On April 28, ANQA conducted a monitoring of the internal quality assurance system at the Yerevan State College of Humanities. In 2023, the education institution was granted institutional accreditation for a period of four years.
The monitoring aimed to identify the impact of the accreditation on the quality assurance system and educational processes, track the implementation of the follow-up plan, as well as evaluate the current achievements and potential challenges.
As part of the monitoring, meetings were held with the education institution’s management staff, teachers, students and the quality assurance manager.
The key topics of discussion were:
- Data-driven management and quality assurance processes:
What changes have occurred since the previous accreditation? What tools are used for data collection and analysis. How is the follow-up plan implemented and what successes and challenges has the education institution experienced in this process? - Identification of stakeholder needs and cooperation:
What steps have been taken to address the needs of students and teachers? How does the education institution collaborate with external stakeholders and employers? How does the institution engage employer teachers? - Internationalisation: What steps does the education institution take to develop external relations? What short-term and supplementary courses are offered? What external cooperation and exchange programmes are planned, given the high level of foreign language proficiency among teachers and students?
- Enhancement of academic programmes: What processes does the education institution undertake to enhance its vocational academic programmes? To what extent is the data collected from quality assurance processes used in this regard? How does the institution ensure its alumni meet the labour market’s needs?
- Student assessment:
How is student assessment conducted? What is the institution’s practice of formative assessment? Do the student assignments include a research component and draw on employer needs? - Research development and research activities:
What steps does the institution take to develop the research component in the educational process? How are the students and teachers engaged in research and how is academic integrity ensured?
At the end of the monitoring, ANQA’s specialists discussed the education institution's strengths and areas for enhancement with the management staff, highlighting thwell-organiseed research activities, clear standards for module assessment, employer involvement, international cooperation, and steps for the governance enhancement. An emphasis was placed on the need for systematic data collection, the role of foreign language proficiency in facilitating international cooperation and the need to launch professional teacher trainings.