Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
EDUCATIONAL GERONTOLOGY, cilt.43, sa.11, ss.561-567, 2017 (SSCI)
While there are various approaches to gerontological and geriatrics (and social sciences) education globally, a component commonly included in undergraduate education is a final thesis project. In Turkey, the Department of Gerontology at Akdeniz University has undertaken a unique approach to thesis development that values and draws on accessing the greater expertise and knowledge of faculty and students through joint collaborations. We offer an overview of the eleven stages of a collective thesis development approach as an alternative to the conventional way of conducting oversight of undergraduate thesis projects. With four years of experience, observed benefits of a collective thesis development approach for students include the opportunity to draw on the comradery, insights, and experience of a plurality of educators and aspiring students while developing, executing, and documenting a thesis project. Benefits to advisors/educators include profiting from the strengths in other advisors and wider exposure to current research, findings, and methodological approaches. So while there may be multifold variations in curriculum content and educational approaches, it is of great importance that educators create spaces that give value to and foster the pursuit of collective wisdom through joint collaborations. (188 words)