Murat Oztok

Murat Oztok serves as Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen's School of Education, actively supervising PhD candidates across Education, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, and Computing Science. His work fundamentally challenges the assumption that digital learning spaces are inherently equitable, positioning online education as an extension of colonial practices where societal Discourses reproduce systemic inequalities through hidden curricula.

Oztok's research program centers on decolonizing digital education through critical analysis of the interplay between self, knowledge, digital tools, and power structures. Key projects include his 2019 monograph The Hidden Curriculum of Online Learning which applies Foucault's power theory alongside postcolonial critiques of whiteness, and current investigations into cognitive apprenticeship models for equitable online doctoral provision. His scholarship consistently prioritizes intersectionality, epistemic justice, and transformative pedagogical approaches that confront historical power imbalances in digital learning environments.

Analysis of his 2019-2025 publications reveals a clear trajectory from foundational work on social presence in MOOCs toward sophisticated postcolonial frameworks for networked learning. Oztok increasingly centers Global South perspectives and Indigenous knowledge systems, arguing technological solutions must address colonial legacies to achieve educational justice. His interdisciplinary methodology bridges educational theory, sociology, and digital humanities to develop practical strategies for inclusive digital pedagogy.

As an active PhD supervisor across five disciplines, Oztok demonstrates strong commitment to mentoring next-generation scholars in decolonial digital pedagogies, though specific grant-funded projects remain undocumented in available materials. His work remains pivotal in reimagining online education as a site for transformative social change rather than reproduction of inequality.