ERASMUS PLUS PROGRAMME

KEY ACTION 1: MOBILITY PROJECTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT AND STAFF

Presentation of the Project Idea

  1. Please briefly present the higher education institution and the department you are applying from (Max. 250 words)

The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private institution of higher learning, offering a global education in Armenia.

AUA is affiliated with the University of California and accredited by theWASC Senior College and University Commission, which is one of six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.Founded in 1991, AUA provides a high-quality, graduate and undergraduate education that encourages civic engagement and promotes democratic values, fostering scholarship in a setting that values and develops academic excellence, free inquiry, integrity, scholarship, leadership, entrepreneurship and service to society.

AUA’s graduate program offersmaster’s degreesin eight fields of study: Business Administration, Industrial Engineering and Systems Management, Computer and Information Science, Political Science and International Affairs, Economics, Public Health, Law, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language.AUA also offers a dual Master of Business Administration (MBA)/Master ofPublic Health (MPH)program.

AUA’sundergraduate program offersbachelor’sdegrees in English and Communications, Computational Sciences andBusiness. Through its undergraduate courses, the University offers students depthof knowledgeforcareer preparationand further studiesas well as breadth and a foundation of general knowledge and skills for life-long learning.

  1. Type of intended mobility(please note that it is possible to choose both types)

Student mobility

Staff mobility

  1. Staff Mobility(if you chose Staff mobility in Question 2)
  • Please specify the Subject area:
  • Human resources management
  • Career development and alumni relations
  • Managing international projects in the field of higher education
  • International students’ recruitment and support (student services)
  • Please specify type of the mobility (Staff Mobility for Teaching / Staff Mobility for Training):
  • Staff mobility for training
  1. Please describe the main needs of academic/administrative staff for a mobility project,

(Max. 250 words)

The identified need for staff mobility/job shadowing is to prepare the mid-level managers of different departments for larger scale international cooperation with European educational institutions, to help them improve management of operations based on best practices of European partners,and to increase the quality of provided services.

Based on the above, the following thematic areas for staff mobility/job shadowinghave been identified:

Human Resources Management

  • Performance evaluation of staff and faculty
  • Training needs assessment processes
  • Methods for individual development of staff
  • Competency mapping
  • Modern recruitment strategies for staff and faculty

Alumni and Career Development Office

  • Acquire familiarity with the day-to-day operations of the office, staff responsibility, database management and alumni engagement in different projects
  • Get a better sense of understanding how the career center supports their students and alumni in professional development and job finding process
  • Understand the techniques they use for active engagement of their alumni in fundraising activities and achieving the capital goals with their Alma Mater.

Admissions,Recruitment and International Student Affairs Office

  • Recruitment strategiesto diversify the student body and increase the applicant pool
  • Recruitment Methods –online, in-person, etc.
  • Recruitment Tools– software, different programs, traditional approaches, know-hows, fairs/events, etc.

Administrative Office for Grants Administration and International RelationsDevelopment

  • Project development and management (Erasmus+ Programme)
  • Best practices of international relations office management
  • Internationalization strategies of higher education institutions
  1. Mobility proposal/description (objectives, duration, expected outcomes of the mobility and credit recognition mechanisms for the selected target groups): (Max. 250 words)

The main aim of the proposed mobility is the experience exchange between higher education institutions with different backgrounds (American and European) and presentation of best practices in the main fields of university and higher education management. The mobility will allow staff members of involved institutions to improve the quality of management and operations of the universities and consequently the quality of services and education offered. The proposed mobility project involves departments which are directly or indirectly involved in activities related to internationalization of the university(increase of the number of international students, improvement of provided student services, strategies for international students’ recruitment etc.)

The duration of staff mobility may vary in different departments and last from 5-14 days maximum.

  1. Staff numbers and duration of proposed mobility.

Mobility Direction / Type of Person / Number of persons / Days per Person / Total Days
AUA-X / Staff (HR) / 3 / 10 / 30
AUA-X / Staff (ACDO) / 2 / 7 / 14
X-AUA / Staff (ACDO) / 1 / 5 / 5
AUA-X / Staff (Admissions office) / 2 / 10 / 20
X-AUA / Staff (Admissions office) / 2 / 10 / 20
AUA-X / Staff (Grants and international relations support office) / 2 / 7 / 14
X-AUA / Staff (Grants and international relations support office) / 2 / 7 / 14
  1. Please describe here how are you going to ensure the impact of the project within the University and disseminate the achieved results (Max. 250 words)

The main aim of the mobility project is to strengthen the departments involved in the day-to-day management of the university through providing staff members with the opportunity to learn about the best practices of partner universities, set new contacts with colleagues dealing with the similar tasks, promote internationalization of higher education, raise awareness about other cultures and develop skills to work in an intercultural environment, etc.

The impact of the project will be ensured on three levels:

  • Institutional (within the department and the University): the staff members who participated in the mobility project will share the gained new knowledge with their colleagues during the meetings following their return, and share tools/instruments, strategies, working methods and other outcomes;
  • National and international: an article will be published in the University monthly newsletter and posted on the University website and disseminated through social media reflecting the results of the project and possible follow up activities;Information about the project will be shared with the National Erasmus Office of Armenia, which collects information and disseminates it through Erasmus+ Information Days, annual networking meetings and other public events where involvement of Armenia in the Erasmus+ activities is presented.
  1. Contact person: (name, position, e-mail, phone number, Skypename etc.)

Ms. Anahit Ordyan

Asst. Vice President

Phone: +37460 612505

Email:

Skype: anahit.ordyan1