Բարձրագույն կրթության բարեփոխումների փորձագետների խումբ (HERE ARMENIA)

Հունիսի 6-7-ին կկայանա 👉 «Համալսարանների կառավարումն ու կազմակերպչական ենթակառուցվածքները՝ որպես որակյալ կրթության հիմք» խորագրով աշխատաժողովը։ ✅

🎯 Այն նախատեսված է կրթության ոլորտում քաղաքականություն մշակողների, բուհերի վարչական (հատկապես՝ ղեկավար) անձնակազմի ներկայացուցիչների և այլ հետաքրքրված անձանց համար։

📍 Վայրը՝ Հայաստանի ազգային ագրարային համալսարան
🗣️ Խոսնակ՝ դոկտոր Թոմաս Էստերման, Եվրոպական համալսարանների ասոցիացիայի Կառավարման, դրամաշնորհային և հասարակական քաղաքականության զարգացման տնօրեն 🇪🇺

🔗 Մանրամասները՝ bit.ly/3XmeOgX։
❗ Գրանցում՝ forms.gle/bkqf4vn1LHKM2o5K6։
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On June 6-7, 👉 the “Management and Organizational Infrastructures of Universities as a Basis of Quality Education” workshop will be held in the frames of Erasmus+ TAMs for education policymakers, university leaders and administrators.

🗣️ Speaker: Thomas Estermann, director for Governance, Funding and Public Policy Development at the European University Association (EUA) 🇪🇺
📍 Venue: Armenian National Agrarian University

🔗 Details: bit.ly/4bY4uzF
❗ Registration: forms.gle/bkqf4vn1LHKM2o5K6

Սիրով հրավիրում ենք՝ 🤗

👉 «Խթանելով հավասարությունն ու ներառականությունը բարձրագույն կրթության ոլորտում» խորագրով միջազգային աշխատաժողովին
🗓️ նոյեմբերի 5-6
📍 Հայաստանի Գեղարվեստի Պետական Ակադեմիա

ℹ️ Մանրամասները՝ bit.ly/3YLWduZ։
❗Գրանցում՝ forms.gle/fqdQMDu4ZKvTAcWJ6:
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Invitation to:
👉 International workshop titled “Towards Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Identifying Key Challenges and Policy Responses in Armenia”
🗓️ November 5-6
📍 State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia

ℹ️ Details https://bit.ly/40l8hED․
❗Register։ forms.gle/fqdQMDu4ZKvTAcWJ6․

🌱✨«Դեպի «կանաչ» կրթություն. «կանաչ» համալսարանների կարողությունների զարգացման հեռանկարները Հայաստանում» թեմայով առցանց աշխատաժողով դեկտեմբերի 23-ին՝ ժամը 14:00-ին: 🌱

🌱✨Հիմնական բանախոսը՝ Իսպանիայի Էքստրեմադուրայի համալսարանի պրոֆեսոր Ալֆոնսո Մարսալ Ռեյնոլդսը, կներկայացնի իր փորձը կայունության և գլոբալ փոփոխությունների ոլորտում։

📍 Աշխատաժողովի լեզու՝ անգլերեն։
👉 Գրանցման հղում՝ http://bit.ly/41HyIF4
🔗 Մանրամասները՝ https://bit.ly/41EXTbd
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🌱✨ “Towards ‘Green’ Education: Development of Competencies on ‘Green’ Universities in Armenia” Online Workshop on December 23, at 14:00. 🌱

🌱✨The keynote speaker, Dr. Alfonso Marzal Reynolds from the University of Extremadura, Spain, will share his expertise on sustainability and global change.

📍 The event will be conducted in English.
👉 Register in advance: http://bit.ly/41HyIF4
🔗 Details: https://bit.ly/3ZXqojm

On 23 December, 2024 “Towards ‘Green’ Education: Development of Competencies on ‘Green’ Universities in Armenia” workshop was held in online format. The keynote speaker was Dr. Alfonso Marzal Reynolds from the University of Extremadura, Spain.

The purpose of the workshop was to develop knowledge and capabilities of Armenia's universities in green education and greening. Additionally, it is one of the top actions of the European Union as a part of Green Deal priority.
In the opening remarks, the participants were greeted by Lana Karlova, Head of the Erasmus+ office in Armenia, who presented the main purpose of the meeting and the chief speaker, as well as Garegin Hambardzumyan, Head of the International Relations Department of ANAU, who spoke about the main purpose of the presented project and the main expected outcomes. As the speakers pointed out, several Erasmus+ projects aimed at the Green Deal are currently being implemented in Armenia (T-GREEN, AFISHE, RE-GRAD), and this training will help with the implementation of current projects as well as to generate new ideas and applications for the new ongoing Erasmus+ CBHE call.
During the online meeting the following topics were discussed:
• Definition and Basic Principles of Sustainability and Greening
• Greening in EU Higher Education Institutions
• Challenges Faced by EU Universities
• EUGREEN: An alliance of European universities for sustainability

Professor Alfonso Marzal Reynolds elaborated on "green" education approaches as the main mechanism for EU universities and on "greening" processes. On top of that, the challenges faced in the process were also discussed.
The best experience at EU universities on “green” education was also presented by the speaker. As it is mentioned in the speech, this approach is one of the pillars of sustainability in general and, in some cases, a mandatory condition for broader cooperation on international platforms.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the speaker presented the EUGREEN project, which involves several EU universities to operate in the field of "green" education, research and innovation.

As the topic is vital for the HEIs, not only Armenian partners but also university representatives form Moldova and Ukraine were participated in this workshop.

The workshop was organized by Erasmus+ National Office in Armenia, together with Higher Education Reform Expert (HERE) Garegin Hambardzumyan, Head of the International Relations Department of Armenian National Agrarian University in the framework of technical assistance mission.

On November 5-6, the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia hosted the Erasmus+ International Workshop titled ”Towards Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Identifying Key Challenges and Policy Responses in Armenia”.

The event gathered representatives from Armenian higher education institutions, psychologists, and lecturers to discuss issues of accessibility in education, the importance of equality and inclusion in higher education, social justice, strategies for supporting displaced students, and concept of student well-being.

The speakers of the workshop were Ninoslav Šćukanec Smidt (biography), Executive Director of Croatia’s Institute for the Development of Education, and Thomas Farnell, Higher Education Policy Expert at the same institute.

The workshop was organized by the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia in collaboration with Higher Education Reform Experts (HEREs) Ruzanna Minasyan (Head of Academic Programme Development Division at the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia) and Kristine Gevorgyan (Coordinator of the Master’s Programs at the Center for European Studies, Yerevan State University) as part of the Erasmus+ HERE technical assistance missions.

For more information click 👉 https://erasmusplus.am/erasmus-international-workshop-on-towards-equity-and-inclusion-in-higher-education-identifying-key-challenges-and-policy-responses-in-armenia/

The HERE study visit took place from 3-4 October, 2024 at Ghent University in Belgium, involving HERE members from partner countries. Ruzanna Minasyan, Armenian HERE member, participated in the event, which focused on presenting the vision and strategy for inclusive internationalization at host institution.

As a priority in the European higher education, the creation of an inclusive environment is strongly supported by the European Higher Education Area (EAHEA). Thus, Flanders has been one of the driving forces in addressing this challenge. This made the study visit to Ghent University particularly valuable providing an opportunity to gain first-hand information on how the country’s higher education system meets the need of inclusivity, how Flanders collaborates with both public and private institutions and higher education institutions across EHEA to implement the Principles and Guidelines on the Social Dimension.

The event was organized by the SPHERE team in collaboration with Artevelde University of Applied Sciences and the Support Centre for Inclusive Higher Education (SIHO), Ghent University.

Key highlights from the event included:
• Presentations on institutional approaches and strategies for making internationalization more accessible and inclusive.
• Discussions on enhancing activities that promote internationalization and support inclusion within the higher education system.
• Introduction to funding opportunities that encourage mobility and contribute to making it more inclusive.

Participants also discussed specific cases of inclusive internationalization at partner countries. Ruzanna Minasyan provided a brief overview of the current state of higher education in Armenia and highlighted the major challenges the system faces regarding inclusive internationalization.

National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia

📌On April 25-26 HERE Regional Seminar (Technical Assistance Mission) titled “Developing and Implementing Joint Master’s Degree Programmes: Current Challenges and Prospectives” was held at Yerevan State University. The Event was organised by National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia in cooperation with National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine & HERE team.

🧐The main speaker of the seminar was Ulrike Krawagna, who is responsible for the management of the Joint Programs and the “CIRCLE” Erasmus Mundus Joint Master degree program coordinated by the University of Graz.

Event took place in hybrid format where more than 100 participants followed online and 30 participants joined in person the seminar on the first day offline, and 103 participants online. There were policy makers, higher education reform experts (HEREs), faculty and administrative staff, curriculum developers, and international relations representatives of higher education and research institutions. The seminars were moderated by Kristine Gevorgyan, Higher Education Reform Expert (HERE), YSU Center for European Studies, Coordinator of master’s programs was the main.

During two intensive days representatives both from Armenia and Ukraine actively participated in discussions, group works and presented their country and university cases. Dr Krawagna spoke about stages, formats, advantages, possible challenges and solutions, communication and management mechanisms of joint master’s programs. K. Gevorgyan also presented t“Developing Joint Master’s Programme in European Studies: Law, Governance and Communication” (DEGES) project, still the only Erasmus Mundus joint master’s degree project in Armenia, and spoke about development process, the challenges the consortium faced, the evaluation system, considering the inclusiveness factor in similar programs, and legislative regulations.

Dr Galyna Grabchuk, a representative of the Institute of High Technologies at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, spoke about joint master’s program implemented by their university, the challenges they faced during the preparation and implementation phases, as well as the ways to overcome them. Dr Iryna Zolotariova, a representative of the National Agency for Quality Assurance of Higher Education of Ukraine and an expert on higher education reforms, highlighted the successful experience of joint master’s programs in Ukraine and shared some advice for the participants.

The seminars concluded with a round of discussions and feedback from the speaker, higher education reform experts and the seminar participants

Seminar recordings and presentations can be found 👉 https://erasmusplus.am/16914/

©️ Photo ownership National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia



National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia

On September 3-4 Kristine Gevorgyan, HERE Armenia participated in HERE Study visit on “Enhancing university-industry collaboration for current and future employment, innovation and sustainable ecosystems” that took place at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), Finland

During the visit participants had a chance to get comprehensive view how TAMK designs and implements university-industry partnerships to achieve various objectives including education objectives, graduate employability, promotion of innovation ecosystems, sustainable cooperation with industry. Study visit attendees got insights into these activities: improved strategies, various projects, curriculum design, teaching collaborations, learning labs and applied research centres, enhanced cooperation with city council and industry. Visits to Social and Health Virtual Lab, FieldLab and Textile and Wood fibre Lab showcased these achievements.

The study visit also included networking and panel discussion on Societal responsibilities: values and reputation, where Kristine Gevorgyan presented case of Armenia on challenges and opportunities in promoting university-industry cooperation.

On 13-14 May 2023 Tigran Mikayelyan, HERE Armenia and Lana Karlolva, Coordinator, NEO Armenia participated in Seminar on "The Universities’ third mission: Partnering for Social and Economic Development" that took place at the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The Seminar was a significant step towards enhancing the societal role of universities, fostering global collaboration, and addressing contemporary challenges through education and research. It brought together over 60 participants from more than 20 countries, focusing on the theme of universities’ third mission issues. This theme, which has been evolving since the 1990s, explores the expanded role of universities in societal responsibility and engagement beyond traditional teaching and research.

Broadening University Responsibilities
The third mission of universities involves enhancing their contribution to society by fostering business, research, lifelong education, and innovative projects like smart cities and sustainable technologies. This seminar aimed to address what is often taken for granted and what is underestimated in this mission, providing a platform for case studies and discussions on practical applications.

Case Studies and Key Discussions
Participants explored various case studies, including success stories exemplary to implement or adopt as a whole or through some specific components.
• Nicolas Standaert, Academic Coordinator, KU, Leuven Engage, Belgium, President of the European Association of Service-learning in Higher Education: This initiative involves students visiting marginalized groups, such as outlaws, and providing education that leads to certification. This case highlighted the importance of inclusive education and collaboration with private and public sectors, as well as civil society.
• Irma Grdzelidze, Head of the International Accreditation Office, Caucasus University, Georgia, coordinator of Capacity Building Project – SQUARE: This project focuses on developing and testing third mission activities, showcasing the role of universities in societal development.
Panel Discussions
Key questions were raised about group responsibility in universities, particularly regarding legal and ethical issues, authority in the public eye, and the advocacy mission. The seminar also discussed the relevance of integrating philanthropic, transactional, integrative, and transformative approaches as recommended by UNESCO.
Research and Societal Impact
Dr Pastora Martínez Samper’s (Open University of Catalonia) online presentation, followed by a Q&A session, initiated a discussion on balancing theoretical and practical research, emphasizing the societal impact of academic endeavours, missions, and achievements. The topics included covered the interplay between academic and societal needs, particularly in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the significance of open science and continuous innovation in fostering collaborative ecosystems and societal accountability.
Global and Local Perspectives
Normurodоva Nozliya Zarilovna, Vice-Rector of International Affairs, Doctor of Philology (DSc), Associate Professor, Alisher Navoi’ Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, Uzbekistan, highlighted the adoption of sustainable development and technology transformation concepts within the country’s educational framework. The seminar underscored the need for methodological assessments of the third mission, considering factors like scientific potential dynamics and higher education coverage.
Conclusion
The seminar concluded with a call to leverage existing strengths to foster new initiatives. Participants emphasized the importance of prioritizing mission completion in emergency situations and managing confidential information effectively. Discussions also touched on the potential benefits of an institutional repository initiative to support university contributions to society.
For More Information
• On overall European principles of Universities’ Third Mission formulated by SPHERE expertise: https://spherestandards.org/about/
• On the dimension Philanthropic – Transactional – Integrative – Transformative: (https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/reimagining-our-futures-together-new-social-contract-education
• On the issues deriving from the societal needs (UN SDGs) (sustainable development goals: https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9IayBhBJEiwAVuc3fqc_IdehP-OQPiApXbtStdOE9i-os6PCQma4V1ANr1VD1bVxYl5JHhoCE0sQAvD_BwE
• On Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/publications/future-now-science-achieving-sustainable-development-gsdr-2019-24576
• On the RESIST project on the resilience to climate changes: https://resist-project.eu/
• UNESCO’s recommendation for open science: https://www.unesco.org/en/open-science
• CIRCLET project tackling the main issues of adapting, changing within the curriculum in line with the societal requirements, etc.: https://circlet.eu/
• On the methodology of assessing the Third Mission through initiatives as Digital Development Centre, Open Digital University System: https://kun.uz/en/news/2022/06/06/ministry-of-higher-education-provides-information-about-new-universities-opened-in-uzbekistan-this-year