OPEN LEARNING @ITU
At ITU, we are dedicated to ensuring inclusive and equitable access to quality education for all. In alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4.3.1, we strive to offer flexible and free educational opportunities beyond our campus, catering to individuals who are not enrolled at the university. Through open access to our campuses, libraries, online courses, research databases, and digital resources, we provide a wealth of learning tools to support lifelong learning and academic advancement. By fostering knowledge sharing and removing barriers to education, we aim to contribute to a more educated, empowered, and inclusive global community.
Open Access Courses @ITU
To expand free access to high-quality higher education materials, İstanbul Technical University (ITU) provides online courses, lectures, and virtual lab tours that anyone in the world can access without enrolment or fees. These initiatives remove institutional barriers and promote lifelong learning in alignment with SDG 4.3.1.
İstanbul Technical University (ITU) promotes lifelong learning and equitable access to knowledge through its Open Courseware and digital education initiatives. ITU’s Open Source Education (AKE) YouTube Channel provides free access to high-quality lectures, seminars, and learning materials prepared by ITU faculty, enabling learners worldwide to benefit from the university’s expertise.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/itu1773_ake/videos
Additionally, ITU’s in-house course management system NINOVA hosts a selection of open courses available for anyone to join, extending ITU’s educational resources beyond enrolled students.
Link: https://ninova.itu.edu.tr/tr/dersler/herkese-acik-dersler/
Complementing these, ITU offers virtual laboratory tours for its 25 ABET-EAC accredited engineering programs, available through publicly accessible ITU’s open-access YouTube playlists. These 123 narrated videos (in English) showcase laboratory facilities, safety procedures, and experimental setups, allowing global learners and prospective students to experience ITU’s infrastructure remotely.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtnU1owOtt825T2cwrrFvxCbGS8G6BK94
Free Access to Campuses @ITU
ITU’s campuses are designed as open, welcoming learning environments that encourage community participation and engagement. Through structured visit programs, public events, and shared spaces, the university ensures that education, culture, and science are accessible to the wider public.
İstanbul Technical University (ITU) provides open and inclusive access to its campuses and social facilities, reinforcing its mission to promote lifelong learning and community engagement. Members of the public can freely visit all ITU campuses by completing the ITU Campus Visit Form, which facilitates organized access for individuals and groups. ITU regularly welcomes high school students, families, and community groups for guided campus tours that introduce them to engineering and design education environments.
Students from Kılıçarslan Anatolian High School, consisting of 12th-grade participants, visited Istanbul Technical University on Monday, November 11, 2024, as part of a campus tour.
Beyond formal visits, ITU’s open and green campus areas host numerous public events such as conferences, seminars, cultural talks, concerts, and student club activities, allowing citizens to participate in educational and cultural experiences on-site. The Maslak Main Campus, which includes a natural preservation area with a public lake, offers accessible outdoor learning and recreation spaces. Similarly, the Maçka Campus, located in the city center, functions as an urban campus with pedestrian public access throughout most areas.
The “ITU Species Count 2024” event, organized by the ITU Commission on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity and Ecosystems on May 22 – International Day for Biological Diversity, brought together students, volunteers, and expert academics from various universities. Over 2,000 observations and more than 350 flora, fauna, and fungi species were recorded on the Ayazağa Campus, contributing to citizen science and biodiversity awareness.
In addition, social facilities including cafés, kiosks, and sports areas such as tennis courts are open to visitors, enabling inclusive use of ITU’s educational and recreational infrastructure. Through these practices, ITU strengthens its contribution to SDG 4.3 – Equal Access to Lifelong Learning, by ensuring that its physical and social environments are shared with the broader community.
Free Access Facilities and Equipment @ ITU
To promote equity in access to knowledge resources, ITU opens its extensive library network and digital repositories to graduates, scholars, and the public. These facilities provide essential academic materials, databases, and study environments free of charge, strengthening lifelong learning opportunities for all.
At İstanbul Technical University (ITU), the Library and Documentation Directorate ensures open and equitable access to educational facilities and resources that support lifelong learning and research. The ITU Library System, operating across five campuses and eight locations, houses a comprehensive collection exceeding one million publications, including 592,675 e-books, 104,941 e-journals, 42,596 visual materials, 6,000 rare works, 7,500 maps, and over 200 databases. The Mustafa İnan Library, open 24/7, together with seven branch libraries, serves as a major community learning hub.
Facilities
Under the umbrella of the Library and Documentation Directorate, there is a central library, the "Mustafa İnan Library (open 24/7)," and 7 branch libraries. (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Ragıp Berker Library, Center for Advanced Studies in Music Library, Faculty of Architecture Library, Faculty of Maritime Affairs Library, Faculty of Management Library, School of Foreign Languages Library, Conservatory Library).
Free access is granted to ITU graduates for lifelong use of library spaces and computer facilities. Moreover, students and academics from other universities may use these facilities through daily passes or annual guest memberships; in 2024, 246 external users benefited from this opportunity.
Online Resources
ITU also supports knowledge sharing through its Interlibrary Loan system, providing 41 publications free of charge to partner institutions and individual researchers.
https://kutuphane.itu.edu.tr/en/services/ill-interlibrary-loan
All Master’s and PhD theses are publicly available online at no cost, with 190,829 views and 1,056,006 downloads recorded in 2024.
https://polen.itu.edu.tr/home
Through these open-access library services, ITU contributes directly to SDG 4.3 – Equal Access to Lifelong Learning, by ensuring that educational resources, campus facilities, and digital knowledge repositories remain freely available to the wider community.
Open Access Trainings @ITU
ITU offers a wide range of free training programmes and certificate-bearing workshops that reach learners beyond the student body. These open-access initiatives—delivered through ITU GINOVA, the Center for Excellence in Education, and EELISA—support skill development, entrepreneurship, and innovation for individuals at all stages of life.
İstanbul Technical University (ITU) delivers a wide range of free and open training programmes that extend learning opportunities beyond its enrolled students, providing certificates, micro-credits, and open access to lifelong learners.
"Jump Start" Entrepreneurship Training Programme by ITU GINOVA
GINOVA launched the Jump Start: Quick Start to Entrepreneurship Certificate Program for the 2024-2025 Fall semester on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. The program began with the lecture "Introduction to Entrepreneurship" by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adnan Veysel Ertemel and provided participants with practical skills to test business ideas, design experiments, develop business models, and prepare for investor presentations.
Participants engaged in advanced topics such as Design Thinking and Technology Commercialization & Licensing Strategies, and gained hands-on experience through the Experiment Design workshop to develop Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). The program concluded with project presentations to a jury and preparation for Demo Day through the Preparing the Venture for Investment workshop. Asynchronous modules guided by Koray İnan, GINOVA Advisory Board member, complemented the training.
The Jump Start Program was organized in two separate sessions during the academic year. The first session hosted 62 participants (including 52 from ITU and 10 out of ITU participants), while the second session attracted a larger group with 152 participants (including 142 from ITU and 10 out of ITU participants).
Successful completion of the 30-hour training awarded participants a certificate and micro-credits, and provided access to advanced entrepreneurship training at 1773 ITU Technopark, opportunities to meet investors, and one-on-one mentorship from experts.
Link: https://haberler.itu.edu.tr/haberdetay/2024/11/01/itu-ginova-jump-start-girisimcilik-egitim-programi-basladi-2024
GINOVA Town Hall Seminar Series: “Artificial Intelligence and Next-Generation Entrepreneurship” by ITU GINOVA
As part of the GINOVA Town Hall Seminar Series, Kadir Bulut, Coordinator of the Artificial Intelligence Factory at İsbank, met with students on February 14, 2024, at ITU Ayazağa Campus. The seminar focused on the concept of “Next-Generation Entrepreneurship”, which emphasizes developing innovative ideas and designs that create social impact. Discussions explored the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, highlighting the new opportunities it brings for startups and innovation.
The session also included an interactive segment where students shared their entrepreneurial ideas and exchanged perspectives on how AI technologies can be leveraged more effectively.
A total of 214 participants attended the event — 194 from ITU and 20 from outside ITU — fostering dialogue and collaboration between academia and industry.
Link: https://haberler.itu.edu.tr/haberdetay/2024/02/16/itu-de-yapay-zeka-ve-yeni-nesil-girisimcilik-semineri
Platform Urbanism EELISA Summer School by ITU Center for Excellence in Education
The Istanbul Technical University Center for Excellence in Education (ITU MEM) aims to enhance the quality of education and training through innovative programs and initiatives. It focuses on fostering academic excellence by offering workshops, seminars, and courses that empower students and professionals in various fields.
The EELISA Summer School on Digital Platforms was held on August 5th and 7th, 2024 at ITU Ayazağa Campus. The program introduced participants to digital platforms in an international and multidisciplinary environment, covering platform urbanism, AI-based urban analysis, and the impact of platformisation on urban life. The school included lectures, guest speakers,lab sessions a site visit, a case study, a hands-on exercise, and teamwork activities, following the ITU Innovative Learning Stations Model.
A total of 12 participants attended the summer school. Participants who successfully completed all modules received a Certificate of Attendance along with 6 ECTS.
Link: https://eelisa.eu/events/eelisa-summer-school-on-platform-urbanism/
ITU Lecture Live Broadcasts for Public
ITU’s Live Lecture Series provides free, publicly accessible online sessions on career planning, entrepreneurship, and personal development through ITU’s streaming platforms. ITU’s live lecture series provides students with online access to a wide range of sessions covering diverse topics related to academic, professional, and personal development. The lectures address subjects such as career planning in emerging technologies, modern entrepreneurship methodologies, differentiating oneself in applications, and interview preparation, among others. Delivered through ITU’s official live streaming platform, these sessions offer students the opportunity to gain practical knowledge, enhance their skills, and engage with expert speakers across multiple disciplines. https://bidb.itu.edu.tr/live
Links:
Bir Girişimcinin Yolculuğu: Hyperever – Çayan Baykal – April 24th , 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/3yxKeOZPLOk?si=0GeGZ_y-eLDOsx6E
İTÜ Teknopark Tanıtımı – Talha Türkmen – April 14th , 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/3yxKeOZPLOk?si=0GeGZ_y-eLDOsx6E
Girişimcilikte Yeni Dalgalar: Yenilikçi Fikirler ve Stratejiler – Özarslan Tangün- Mar 27th, 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/d_1PbQyqsc8?si=lFGMOlMhgsaTOK4q
Modern Girişimcilik Metodolojisini Anlamak – Adnan Veysel Ertemel – Mar 20th , 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/mrWNssOZueo?si=V4LCr_xCLm_Y3HVm
Kariyer Hakkında Doğru Bildiğiniz Yanlışar – Seher Öğrenci – March 6th, 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/UmFFSrzrsaU?si=AmXW7CuY9kE_JiIu
İTÜ, ya sonra? Geleceğe Dönüş 1, Uğur Karaboğa – Feb 28th, 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/Elm8FDwhmvQ?si=kue75B-gxZ-HbY0E
Summary
Through its open courses, public campuses, freely accessible libraries, and certificate-bearing trainings, İstanbul Technical University demonstrates its strong institutional commitment to SDG 4.3. In 2024 alone, thousands of learners accessed ITU’s physical and digital resources, highlighting the university’s ongoing mission to share knowledge openly and promote inclusive, lifelong learning for all.