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Հայերեն (Armenian)
YEREVAN, Armenia — In 2024, the American University of Armenia (AUA) adopted a 10-year Strategic Plan that sets out an ambitious, but necessary, direction: to strengthen the University’s standing as a leading academic institution in Armenia and the region. At its core, the plan is concerned with institutional growth but also with the quality of the academic experience and the conditions that sustain it.
“Among those conditions, teaching matters — decisively. If we take student learning seriously, then we have to take equally seriously the question of how we teach, how we think about teaching, how we continue to develop as educators over time, clearly. That doesn’t happen automatically; nor is it reducible to a set of techniques. It requires thought, effort, innovation, and continuation of our own learning process as educators” said Provost Dr. Gharabegian.
It was out of this line of thinking — and in conversation with Dr. Hagop Yacoubian, professor of education and dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences — that the idea for a faculty development course began to take shape. Rather than the implementation of a pre-formulated program, the initiative emerged from a shared recognition of the need to create a more structured space for faculty to reflect on and strengthen their teaching practices.
The semester-long course, designed and led by Dr. Yacoubian, brings together practical engagement and conceptual grounding. Faculty participants work through case studies, engage in peer observation, experiment with different classroom approaches, and receive sustained, individualized feedback. These activities are complemented by attention to the broader principles and frameworks informing effective teaching and learning in higher education. As Dr. Yacoubian explained, “The point was not simply to introduce methods, but to help faculty think more deliberately about why they teach the way they do, and what kinds of learning their choices actually support.”
A key feature of the course is its emphasis on reflection. In structured exercises, faculty take on the role of students in simulated classroom scenarios, then return to their role as instructors to analyze those experiences. The course unfolds in two phases: an initial period focused on conceptual and methodological grounding, followed by classroom-based application supported by observation and detailed feedback. For participating faculty, this approach has been both practical and clarifying. Lusine Musheghyan, a research lecturer at AUA, noted: “It gave me a more structured way to think about student-centered, evidence-based teaching, while also pushing me to reflect more carefully on my own classroom practices. I’ve already begun to change how I approach my course.”
The initial iteration of the course focused primarily on early-career faculty, while also including participants at different stages of their academic careers. Future versions may consider more differentiated approaches that respond to the evolving pedagogical needs of faculty over time. The initiative reflects a growing institutional commitment to treating teaching as an evolving, reflective practice — one that requires sustained attention and deliberate support.
Dr. Yacoubian’s course was designed not only to introduce methods, but also to encourage faculty to think more deliberately about the relationship between their teaching choices and student learning. In this sense, the course represents an early but meaningful step toward embedding more intentional, research-informed approaches to pedagogy within AUA’s academic culture.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.