Details connected to the project and possible results are known actually. Two years project to be organized step by step includes developing the Internal Quality Assurance System and settling European standards at TESAU offered by Bologna process. It implicates to create teaching programs and learning courses at modern level, increase teaching level, train academic personal additionally, calculate the Research Quality Assurance System, publish the combined scientific magazine of project participant universities, create CUD and other issues.
First year the program will participate three piloting faculties (Social sciences, Business and Law; Agrarian and Food Processing Branches; Actual and
Natural Sciences) though it doesn’t mean that other faculties don’t take active participation in it.At TESAU six four – days trainings are planned to be led by European leading specialists of higher education. The project doesn’t imply only increasing the Internal Quality of University. Other representatives of higher institutions of Georgia will also be invited to the conferences planned at the University.
We had a conversation with the representatives of the delegation been at Holland and asked to share their impression and opinions for us.
Giorgi Gotsiridze - The professor, the Rector of Telavi State University and the head of the project:
I have talked a lot about the importance of the project funded by EU and now I repeat that its organizing at TESAU is another progress for the university accreditation. To increase Quality Assurance System at TESAU remains as the priority issue of the project. At our university two international conferences are planned which also increases the importance of the project. The conference will invite the representatives of higher education institutions of Georgia. CUD has a qualified employee – Mrs Marina Chitashvili who has a great experience in relationships with European partners. We hope that her collaboration will bring success to our university. In a short time CUD will get necessary technique to be redistributed on three piloting faculties.
Ketevan Gigashvili - The professor and the head of the Scientific Research Department:
While being at Holland a lot of important and interesting issues were mentioned. As the head of the Scientific Research Department I was attracted by the discussion about scientific issues. Under the project it’s planned to publish four international academic magazines in London. Editorial Board will be created with representatives of consortium member universities in it. Technical criterions will be offered by Western colleagues. Organization issues will be totally led by Scientific Research Department. It’s a quite difficult process in which the leading institutions of higher education of Georgia will be involved. We’ll give them all requisite and detailed information. Printing articles will be examined.
Serious works are to be carried out. In December after the representatives of consortium member
universities visit Telavi state University, this issue will be discussed again. We also plan to work on combined scientific projects with the leadership
of Scientific – Research Department and so we have to work seriously.Tinatin Zurabishvili - The head of TESAU Quality Assurance System:
It was important that European side listened to our opinions and requests carefully and was open for this partnership. They were ready to meet us due to our necessary issues. The speech of HAN University adviser about Students’ Advisers System was very interesting. They talked about teaching results as well. They will talk about it more widely at the meetings planned in Telavi. We discovered that our opinions about teaching results were different. They say that it’s a precondition for mobilization and we wish to calculate it at our University. HAN University attracted me a lot. It seems to be really oriented on students and students – on learning. Our next meetings to be productive CUD should request European colleagues to send us reports and presentations in advance in order to choose more important issues.
Nino Modebadze - The professor, the officer of the project and the deputy chief of Quality Assurance System:
For me–as the head of the project - the visit at HAN University was important as we had to work seriously on creating teaching programs. We can’t rewrite word by word everything what we have seen there. During the conversations it was obvious that TESAU has a lot of accounting novelties. Now we should calculate the useful and fitting experience for our University. I wish to mention an especial effort of Cor Segeren - the head of the project and the professor of HAN University. He tried the meeting to be interesting and resulting enough. During the training some improvident questions were raised connecting to the issues we are interested in.
First of all we were interested in the
program "Teacher training" which we wish to calculate at pedagogical faculty at our University. Mr. Segeren totally informed me.
The visit gave us a lot. I hope for increasing our relationships. Our friends will help us to calculate useful novelties at our University.
TESAU needs it very much.Sophio Arsenishvili - The students’ adviser and the student of Doctor’s Degree at TESAU:
Participation in the training was interesting for me. We acquainted the Quality Assurance system existed at HAN University. What is being done at TESAU is another step for developing the Internal University Quality Assurance System. Another important issue is questioning the graduated students and analyzing the results with the priorities: who works better, what defects the knowledge of employed people has; what knowledge they want to receive and so on. They are regularly questioned once a year. The universities make permanent dialogues with employed people and their employers and change teaching programs according to their requirements. Holland is a country with developed economy and the same dialogues are easily available there. Unfortunately it’s yet impossible for us. The important novelty is that HAN University as well as other universities have great practice and experience and the system of its advisers works successfully. We plan the same thing, too. The adviser of the student should have permanent contact with each student; share and defense their interests either in teaching process or in life. She helps a student to choose subjects and module and plan teaching correctly. The student has to address to the adviser in the case of having a problem connected to the teaching process. The adviser of the students involves actively in the case as well when being misunderstanding between the student and the lecturer. The adviser tries to solve the problem and offers the ways of it. All the three advisers of students of piloting faculties have already met to each other.
We plan to meet the students as well and present them our
working plan.Nana Rinkiashvili - Associated professor of the faculty of Social sciences, Business and law and the head of Quality Assurance system:
Sharing the experience of Marburg and HAN Universities was especially useful for teaching programs and students’ mobilization. It’s important for them to involve the representatives of Labor Market together with the professor-lecturers in creating programs, Our European partners examine the teaching programs in every two years. The University collects and analyses all the important information for evaluation teaching programs if the teaching program is adequate for market requirements. After analysing the information periodicai reviewing of the programs is actual. Students’ advisers play a great role in mastering the teaching programs successfully and creating students’ carrier. The approach connected to the students’ mobilization is also very interesting. They focuses not on the learned subjects but on the results – how the knowledge is adequate for students’ professionalism. Sharing the experience of partner countries will help us to prepare adequate students for Market Economy Requirements.
Manana Kevlishvili - Associated professor of the faculty of Agriculture and Food Processing and the head of Quality Assurance System:In Holland we were acquanted to the reports of the representatives of different universities about the Quality Assurance System and higher education. Some of the discussed issues exist at high level at our faculty though we need some more issues such as students’ mobilization being severer at our faculty than on theirs. Due to our colleagues’ advices it’s possible to simplify and make it useful for students. Sharing the experience of European colleagues was important as well for selecting the effective advisers of the students. The issue is problematic at our faculty and their advices will be helpful for us.
Diana Mchedlishvili - Full professor of the faculty of Actual and Natural Sciences and the head of the Quality Assurance system:
Quality Assurance System has been existing at Telavi State University for three years. During the working process a question was frequently raised how adequate was our and their working. While visiting Holland we heard a lot of interesting reports about the effective working of Quality Assurance System. German professor Jan Luk Lamble and the professor of HAN University Cor Segeren discussed about Higher Education System and Quality Assurance System due to their Universities. Especial interest was focused on modern teaching and working methods existed at European Universities. It was obvious that Quality Governing System plays a great role not only in teaching process but also in developing all the spheres. We may say that a lot of issues are already calculated at our University though some more issues are necessary and some of them needs changing and developing. The results of the visit will soon influence on our University life.
