AUA Staff Participate in Quality Assurance Workshop in Palermo, Italy

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PALERMO, Italy – From November 13-15, 2014, Chaghig Arzrouni-Chahinian, Registrar of the American University of Armenia (AUA), Gayane Davoyan, Senior Financial Aid Coordinator, Stella Kostanyan, Institutional Research Office Data Coordinator, and Sharistan Melkonian, Director of Assessment and Accreditation, participated in a workshop in Palermo, Italy, focused on quality assurance in academic affairs.

The workshop, hosted by the European Center of Studies and Initiatives (CESIE), was the third of three workshops organized as part of the Tempus GOVERN Project: Fostering Autonomy and Accountability: Development of State of the Art Higher Education Management System for Efficient Changes in Line with Bologna Principles. 

The 36-month project brings together 22 partner institutions from Armenia and European countries to build capacity among higher education institutions to enhance autonomy and accountability of institutions by capacity building of administrative staff for managing system changes efficiently, revising the legal and regulatory frameworks in line with Bologna action lines, establishing university management systems, and introducing approaches to student-centered educational provisions to assure quality and promote student mobility.

During the workshop, partners from Austria, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom shared their experience related to key performance indicators in quality assurance, allocation of European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, concepts of student-centered approach, and the life cycle of the student exercise.

Participants also had an opportunity to view several case studies in academic affairs management. The University of Palermo and the Armenian National Agrarian University showcased their university management systems.

In addition to AUA’s participation, Azrouni-Chahinian and Melkonian delivered a presentation on ensuring quality through academic support units such as Office of the Registrar.

In July, Gevorg Goyunyan, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Melissa Brown, English & Communications Program Chair, participated in the first workshop in Graz, Austria, which addressed issues connected to university governance and change management. In October, Irshat Madyarov, Teaching English as a Foreign Language Program Chair, Perouz Taslakian, Computational Sciences Program Chair, and Melkonian, participated in the second workshop in Leuven, Belgium for program chairs, deans, and quality assurance administrators focused on improving academic programs.

Participants of the Quality Assurance Workshop in Palermo, Italy.