On November 15, within the scope of the By-monthly meeting of the Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA), Varduhi Gyulazyan, head of ANQA’s Institutional and Programme Accreditation Division, made a presentation on "The power of cooperation: How Armenia’s higher education system improved through international cooperation".
Varduhi Gyulazyan introduced international partners to the RA’s higher education system, highlighting its peculiarities and quality assurance processes. Ms. Gyulazyan underscored the importance of programes funded by the World Bank, TEMPUS, Erasmus+ and the European Union, emphasizing the involvement of ANQA and HEIs. She noted that while these programmes have ended, their outcomes persist and contribute to the development of the RA education system.
As part of the presentation, particular emphasis was placed on the outcomes of the following programmes:
ArQaTa: As a result of this programme implemented with the support of ANQA and NVAO, partner HEIs developed internal quality assurance capacities, while ANQA prepared for ENQA membership.
DIUS, PICQA: With the support of these programmes, Armenia's education system witnessed the development of internal quality assurance framework, the establishment of standards and tools for the HEIs’ self-evaluation and improvement in mechanisms for internal and external quality assurance.
GOVERN: Within the scope of this programme, the mechanisms for modern governance system were introduced in the HEIs, alongside structural changes geared towards expanding the HEIs’ autonomy and responsibility.
TNE_QA: Within the scope of this programme aimed at increasing the quality and recognition of transnational education, external and internal quality assurance systems have been developed, gaining acceptance and recognition at both regional and international levels.
VERITAS, C3QA: These programmes have led to the creation of a policy framework and toolset for ensuring the quality of third level education, with a specific focus on PhD programmes. Practical mechanisms and procedures have also been developed.
ARARAT: Within the scope of this programme, a university-employer cooperation model has been developed and launched. The programme’s results were presented in General Assemblies of EQAF in 2017 and ENQA in 2018.
ALIGN: As part of the programme, a 3D model depicting the alignment between the APs and the NQF was developed. The outcomes were presented at INQAAHE’s conference in 2017.
SMARTI: As part of the ongoing SMARTI project, participating HEIs will undergo an external review of their EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) centers, along with two English-taught modules.
During the conference, the AQAS representative from Germany presented the European approach to Quality Assurance for Joint Programmes, while the IKCA representative from Kazakhstan shared insights into the country's ongoing quality assurance processes and their peculiarities.
Let us note that ANQA has been CEENQA’s member since 2017.