On November 13th 2018, YSUIB Professional Education Quality Assurance Department organized a meeting-discussion with students who passed industrial or pedagogical internship in the previous (2017-18) academic year.
The meeting was attended by Acting Director of YSUIB A. V. Tsutsulyan, workers of the department, the internships’ supervisors, Education Program Officers, and the interns.
At the beginning of the meeting, the head of Professional Education Quality Assurance Department Marieta Chagharyan presented the purpose of the meeting, that is, to present the results of the satisfaction survey conducted by the Department during internships among external and internal stakeholders during 2017-18 academic years.
Chagharyan, presenting the agenda of the meeting, noted that the regular social survey among external stakeholders was of paramount importance for the branch directorate, whose results helped to keep up with the dynamics of labor market demands. The last survey was conducted during the 2017-18 academic year in pedagogical, educational and industrial internships of students of different specializations. External stakeholders assessed the professional and personal qualities of the interns-students, theoretical knowledge, practical skills, vocabulary, skills to apply modern methods, behavioral skills, teamwork skills, highlighted our students’ worthy professional advantages and weaknesses, making interesting and meaningful suggestions.
She put forward that presenting the results of the external stakeholders’ satisfaction from internships and interns-students and the results of the discussion would help to identify the problems that have arisen during the internship, to make suggestions for improving the internships.
The Department specialist Anahit Hovsepyan presented that in 2017-18 academic year, 243 students of Full-time learning and 357 of Part-time learning, passed industrial, pedagogical and educational internships in the natural and historical monuments of Armenia, in the places and museums, Tavush Region schools and kindergartens, region’s hotels and various objects of social services, Tavush regional department of real estate cadastre, Ijevan forestry and Dendropark, “Karart” closed Joint-Stock company, “Bridge of Hope” NGO Ijevan Children’s Development and Social Support Center, Ijevan Art School.
Then, she introduced via presentation the opinions and assessment of the external stakeholders on the professional and personal qualities of the branch interns, as well as their comparative analysis.
It was noted that external stakeholders were highly assessed the theoretical knowledge of interns (84.9% of respondents rated excellent (36.4%) and good (48.5%), practical skills, 87.9% (excellent, 36.4 %, good, 51.5%) and professional speech, 81.8% (excellent, 39.4%, good, 42.4%). In addition, it was also stated that in their open written opinions, many stakeholders considered the mentioned features a noticeable advantage.
Taking into consideration the periodic development and advancement in the field of education and science and the challenge of competitive struggle in the labor market, the modern teaching methods (especially from pedagogical internship) and information technology skills were particularly highlighted.
Introducing the external stakeholder assessment, it was noted that 75.8% of the respondents assessed the ability of interns to master modern teaching methods excellent (39.4%) and good (36.4%) points, and the level of information technology knowledge 81.8% respondents assessed high (excellent, 48.5%, good, 33.3%).
Hovsepyan, presenting the high assessments of 84% of the external stakeholders to the creative approach of our interns to the professional process, stated that feature was manifested in the first meetings with employers.
Then, teamwork skills (84.8%), and behavioral and ethical norms (93.9%) were also highly assessed, qualitative features needed both in employer-student relationships and in society understanding the student’s role. External stakeholders assessed the process of internship organization high (4.72 average point).
There was a heated discussion around each of the presented results, with students actively expressing their views and disagreement on some of the external stakeholder assessment.
The reporter also presented the advantages and strengths of interns according to external stakeholders’ opinion, in particular by distinguishing such features as high professionalism, responsibility, hard work, attention, ability to listen, professionally correct speech, and desire for new and maximum, profound knowledge, ability to make use of professional literature, ability to ask right and interesting questions, creative abilities.
External stakeholders, along with the positive characteristic features, also mentioned some of our students’ professional drawbacks and suggestions for improvement (often involve in different practical work to gain experience, change attitudes towards learning and to learn by teaching, already thinking about becoming a good educator, acquire more knowledge and methodological skills, etc.).
The survey participants also made such suggestions as: extend the duration of the internship, or make it more frequent, plan and organize the internship more clearly, prepare students to work with new methods, and then send them to internship places, involve several professionals in that process.
Then, the students’ assessment of the internship process in the online survey conducted by the Department among I-III course students of the branch in May 2017-18 academic years was also presented. Students’ assessment of some of the processes was compared with external stakeholders’ assessment, which also became a subject of heated discussion.
The internships’ supervisors decided to discuss the results in the faculties, to identify the problems and to present the recommendations for improving the internship process.
At the end of the meeting, the students were distributed questionnaires to assess the effectiveness of the meeting.
