European practice provides basis for new digital education standards for Armenian universities

The meeting focused on the development of e-learning platforms and smart classrooms in Armenian higher education institutions, as well as the development of common benchmark standards for them.

Representatives of all university and institutional partners in the project participated in the online seminar. The agenda covered current trends in digital education, technological solutions, digital learning ecosystems and approaches to creating future-oriented learning environments.

During the first part of the seminar, representatives of European partner universities shared their institutional experience, including their e-learning platforms, the technical and educational infrastructure of smart classrooms, as well as the needs and challenges they encountered during their implementation and development.

Under the theme "Digital Learning Ecosystems and Future-Oriented Learning Environments," European partners presented various approaches to the interconnected use of digital tools and platforms, the digitalization of the learning process and the development of modern educational environments. Particular attention was paid to the topic "Smart Classrooms Beyond Technology: Multimedia, Assessment, Inclusivity and Artificial Intelligence". It was noted that modern smart classrooms are not simply spaces equipped with technological devices. They should help improve the effectiveness of learning, support the inclusion of students with diverse educational needs, enable the use of modern assessment mechanisms, and promote the effective and responsible use of artificial intelligence tools.  

During the second part of the seminar, Armenian universities presented their experience and vision, as well as the current e-learning platforms, existing needs and shortcomings. A particularly important question for Armenian universities is how to move from individual digital tools towards a unified and comprehensive learning ecosystem. The experience presented confirmed that most Armenian universities already have the necessary technical and professional capacities to organize digital education. At the same time, further development of digital education requires not only new technological solutions, but also the effective integration and interconnected use of existing systems. 

It was noted that the standards being developed should focus not only on defining technical requirements, but also on ensuring the quality, accessibility and inclusiveness of the educational process, effective assessment and a student-centered approach. Thus, technological infrastructure is viewed not as an end in itself, but as a key tool for improving the quality and effectiveness of education. 

Yerevan State University was represented at the online seminar by Armen Budaghyan, Director of the Quality Assurance Center and Coordinator of the eCAMPUS project; Mari Santurjyan, Deputy Director of the same center; and Artur Avagyan, Executive Director of the Information Technologies Educational and Research Center, who presented YSU's experience, e-learning platforms and potential opportunities. Faculty members involved in the project and other specialists in the field also participated in the seminar.