On May 14, ANQA conducted an online monitoring of the internal quality assurance system at the Gyumri "Progress" University and its Medical College. In 2023, the Medical College received conditional institutional accreditation for a period of two years.
The monitoring aimed to evaluate the accreditation impact on the Medical College's quality assurance system and educational processes, as well as identify the outcomes of the follow-up plan implementation, achievements and challenges. It also examined the embedment of the internal quality assurance system in the University and its contribution to the enhancement of the educational processes.
Online meetings were held with the education institutions’ management staff, teachers, students and the quality assurance manager.
The key issues addressed were:
- Policy for the attraction of foreign students
The discussion explored the strategy for the attraction of foreign students and possible issues that may arise from an increase in their numbers.
- Policy for the teacher recruitment and related requirements
The discussion focused on the teacher selection, especially specialists for foreign students, along with related linguistic and professional requirements.
- Evaluation of the KPIs
The discussion clarified the education institutions' KPIs, their evaluation, outcomes and the use of the collected data for enhancement purposes.
- Mechanisms for the identification of student needs
Mechanisms for identifying and responding to the student needs were under discussion.
- Development of analytical and research skills
Special emphasis was placed on the assignments for the development of students' critical thinking, analytical skills and research skills.
- Teachers’ continuous development
The discussion covered the principles for the identification of teachers’ needs and training implementation, as well as measures for the development of their foreign language teaching skills.
- Formats for organising and evaluating internships
Reference was made to the formation of professional skills, as well as mechanisms for organising internships and evaluating their effectiveness.
Assessment methods
The discussion highlighted the formative assessment practice and students’ assessment criteria.
At the end of the monitoring, ANQA’s specialists met with the education institutions’ management staff to address strengths and possible enhancement areas. In particular, it was proposed to track foreign students, expand cooperation with employers, improve the planning of resource acquisition and develop mechanisms for the identification of stakeholder needs.