On March 30, 2022, PAARA launched the multiplication events based on the ESP and ECTS/Tuning Modular Training held at the Catholic University of Portugal on January 17-22, 2022 in the frame of the SMARTI Project. The multiplication training comprises six (three theoretical and three respective practical) interactive sessions.
The first two sessions were held on March 30 and April 1, 2022. The training is organized by Tereza Khechoyan, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation and Development of PAARA, Lead Coordinator of the Project in Armenia and Tatevik Movsisyan, Deputy Director of the above Centre, SMARTI Project team member. The first meeting of the training was opened by PAARA Rector Mr Khachatur Ghazeyan. In his welcome speech, the latter stressed the importance of similar training courses targeted at the faculty and staff capacity strengthening. Mr Ghazeyan also highlighted the role of the SMARTI Project in contributing to the internationalization of the Armenian Partner HEIs through the establishment of EMI Centres.
During the theoretical session, another Project team member- Mr Khachatur Bezirjyan, who is also a subject teacher within the Project, delivered a lecture on academic writing skills, particularly on academic writing in English. Within the lecture, issues pertaining to plagiarism, referencing, research methodology, and research paper structuring were also addressed.
The capacity audience (37 participants in total, including faculty and students) was enthusiastic about learning new skills in writing quality reports, and research papers and presenting them in English. The number of presentations the participants made during the practical session held on April 1, 2022, as an assignment was indicative of the audience’s avid interest in improving their academic English skills. Amongst the presenters, a number of students made presentations on their Master’s thesis applying the newly-gained knowledge and techniques in practice.
On April 5 and 8, two more sessions within the in-house ESP and ECTC/Tuning Modular Training in the frame of the SMARTI Project took place at PAARA. This time the large and zealous audience (32 participants) got familiarized with the European Credit Transfer System and Tuning methodology. The training was held by Ms. Gayane Hovhannisyan, Project team member, Head of the Centre for Quality Assurance, and supported by Mrs. Tereza Khechoyan, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation and Development, local coordinator of the Project, and Ms. Tatevik Movsisyan, Deputy Director of the above Centre, Project team member.
In addition, Mrs Gayane Martirosyan, leading specialist of the Centre for Quality Assurance, presented the gratifying results of the survey on the participants’ satisfaction with the meeting, the expected outcomes, logistics, etc., which was conducted at the end of the first session on ECTS and Tuning methodology.
The first theoretical session (April 5) was interactive, which involved several games and tasks for the audience to reveal what they acquired from the provided information. Furthermore, in the end, the audience was given the assignment to develop either a syllabus, a curriculum or an assessment rubric based on the ECTS and Tuning methodology.
During the second practical training (April 8), one of the faculty representatives, Mrs Ani Momchyan, presented a syllabus for the “Artificial Intelligence” course. Mrs Laura Petrosyan, Head of the Chair on Psychology of Management, introduced the “Psychology of Management” Master’s Programme curriculum. Mr Armenak Ayvazyan, Head of the Department of Science, presented a syllabus for the “Information Management” course. It is noteworthy that the assignments were fulfilled in line with the ECTS, attaching special significance to the definition of the learning outcomes by skillfully applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to make the outcomes measurable.
A number of students made a presentation on how to assess a master’s thesis by propounding their version of a rubric for that.
On April 12 and 15, the concluding training sessions on ESP and ECSTS/Tuning were held at PAARA. This last part of the training was dedicated to the topic of how to make effective presentations in English.
During the first theoretical session held on April 12, the participants were assigned to make presentations on their preferred topics by leveraging the newly-provided tips, which help to make presentations more effective and engrossing.
During the concluding session on April 15, the participants gave a masterclass on how to make creative and engaging presentations in English by applying the new skills and knowledge obtained during the whole course of the multiplier training organized in the frame of the SMARTI Project and proving the effectiveness of the training sessions.
At the end of the concluding session PAARA Rector Khachatur Ghazeyan, who also attended the sessions, handed over certificates of participation to the participants. The stakeholders were happy since the outcomes were gratifying for both the organizers and participants.
The audience highly appreciated the training and hoped for further similar training programmes in the future.
To conclude the training, Tereza Khechoyan and Tatevik Movsisyan, who organized the training on the basis of the one held in Porto in January 2022 in the frame of the SMARTI Project, thanked the participants, promising to provide them with other opportunities of enhancing the latter’s soft and hard skills through similar events.
