On October 3, at ANQA’s initiative, a regular online workshop was held to showcase the best practice for enhancing the academic programmes (APs). More than 65 specialists from different HEIs of Armenia participated in the workshop, discussing the best practices and practical solutions for the AP enhancement.
Welcoming the workshop participants, Ruben Topchyan, ANQA’s director noted: "When we refer to the APs’ quality, we mean their compliance with the set goals. It is essential for these goals to be well-defined. If the APs are not clearly described, the outcomes and the evaluation system are not well-defined, it is unclear what assignments should be used to assess the achievement of the outcomes, it will be difficult to identify the source of any issues and determine what enhancements are necessary".
Dr. Topchyan emhasised the importance of the APs’ detailed description, which should include not only the delivered material, but also the goal and various objectives of teaching, the assignments used to assess problem-solving capacities, and assessment methods.
During the workshop, two practices for enhancing APs were introduced.
- The Brusov State University’s interdisciplinary teaching project, which included the subjects "Armenian History", "Armenian Language" and "Armenian Literature"
Ashkhen Grigoryan, teacher at the Chair of Armenian Studies of the Brusov State University, shared the strategy for interdisciplinary teaching along with educational and assessment processes designed to cultivate students' critical thinking, combine research methods and promote teamwork. It was highlighted that interdisciplinary projects foster the development of students' innovative ideas and enhance the quality of the educational process.
It was also stressed that the international practice entails the establishment of joint assessment criteria for interdisciplinary projects. The HEI will work in that direction in the near future.
- The modernisation of the Mkhitar Gosh Armenian-Russian International University’s competences of the AP "Medical Case"
The HEI methodologist Ruzanna Akhayan presented the enhanced version of the AP "Medical Case" as a result of internal and international benchmarking. Ms. Akhayan stated that the updated system includes a total of 13 competencies, complete with detailed indicators. Consequently, the outcome mapping has been simplified, and the evaluation system has been improved.
Following each presentation, the participants had the opportunity to pose their questions and discuss the practices.
It should be noted that the upcoming online workshop dedicated to the presentation of best practices for enhancing the APs is scheduled for November. All specialists or education institutions with experience in enhancing academic programmes can contact ANQA (at info@anqa.am) to showcase their practice during the upcoming events.