KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

The Academic Council of Armenian State Pedagogical University today convened its yearend meeting.  ASPU Rector Ruben Mirzakhanyan presented an annual report of the

 Council’s activities in 2013. Speaking about the internationalization of the University and the changes carried out in the educational process, Mr. Mirzakhanyan said it is wrong to imitate the practice of foreign countries: national traditions should lie at the core of each and every reform.  

 

 

Referring to the cooperation between the ASPU and the University of Oulu (Finland), the ASPU Rector said the collaboration was unprecedented in the sense of efficiency as it had its positive influence on the organization of pedagogical practices and teaching process.

 

 

Mr. Mirzakhanyan stressed that the organization of graduate education still remains problematic and reminded the presentees about the University’s policy – the second-level education should not become repetition of the first level, rather, it should be more meaningful and organized at a higher level. 

 

 

The Chairman of the Academic Council also referred to the activities of primary and high schools that operate within the University. He stressed that the schools are likely to become the best educational institutions providing that they specify the correct path for actions. 

 

 

The ASPU Rector stressed that tuition fees were not raised in 2013 and will remain the same in 2014.  

 

Mr. Mirzakhanyan also presented the dynamics of incoming first-year students per academic year, the gross income accumulated in the paid education system in 2013 according to percentage distribution in faculties, the structure and number of the staff, the movement and dynamics of gross income, students, income and wage funds between 2008 and 2013. 

 

 

At the end of his speech, the ASPU Rector congratulated everyone on the coming New Year and wished them a life full of achievements in all spheres. 

 

 

In his speech, Vice-rector Tigran Ayvazyan referred to the changes introduced in the schedule of educational process in the distance learning system. The latter presented the new approaches towards the organization of distance learning courses at the University, dwelt on issues related to the duration and content of educational programmes, as well as functions of Chairs and Dean’s Offices. According to the new approaches, Diaspora Armenians taking a distance learning course at the Pedagogical University will hereinafter have an opportunity to cover the 160 academic hours with a single visit.  The remaining hours foreseen by the curriculum can be completed electronically via the Internet. The feedback between the faculty and the student will be provided via e-mail.

 

 

Kamo Vardanyan, Head of the ASPU Center for Scientific Research dwelt on the scientific activities implemented within base and thematic funding programmes.

 

He spoke about the dynamics of printed works authored by the University professors and scientific journals published at the University. The novelty of the year was “Imastutyun” (Wisdom) journal authored by Georg Brutian, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences.  

 

 

Mr. Vardanyan also presented the list of international symposiums and conferences held in 2013, gave a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the education sector and reflected on the activities of innovative laboratories of Psychological Research, Integrated Optics, Quantum Electronics, General Methodology and Pedagogy. 

 

 

Referring to the pedagogical conditions provided for building research capacity of students studying in the stream of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Kamo Vardanyan presented the results of the work done within the framework of the programme. 

 

 

The members of the Academic Council also approved the five scientific topics [presented by Vice-rector Srbuhi Gevorgyan] as well as the printing of manuals.

 

 

On the proposal of Mher Melik-Bakhshyan, Head of the Division of Coordination of Academic and Scientific Methodological Activities, the Council also established four nominal scholarships – after Mkhitar Gosh /Faculty of History and Jurisprudence/, Arsen Minasyan /Faculty of Special Education/, Ashot Ter-Grigoryan /Faculty of Primary Education/ and Boris Ananev /Faculty of Educational Psychology and Sociology/.