At the initiative of ANQA, on May 5, a workshop was held with the participation of vice-rectors and quality assurance managers from about 26 accredited HEIs. The meeting aimed to discuss the work necessary for the launch of programme accreditation and ways to enhance the education quality within the classroom. At the beginning of the meeting, Ruben Topchyan, ANQA’s director, referred to the outcomes of the conference of experts, which highlighted the need for academic programmes’ continuous enhancement.
Importance was placed on HEIs addressing the following questions prior to the programme accreditation:
- To what extent has the quality entered the classroom, what is happening in the classroom?
- Are the lessons planned according to purpose?
- Does the teacher ensure the teaching quality?
- To what extent is the teacher responsible for the student’s results?
- Has assessment become a learning tool?
- To what extent is the assessment of students aligned with the NQF or SQF?
- Does the assessment take into account the peculiarities of the professional field?
The listed issues were the subject of discussion at the meeting. The goal was to understand the HEIs’ experience in the direction of evaluation and enhancement of their academic programmes. The discussion involved an exchange of questions and answers, where representatives shared their practices, ideas, and concerns.
“We believe that such meetings and exchange of information are important and useful. We need to dialogue, understand opportunities, problems and share our experiences. Programme accreditation should function as a motivation rather than a compulsion for the HEIs to revise, evaluate and enhance academic programmes. That's how we can transfer the quality to the classroom”, Ruben Topchyan, ANQA’s director, concluded the meeting.