On June 23-25, at the initiative of ANQA, a training was held in Armenia for the first time on the "Alignment of Medical Academic Programmes with World Federation for Medical Education’s Standards (WFME)", with the participation of the representatives of four medical education institutions and organizations operating in Armenia. The training was carried out by Mariam Velijanashvili, a certified specialist at the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), Nino Chichiveishvili, an expert at the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), co-founder and president of the Women's Scientific Association.
The training aimed to prepare the HEIs for the enhancement of medical academic programmes, aligning them with the WFME standards. It also focused on the peculiarities of integrated curriculum development, the importance of teachers’ work plans, and the formation of clinical thinking among students. The participants were introduced to modern teaching and assessment methods according to WFME and AMEE standards and learned to make an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) checklist. They also studied the international practice on problem-based learning (PBL), problem-solving learning (PSL), and case-based learning (CBL), after which they tried to apply them in practical tasks with the help of trainers.
During the three days, the following issues were discussed with the participants:
- Vertical and horizontal integration in curricula;
- Modernization of teaching and assessment methods;
- Importance of interdisciplinary connections in medical academic programmes,
- Integration of theoretical and clinical parts in each subject and production of clinically minded alumni;
- Mechanisms and opportunities for continuous enhancement of professional and pedagogical skills of teaching staff.
The training was concluded with the presentation of certificates of participation. Similar thematic training brings Armenian educational institutions one step closer to international accreditation and provides students with better access to the international labour market.
It should be noted that ANQA prepares for the recognition process by WFME.