Newsletter Issue 01, 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NEWSLETTER ISSUE 01, 2018 CONTENT Our vision is to become a country of knowledge, fully integrated within the About the Project 1 European educational area. Our goal is to enhance the internationalization processes BOOST Project in Progress 2 of Armenian higher education institutions From Idea to Action 3 (HEIs) while prioritizing the mobility of students, faculty and administrative staff; Some Key Figures on Higher Education the introduction of study programs in foreign Internationalization in Armenia 4 languages; and, the internationalization Armenia as a Meeting Point Between of research. As the BOOST Project aims to East and West 5 promote the internationalization of Armenian HEIs through the development of national AUA: Reflections by the Mobility and institutional policy frameworks and tools, Participants 6 it will directly contribute to the achievement VSU: International Credit Mobility of the aforementioned goals. The RA Ministry from the Students' Point of View 6 of Education and Science expresses its readiness to ensure the project’s success and ShSU: Promoting the University sustainability through its direct involvement. Internationally 8 Mr. Vahram Mkrtchyan Project Partners 8 RA Deputy Minister of Science & Education ABOUT THE PROJECT MoES and social partners on strategic OUTCOMES management, marketing and cultural • Creation and implementation of OBJECTIVE challenges as well as implementation policy framework on To foster and promote further of credit mobility, ensuring holistic internationalization, internationalization of Armenian approach to internationalization • A National Platform for HEI through development of management issues, internationalization in Higher national and institutional policy • Create or enhance ICO resources Education, framework and tools. and service-oriented centers at the • ICO staff of HEIs trained, Armenian HEIs, including • ICO resources and service- SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES development of strategic and oriented centers at the Armenian • Develop national policy framework marketing plans and tools. HEIs in place. and tools for facilitating internationalization practices in Armenian HE, • Create a National Platform and online tools for mapping and benchmarking internationalization processes in Higher Education, • Build capacities of International Cooperation Office (ICO) staff of HEIs, Boost Project | Newsletter ISSUE 01 April 2018 1 BOOST PROJECT IN PROGRESS The Erasmus+ BOOST Project has planned and implemented several capacity-building activities that directly contribute to the implementation of the main objectives set forth in the Project Proposal. Following the kick-off meeting in February 2017, various events have been conducted within the one and a half year. Particularly in May also applied to conduct SWOT 2017, the project Coordinator Armenian State Pedagogical University analysis of HE internationalization after Khachatur Abovian (ASPU), initiated an inter-project coaching by in Armenia. ERASMUS + HARMONY /Development of approaches to harmonization The first step in reviewing the of comprehensive internationalization strategies in higher education, internationalization practices and research and innovation at EU and partner countries/project of the Russian- policy framework of EU countries Armenian (Slavonic) University and Eurasia International University. was the study visit to the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), The inter-project coaching was of Armenian higher education Sweden which was held on June initiated taking into account the institutions using other post-Soviet 7-9, 2017. During the visit, the similarities in overall objectives and European universities for participants got acquainted with of these two projects, which comparison. The main achievement the international projects and is the development of an of the benchmarking analysis, internationalization procedure internationalization strategy of higher however, carried out within the of KTH, the EU integration education institutions in Armenia. BOOST project was the case study process in higher education and The HARMONY team shared the of national strategies of each internationalization strategies and project results that have already been benchmarked country. trends in European higher education. reached in the first 18 months of the The participants were acquainted project. The meeting was particularly with the activities of the Swedish focused on the questionnaires and Foundation for International methodology developed by the Cooperation in Research and Higher HARMONY project in order to assess Education (STINT) as a sample of the state of internationalization in best practice of implementation partner universities and countries like of an internationalization Armenia, Russia, Belarus, UK, Portugal, Thus, the data gathered within strategy. STINT promotes Spain, Italy, Germany and Greece. the HARMONY project on the internationalization of Swedish The data obtained by questionnaire internationalization level of each higher education and research by later served as a basis to carry out country Higher Education (HE) was enhancing competitiveness and benchmarking analysis within the in most cases the direct reflection strengthening attractiveness of BOOST project aiming to examine of national strategies. The results Swedish universities. the level of internationalization of the benchmarking analysis were To further enhance knowledge of The participants were trained on the diagnosis phases for SWOT, environment scanning on trends in HE through implementation, evaluation and correcting measures. Boost Project | Newsletter ISSUE 01 April 2018 2 workshop was organized at the feedback on recommendations Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya for internationalization action (UPC), Spain on 19-23 February, 2018. plans prepared by each institution During the training workshop, the to be further implemented within presenters introduced the Strategic their respective universities at the Planning Cycle from the perspective institutional level. of European best-practices and know-how approaches. The participants were also trained the International Cooperation on the diagnosis phases for SWOT, Office (ICO) staff of HEIs, Ministry environment scanning on trends of Education and Science in HE through implementation, (MoES) and partner entities on evaluation and correction measures. strategic management, and to The interactive training was develop skills to build strategic concluded with facilitators’ internationalization plan, a training FROM IDEA TO ACTION Partners from EU Instituto after M. Nalbandyan (ShSU), Superior Tecnico (ICT), Portugal, Vanadzor State University after THE IDEA Royal Institute of Technology H. Tumanyan (VSU), Yerevan Is it enough to have an idea to (KTH), Sweden, Rovira and Virgili State Conservatory after Komitas start the development of Project University (URV), Spain and Tallinn and National Information Center Proposal? Of course, generation of University of Technology, (TTU), for Academic Recognition and worthy idea is crucial to start the Estonia, having big experience and Mobility (ArmEnic). To bring process. However, it is not enough. large international cooperation, in different viewpoints on HE Once the idea is born, it needs joined the initiative to share their internationalization, different efforts to find like-minded people knowledge and experience with Universities and organizations to join the initiative, get common Armenian Partners (Ministry of have been contacted to join understanding and win support by Education and Science, ASPU, the initiative and share their bigger team. This is how it happened AUA, Shirak State University experience with the Consortium. with the Erasmus+ BOOST Project, when the American University of Armenia (AUA), driven by the need to set an international cooperation office, started campaigning the idea which then evolved in developing a Project proposal that would enhance and promote internationalization of Higher Education in Armenia. THE PARTNERSHIP Sparked with the idea, AUA advocated it with Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovian (ASPU) and, together with Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), they started the development of the Proposal. Boost Project | Newsletter ISSUE 01 April 2018 3 Developing a proposal information, figures, what went not being evaluated further. Read What should be considered when well and wrong, advice from carefully the funding rules and developing a grant Proposal? stakeholders not directly involved consider them during the Project There are several guidelines on in the Project will enhance your proposal development. Lost with how to write proposals, how to Project and ensure support of bigger guidelines, focus of the Project and specify aims and objectives, etc., community. Consider each opinion ideas? Get feedback from Partners but the experience proves that on the issue concerned, that might and peers that might give you Proposal development needs wider make your Proposal even stronger. unbiased and frank opinion. Find knowledge of not only the technical Define the problem and state the someone who has had experience approaches in writing proposal, but goals that will finally drive you to in similar processes and don’t be also the corresponding background; writing the narrative part of the afraid of approaching them and in this case global trends in HE, Project. Consider also the impact getting informal information and Internationalization issues, national and sustainability issues of the some guidance.