KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

The Chair was formed in July 2012. The Chair carries out its activities in accordance with the University regulations, strategic plan, annual action plan and the regulations of the Chair. It cooperates with all subdivisions and all institutions of the education sector.

The main purpose of the Chair is to preserve the traditions of national education, study the best pedagogical practices, improve the quality of education and prepare prudent and competitive specialists who meet the requirements of modern society and education.

In 2015, the Chair organized three conferences: 

• Current Issues in Pedagogy: Challenges and Solutions /republican conference/
• Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation Issues in Education /international conference/
• Conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and summary of Master's Thesis research 

The objectives of the Chair:

• create favourable conditions for boosting the efficiency of the education process and the quality of eduaction
• educate citizens who meet the requirements of a modern democratic state, society and culture
• provide real guarantees for organizing effective education process and competitiveness of future teachers/educators
• create conditions for the effective functioning of a student-centered learning environment 
• carry out scientific and research activities in the Chair’s priority areas
• organize training for specialists of the education sector
• expand the scope of international cooperation
• enhance specialized information sources making them available for the participants of the education process

Priorities of scientific research include: 

• development of Pedagogical Science, differentiation of new branches and their scientific systemization
• study of anthropological bases of Pedagogy
• study of pedagogical theories, ideas, concepts, various opinions of teacher-scholars and pedagogical practices of different periods
• study of pedagogical and psychological mechanisms of application and modernization of the pedagogical culture [created by people] and ethnic pedagogy
• implementation of systematic study to increase the efficiency of the contemporary pedagogical process
• study of foreign and local experience in education management
• enrichment of experience and conduct of research in the field of Social Pedagogy
• study and research in the field of Innovative Pedagogy
• Study of Andragogy as a branch of science and andragogic approaches of higher education
• conduct studies in the field of pedagogy in higher education. 

Activities to improve professional skills of the teaching staff 

• study, summarize, localize and disseminate the modern experience of organizing scientific and methodological work, innovative methods of teaching and the process of learning 

• familiarize the teaching staff with the methodology of development of science and higher education, innovative communication technologies, creation of curricula and pedagogical tests, innovation activity and scientific methods 

• enhance the competency of the teaching staff in the pedagogical design of educational content in order to draft multi-level educational programmes, the content of academic subjects, to demonstrate a competent approach towards the outcomes of learning process and develop abilities of self-analysis 

• improve the psychological and pedagogical preparedness of lecturers 

• improve the learning process, particularly the capacity and skills of applying the achievements of contemporary Pedagogical Science, innovative pedagogical and information technologies and active methods 

• develop teaching, organizational and management skills of lecturers 

• familiarize them with the changes in the education policy and legislation 

• collaborate with Career Centers in order to provide graduates with corresponding job 

• organize international conferences 

Determination of approaches and expansion of directions of professional services /based on the requirements of the labour market/ 

• organize training of pedagogues involved in different levels of education, as well as pedagogical training of specialists engaged in social services 

• implement pedagogical research activities, introduce innovations and carry out experiments 

• inform, present and familiarize the public with modern pedagogical approaches through the Internet and pedagogical scientific journals