Two-Day Study Visit and Seminar on "Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Multimedia Learning Platforms, and Smart Classrooms" Within the Framework of the ERASMUS+ eCAMPUS Project
On 22-23 April of the current year, a two-day seminar was held at the University of Genoa (Italy), coordinated by Yerevan State University (YSU) under the Erasmus+ eCAMPUS project, titled "Promoting Socially Distanced and Inclusive Campus Education at Armenian Universities: eLCAMPUS." The seminar was dedicated to technology-enhanced teaching and assessment in Armenian Universities, the integration of multimedia e-learning platforms into the educational process, and the implementation of smart classrooms.
The study visit was attended by representatives from partner universities and institutions across Armenia and Europe participating in the project. The Armenian delegation comprised representatives from the following institutions:
Yerevan State University (YSU)
Khachatur Abovian Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU)
Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU)
Northern University of Armenia (NUA)
Institute for Informatics and Automation Problems of the NAS RA (IIAP NAS RA)
Higher Education and Science Committee of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MESCS RA).
The European partners were represented by the following universities:
Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
University of Lisbon (Portugal)
KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm (Sweden)
From Yerevan State University, attendees included Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Elina Asriyan, Director of the Quality Assurance Center Armen Budaghyan (who also serves as the project coordinator), Deputy Director of the Center Mari Santurjyan, and Director of the Information Technology Education and Research Center Artur Avagyan.
On the first day of the visit, representatives from the European Commission delivered presentations and shared their experience, introducing the adopted digital frameworks, in particular, DigComp 3.0 and elaborating on its relevance to digital technological developments and user needs. Subsequently, representatives from the University of Genoa presented their experience in the use of digital and multimedia e-learning platforms in the educational process, as well as in developing and implementing video lessons. Additional presentations delved into the use of artificial intelligence in the teaching process.
On the second day, the delegation visited the Teaching and Learning Centre of the University of Genoa, where further insights into the institutional experience were shared. Representatives from this and other European partner universities demonstrated once again how technology can be leveraged to enhance student engagement, foster collaborative learning, and improve the effectiveness of educational assessment of learning outcomes. Rui Mendes (University of Lisbon), Solana Domínguez (Autonomous University of Madrid), and Victor Kordas (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) outlined distinctive features of digital learning at their respective institutions.
Project coordinator A. Budaghyan presented a detailed overview of the plan and corresponding schedule for future activities, as well as the work completed to date.
The visit contributed to a more in-depth familiarisation with European practices in developing the digital competencies of the faculty, and is expected to facilitate a more systematic implementation of initiatives in this field going forward.
