Our university's Faculty of Education faculty member, Associate Professor Dr. Ümit İzgi Onbaşılı, was among the academics representing Turkey at the international conference titled "Advancing Basic Skills and Innovation through eTwinning for Future Teachers," held in Milan from November 27–29, 2025.

Our university, with its successful eTwinning applications in 2025, earned another quality label, representing Turkey among 15 finalist universities selected from both European Union member and non-member countries.

At the conference, Assoc. Professor Dr. Ümit İzgi Onbaşılı made two academic contributions. The 90-minute workshop, "eTwinning Story Bridge: Transnational Collaboration through AI-Supported Digital Storytelling," facilitated by Prof. Dr. Burcu Sezginsoy Şeker, shared the innovative potential of AI-supported digital storytelling applications in teacher education with international participants.

Additionally, his individual presentation, "Building Bridges in Teacher Education: eTwinning and Erasmus BIP for Future-Oriented Pedagogies," was broadcast live on YouTube as part of the conference and reached a wide audience.

During the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onbaşılı held extensive contacts with academics, national support service representatives, and ITE experts from various European countries to discuss new collaborations. These interactions significantly increased Mersin University's visibility within European Commission-focused teacher education networks and strengthened our institution's capacity for international academic collaboration.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onbaşılı expressed his feelings by saying, "All these achievements are a concrete demonstration of the work our University is carrying out in line with its internationalization strategy. Our University continues to be committed to supporting and developing innovative, multicultural, and collaborative approaches in teacher education."

Press and Public Relations Branch