Enhancing Students Participation in Quality Assurance in Armenian Higher Education (ESPAQ)

Description:

The ESPAQ project is looking at one of the core challenges of Armenian higher education ( quality of its provision and outcomes), by engaging the students into processes of quality assurance (QA) and enhancement of their learning experience. With the help of project consortium, it will be explored the motivation and barriers for Armenian students to partake in QA on various levels. Project aims to improve the conditions for engagement by raising awareness on the importance of students’ say within the academic community providing capacity building support and by suggesting relevant changes in the legislation/HEI regulation.

Involvement of HEIs from the EU countries as well as the number of home institutions will send a clear signal to the academic community about the benefits of students’ engagement in quality processes. Partnership with the QA authority and the Ministry of Education and Science will ensure that outcomes of the project will be accessible to the decision-makers and will influence their agenda.

ESPAQ project offers a holistic approach responding the current needs of the Armenian students and HE system as a whole:
• Support students to engage at all levels in enhancing their learning experience
• Support the development of practices and activities in HEIs and their local student associations that encourage student engagement
• Support student engagement with national decision-makers and relevant agencies (QA agency)
• Encourage the development of culture of student participation in Armenia

Partners:

1. University of Macerata(IT) – UNIMC
2. The National Union of Students in Europe (BE) – ESU/ESIB
3. Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (ES) – UNIR
4. Spiru Haret University (RO) – SHU
5. National Union of Students Scotland – NUSS (UK) – SPARQS
6. Armenian State University of Economics (AM) – ASUE
7. Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan (AM) – ASPU
8. Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts (AM) – YSAFA
9. State Engineering University of Armenia(Polytechnic) (AM) – SEUA
10. National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia (AM) – NUACA
11. Armenian National Student’s Association (AM) – ANSA
12. National Center for Professional Education QA Foundation (AM) – ANQA
13. Ministry of Education and Science (AM) – MoES

Duration: 01/12/2013 to 30/11/2017

This is a project co-funded by the Tempus Programme of the EU. The aim is to strengthen the quality assurance (QA) processes and practices in the Armenian higher education by ensuring the involvement of all the stakeholders, especially the students – the key beneficiaries.

More information about the project here.