Res. Asst. Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan Completed Erasmus+ Staff Mobility at Escuela de Arte de Cádiz in Spain

As part of the mobility program conducted in line with the university’s internationalization vision, Res. Asst. Dr. Bayhan had the opportunity to closely examine the institutional structure of art and design education in Spain, observe different educational models, and explore potential opportunities for academic collaboration.

During the mobility period, Res. Asst. Dr. Bayhan was welcomed and accompanied throughout the institutional academic processes by Associate Professor Virginia Barcala Sanromán, a faculty member at Escuela de Arte de Cádiz. Throughout the visit, she carried out a comprehensive observation process focusing on the school’s educational approach. As part of the academic visits and institutional meetings, various workshops and production spaces were examined, while students’ year-long works, end-of-term project outcomes, and practice-based learning processes were reviewed in detail.

Within the scope of the visit program, the practice-oriented aspects of visual communication, art, and design education stood out in particular. Students’ design projects developed throughout the academic year, workshop-based productions, creative works functioning as portfolio outputs, and interdisciplinary modes of production were examined on site. In this context, Res. Asst. Dr. Bayhan also had the opportunity to meet and interact directly with students, observing their project development processes, use of technical infrastructure, and approaches to creative problem-solving.

The academic mobility did not focus solely on student work; it also included a detailed examination of the institution’s curriculum structure, organization of practice-based courses, studio- and workshop-based educational model, interdisciplinary learning opportunities, production-oriented learning environments, and the pedagogical methods used in art and design education. The balance between theoretical and practical components of the courses, students’ process-oriented evaluation methods, physical workshop arrangements that support a culture of production, and end-of-year exhibition practices were among the most notable aspects of the mobility experience.

In particular, the way the workshop structures were designed to support students’ individual production, encourage interdisciplinary interaction, and provide institutional visibility for the works produced throughout the process was considered an important example within the context of international art and design education. These observations offered valuable academic insights that may contribute to the further development of the practice-based educational approach pursued within the Department of Visual Communication Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Istanbul Gelisim University.

The Erasmus+ mobility was more than a simple observation visit; it also represented an important step toward the comparative evaluation of art and design education models in different countries, the on-site examination of best practices, and the development of future academic collaborations. Observing educational structures, workshop culture, project-based learning processes, and student productions on site created a productive academic environment that strengthened the sharing of knowledge and experience on an international scale.

Through such academic mobility activities conducted within the scope of the Erasmus+ program, the Department of Visual Communication Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Istanbul Gelisim University, continues to enhance the international experience of its academic staff while further strengthening its educational processes from a global perspective.