One of the most significant milestones of the ERASMUS + KA2, CBHE “Support for Innovative Methodology, Approaches and Tools for Teaching through the Medium of English in order to improve Educational Yield, Sustainability and Internationalization” (SMARTI) Project is the establishment of the EMI (English as a medium of instruction) Centres in PC HEIs which will serve as a hub and a solid base for the efficient implementation of methods, techniques and strategies for the EMI activities in terms of organisation and content. The SMARTI project at VSU is coordinated by Lusik Vardanyan, Associate Professor of the Chair of Foreign Languages and Literature; Arine Danielyan, Assistant Professor of the Chair of Foreign Languages and Literature; Gayane Kanaryan, Assistant Professor of the Chair of Mathematics and Informatics; Anna Khachatryan, Head of the Quality Assurance Centre; Nune Khublaryan, Assistant Professor of the Chair of Mathematics and Informatics; and Gohar Dokholyan, International Relations and Grants Promotion Specialist.
The EMI Centre at Vanadzor State University was launched on 29 September, 2022. At the beginning of the Opening Ceremony welcoming speeches were made by the VSU Rector Rustam Saakyan; Gerard Cullen, SMARTI Project Manager (TUD); Lusik Vardanyan, local coordinator of the Project; Mariya Brutyan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanties; and Vard Ghukasyan, representative of Erasmus+ National Office. The event was attended by Katja Ullmann, professor from Dresden University of Technology (TUD), the VSU administrative and academic staff as well as bachelor and master students.
The EMI Centre is equipped with facilities conducive to ensuring the smooth implementation of activities each of which will be a stepping stone to enhancing the standards of higher education and the internationalisation of the Master’s Programme “Software Engineering” and the Bachelor’s Programme “English Language and Literature” selected for the Project. The EMI Centre aims at organizing training courses and give consultations on a regular basis to the subject teachers who are expected to conduct their academic disciplines in English with a strong emphasis on student-centred learning methodologies on the one hand and innovative approaches to research and teaching on the other. The EMI Center also aims at fostering the English Language proficiency level of the students, administrative and academic staff, as well as community members, thereby contributing to the smooth implementation of the EMI courses and modules.
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