Open courseware opportunities for architecture education: Anadolu University ANAPOD experience

Abstract

Today, in every field of our lives, an efficient information access and mobility has become a prerequisite for the sustainability of all systems. Considering this fact, Internet technology is the fastest and the most proper media to access the required information worldwide, from our daily questions to scientific researches. Within this rapid development, many Internet compatible applications have been specialized to ease information access and sharing. Hence, internet inevitably becomes the top asset for obtaining the inputs, sharing the information and marketing goods and services. Increasing demand for web based education services is also one of the reflections of this rapid development. Internet based education models integrated with computer technologies provide the best and most efficient conclusions for mass education. To meet the mentioned demands and needs, Anadolu University, has been providing higher education opportunities through distance education since 1982. The University, with over 1.2 million distant students, is one of the leading universities in Turkey and the world. ANAPOD application is a new education model within University's distance education process, which is highly applicable for many disciplines. In this paper, ANAPOD experiences for the architecture education will be discussed.