Events

National Training Course on Digital Government and Transformation

On September 6, a three-day national development training course on Digital Government and Transformation started in Yerevan owing to the efforts of the RA Public Administration Academy and United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN–APCICT/ESCAP). The trainees are civil servants of the RA public administration system.

In his welcome message, Khachatur Ghazeyan, Rector of the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia, thanked the training organizers for such a great opportunity to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of public sector employees in digital management and transformation area. He asked the attendees to feel free and actively participate in discussions to be held.

Tereza Khechoyan, Director for International Cooperation and Development, in her welcoming speech expressed her assurance that the trainees will have three productive days. She also introduced the representatives of UN–APCICT/ESCAP: Director Kiyoung Ko, Program Officer Nuankae Wongthawatchai, Co-founder and Director of Nexus Europe.

The Director of UN–APCICT/ESCAP Kiyoung Ko greeted the attendees online from Korea, thanked them for their time to participate in such an important training. He also expressed his gratitude to the Public Administration Academy, its rector Kh. Ghazeyan and Director for International Cooperation and Development T. Khechoyan for their contribution to the project implementation and assistance in organizing the training. Thereafter, he outlined the project details.

The training theme is a prevailing issue for Armenia since digital transformation and inclusive digital development are announced as major priority issues for the RA Government and significant efforts have been made in developing digital infrastructure and digital solutions and services. It is especially urgent to use digital technology in boosting the economic growth and forming a more inclusive and stable society.

The trainees of Digital Government and Transformation training course will get valuable insight into and discuss a number of topics capturing the issues such as the rapid spread of digital technology in public administration and private sector, impact of the technology on the government area, the reasons of failure of digital government projects, the regulations and legislative environment necessary for efficient transformation of digital government, the inclusive digital development framework and its importance in policy development, managing the social media role and its importance in national policy making and program development, etc.

Curriculum Training at Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom

On April 3-12, 2023, Curriculum Training within the Erasmus+ CBHE SMARTI Project was held at Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom.  Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia (PAARA) was presented by Rector Khachatur Ghazeyan and Tereza Khechoyan, Project Coordinator in Armenia, Director for International Cooperation and Development of PAARA.

A 10-day training was dedicated to the development of the EMI 10 modules and lesson plans to improve EMI teaching, to support  innovative and student-centred teaching methodologies, tools, and approaches, in SMARTI Project Partner Universities in Armenia.

Dr. Adam Shore, Director of Liverpool Business School (UK) and Dr. Gerard Cullen, SMARTI Project Manager (TU Dresden), welcomed participants.

The training sessions were conducted by EU trainers Gerard Cullen and Sven Riddell from Dresden University of Technology (TUD); Professors Maureen Royce, Ryan Wynn-Williams, Casey Beaumont, and Amanda Mayson from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU); Professor Eduardo Cardoso from Catholic University of Porto (UCP), and  Marina Platonova and Tatiana Smirnova from Riga Technical University (RTU).

Each Partner University from Armenia is expected to develop two modules using resources (literature, teaching materials, practical excercises, group works, etc.) provided by the European Partners. PAARA is to develop two modules: Module 3: EMI Oral Teaching Skills Part 2 and Module 10:  EMI Individual Teaching Support.

On the last day of the training, each Armenian University representatives presented the draft versions of the two modules and lesson plans, which were considered by the European Partners. They presented their comments and recommendations regarding the structure and content of modules and lesson plans presented by Armenian Partners.

The first pilot trainings, to be organized in Armenian Universities in September-November, 2023, will be observed by European Partners.

Promotion of SMARTI Project by Lead Partner in Armenia

The Lead Partner of SMARTI in Armenia Tereza Khechoyan, Director for International Cooperation and Development of the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia (PAARA), undertook to promote the SMARTI project by presenting the Project website at the following events in 2022:

  • NISPAcee (The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe) 30th Annual Conference; University of Bucharest, Romania
  • Staff Mobility for Teaching; Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania
  • International Training Week; University of Seville, Spain
  • Skillman’s Expert of Mobility meeting organized bySkillman EU, a Worldwide Network for Skills, with the support of Erasmus+ Programme; Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, Italy.
  • Study Visit within Erasmus+ Jean Monnet PROMOEU Project; University of Maribor, Slovenia.

Special Annual Steering Meeting of Coordinator & AR Partners and Introductory Main Curriculum Training

In 2021, SMARTI (Support for Innovative Methodology, Approaches and Tools for Teaching through the Medium of English in order to improve Educational Yield, Sustainability and Internationalization  project within Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the Field of Higher Education Program was launched .

In addition to universities in a number of countries, the project consortium also includes several Armenian universities, coordinated by the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia.

On September 27-29, a hybrid online meeting was held between representatives of the PAARA and other participating universities of Armenia. The aim of the meeting was to analyze the work carried out so far within the framework of the project, to summarize the results of the meetings of Armenian universities, clarify the existing problems and the roadmap for overcoming them, as well as to discuss a number of technical issues.

The Project Coordinator from Dresden University of Technology Gerard Cullen, and Katja Ullmann, lecturer of the same university,  visited Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia, in this regard and  both of them had lecture offline. Andrea Stubenrauch and Sven Riddell, professors of Dresden University of Technology lectured online.

The meeting was opened by PAARA Rector Mr. Khachatur Ghazeyan. He welcomed the participants and wished them fruitful work.

On the first day of the three-day meeting, the Armenian representatives of the project presented the work done within the framework of the program.

On September 28, the next day of the training, “English as a Medium of Instruction” seminar/training was held.

The project aims to internationalize the universities participating in the consortium through the teaching of English, as well as the mobility of students and teachers.

 

SMARTI Steering Group Meeting Held at Liverpool John Moores University

On April 19-21, 2022 a steering group meeting within the Erasmus+ CBHE SMARTI Project was held at Liverpool John Moores University which was attended by PAARA Rector Khachatur Ghazeyan and Director of the Centre for International Cooperation and Development Tereza Khechoyan.

The tasks completed so far in the frame of the Project, the emerged issues and further activities were discussed during the meeting.

Tereza Khechoyan presented the activities fulfilled by the Consortium-member Armenian partner institutions, which was highly appreciated by the attendees.

The upcoming activity within the Project, EMI Curriculum Training, is envisaged to be held at Liverpool John Moores University during the first two weeks of September 2022. Furthermore, the Armenian partner institutions will organize the “National Awareness Day” events within the Project in October.

In addition, Issue 1 of the Project Newsletter 2022  is to be released in June 2022.