On September 25, ANQA carried out monitoring of the internal quality assurance system at the French College in Armenia.
During the visit, meeting discussions were held with the education institution’s director and vice directors, heads of chairs, teachers, quality assurance manager and students.
The education institution’s quality assurance processes and activities towards the academic programme (AP) enhancement were the centre of focus. The discussions addressed how the education institution develops the APs, the methodology used for monitoring and the resulting enhancements. In this regard, a reference was made to the cooperation with employers, the arrangement of internships, and the release of competitive specialists ready to enter the labour market.
The following issues were also discussed:
- the timeline for general education subjects, teaching challenges encountered, enhancement-led recommendations;
- the methodology of promoting research activities, the methods and practices for delivering professional news in the classroom and preparing students to be knowledgeable about and apply innovations;
- the opportunity to shape research and problem-solving skills through assignments, the use of artificial intelligence in assignments;
- the differences between teaching in HEIs and VET institutions, the importance of practical education;
- the procedure for teacher selection, the requirements set for teachers, the tools for methodical support and exchange of practices for novice teachers;
- the mechanisms for recruiting applicants, as well as identifying and responding to the needs of students and teachers;
- the KPIs and accountability mechanisms for subdivisions;
- the policy and methodology for teaching foreign languages.
An importance was attached to the education institution’s active steps in internationalisation and the opportunities for students to participate in professional short-term courses organised by international partners. The importance of the education institution’s periodic evaluations of students' foreign language proficiency and the opportunity to use that data to enhance the educational process was highlighted.
At the end of the monitoring, ANQA’s specialists identified the education institution’s best practices and areas in need of enhancement.