Distance education on digitization: evaluation of an application in Turkey

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a distance education program in the field of digitization which was carried out in Turkey in 2011. In total, 805 people, comprising librarians, archivists and museum specialists, applied for three certification programs. The paper evaluates the distance education in terms of content and organization on the basis of participants' opinions and determines how and to what extent the education has changed the awareness of participants on digitization and digital content management and their level of theoretical and practical knowledge. Design/methodology/approach - The research questions of the study are: What are the qualities of the participants on digitization and digital content management? In other words, what is the level of education background of the participants and what level of education do they need? What are the qualifications (in terms of content, presentation of the content and general organization) of the distance education program? To what extent has the distance education contributed to the enhancement of participants' level of awareness on digitization and digital content management, and to the improvement of theoretical and practical knowledge? Findings - In the research, the literature on the issue has been reviewed, and then a theoretical model has been developed. The research findings have been presented within the framework of the theoretical model. According to the research findings, the participants have poor educational background, and most of the participants had attended such an education program for the first time. Originality/value - The participants were satisfied with the program in terms of content and organization. The program has improved their level of theoretical and practical knowledge and awareness on digitization.