On October 7, ANQA conducted an online monitoring of the internal quality assurance system at the Spitak State College.
The goal was to observe the education institution’s QA processes and the resulting changes.
As part of the online monitoring, meetings were held with the education institution’s management staff, heads of chairs, teachers and students.
The monitoring focused on the following issues:
- Cooperation with employers
The observations explored the level of employer involvement in the educational process and the use of employer resources.
- Student employment
The observations examined the percentage of alumni employed in their field and the institution’s mechanisms to track their employment outcomes.
- Internships
The discussion highlighted the internship volume, underscoring the need for students to gain real-world work experience and strengthen their professional capacities and skills throughout their studies. Reference was also made to the employer feedback and the resulting changes.
- Resources
The discussion addressed the extent to which the institution has access to necessary specialists, classroom facilities, textbooks and laboratory resources to achieve the intended outcomes of the academic programmes.
- Achievement of the intended outcomes
The observations looked into the percentage of students successfully achieving the intended outcomes, considering the resource limitations, the organisation of summative assessment, and the institution's mechanisms to ensure the outcome achievement.
- Proficiency in foreign languages and availability of instructional materials
The discussion addressed foreign language proficiency, interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as the significance of professional terminology and effective communication in a foreign language.
- Practical assignments
The discussion observed how well practical assignments reflect employer context, contain a research component and support the development of students’ analytical skills and professional thinking.
At the end of the monitoring, ANQA’s specialists summarised the key outcomes of the meeting with the education institution’s management staff, highlighting the enhancement areas.
In particular:
- It was proposed to develop KPIs to specify priorities and evaluate the outcomes of implemented activities.
- Importance was attached to external relations to expand cooperation with employers, jointly use employer resources, attract alternative funding and build institutional capacities.