching and application points of the profession.

Ermiyagil, as a result in the meeting; While the situation of interior architecture education, approaches, experiences and problems related to distance education were discussed during the pandemic process, important issues for the profession and education process were discussed depending on the interior architecture profession and education process before and after the pandemic, and she stated that a very productive meeting was held.