The Internationalization of Higher Education in Turkey: Creating an Index

The aim of this study is to test the validity and reliability of the Internationalization Index of Higher Education in Turkey, which provides a ranking of institutions of higher education in Turkey according to their degree of internationalization. The item discrimination, construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses), and internal consistencies of the index’s indicators and subindicators were tested using data obtained from 300 faculty members. The findings obtained showed that the index was made up of five indicators—(i) university research performance, (ii) curricular efficiency, (iii) international linkages, (iv) student support, and (v) urban sufficiency—as well as of 33 subindicators, and that the index was valid and reliable. The study then made use of the Delphi method to establish the weight of the index’s indicators and subindicators. In sum, it can be said that the study effectively constitutes a proof toward utilization of the Internationalization Index of Higher Education in Turkey for the ranking of institutions of higher education in terms of internationalization

A research on environmental rating systems considering building energy performances in different climatic regions of Turkey

Turkey’s diverse regions lead to complex issues in sustainability. We studied to cities in different areas of the country to examine the effects of local climate on energy use in energy-efficient buildings. Erzurum is the coldest city; Antalya lies in the Mediterranean region and has the highest solar global horizontal radiation in Turkey. We used Heating Degree Days (HDD) and Cooling Degree Days (CDD) values for both cities to estimate the energy demand for heating and cooling the buildings. In Erzurum, CO2 emissions are high, because fuel consumption to heat the same building is more than 4 times of that of Antalya in winter. CO2 emission is significant as the key greenhouse gas. In Antalya, the electricity costs for cooling the same building are more than 42 times that of Erzurum; CO2 emissions are also higher during summer. A building certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) uses about 35% less energy for heating and cooling in both cities. The economic and environmental contributions of a LEED-certified building in Erzurum is higher during cold weather, while in Antalya, a LEED-certified building conserves comparatively more energy and retains more CO2 during hot weather. The results show that the LEED Certification System can be a more international system if geographical and climatic differences are also taken into consideration