The “International Congress on Gamification and Serious Games in Education” (GSGILS 2026), organized within the scope of an EU project and coordinated by Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN), was held at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMÜ).

The congress was organized at ÇOMÜ Troia Cultural Center within the scope of the European Union Erasmus+ KA220-HED project titled “Developing Dental Treatment Protocol Practice Skills of Dentistry Undergraduates Through Digital Interactive Education” (DILDENT).

The congress was organized as a dissemination event of the project, which is coordinated by BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ulusoy and aims to support digital transformation in higher education. It aimed to strengthen international academic cooperation and support scientific studies on the use of digital technologies in education. The opening of the congress, which was held in a hybrid format, was attended by ÇOMÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Ramazan Cüneyt Erenoğlu, academic and administrative staff, researchers, and students.

Prof. Dr. Emre Bodrumlu, an academic at BEUN Faculty of Dentistry and co-chair of the congress, gave detailed information in his opening speech about the aims of the DILDENT project, the work carried out, and the digital learning applications developed within the scope of the project. Prof. Dr. Ebru Hazar Bodrumlu, Head of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at BEUN Faculty of Dentistry, also contributed to the project as a researcher and member of the project team.

127 Researchers from 13 Countries Discussed the Future of Digital Education

At the congress, which attracted wide participation, 70 peer-reviewed papers prepared with contributions from researchers in 13 countries were presented to the scientific community. While 32 papers were presented in person and 38 online, 127 authors from 66 different institutions directly contributed to the congress program.

The congress addressed current topics such as gamification in education, serious games, artificial intelligence, educational simulations, and learning analytics. The use of serious games in dentistry, nursing, and first aid education, as well as the integration of large language models into clinical education, were among the prominent topics. During sessions featuring invited speakers who were experts in their fields from universities abroad and various universities in Türkiye, the potential of digital education technologies in higher education, interdisciplinary approaches, and innovative learning models were discussed in detail.

Digital Transformation in Dental Education through the DILDENT Project

The DILDENT project aims to improve the practical skills of undergraduate dentistry students in dental treatment protocols through digital and interactive education methods. The digital learning games developed within the project aim to support students’ professional knowledge and skills in interactive learning environments.

The congress program can be accessed at dildent.org/conf, while the digital learning games developed within the project are available through digital application stores.

Rector Ulusoy: “We Will Continue to Lead New Initiatives in Digitalization in Education”

Making a statement on the subject, Rector Ulusoy said:

“As Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, we attach great importance to international projects that support digital transformation in higher education, encourage innovative educational approaches, and aim to improve our students’ professional competencies to the highest level. The GSGILS 2026 Congress, held within the framework of the DILDENT project, which we coordinate, has once again demonstrated our university’s scientific vision on an international scale and its leading role in educational technologies.

I sincerely thank all our academics and researchers who contributed to the implementation of this valuable project and the successful organization of the congress. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Rector Prof. Dr. Ramazan Cüneyt Erenoğlu and the entire ÇOMÜ family for kindly hosting our congress. I hope that the DILDENT project will further strengthen international scientific cooperation and contribute to new initiatives in digitalization in education.”