On August 3-6, 2018, the AGBU Armenian Virtual College participated in the 8th Pan-Armenian Educational Conference in Aghveran, Armenia.  More than 120 educators from 24 countries came together to discuss the current issues of Armenian schools worldwide and draw up strategic approaches to the development of educational programs in the Diaspora.

In his welcome address, Araik Harutyunyan, the Minister of Education and Science of Armenia said: “I believe that the results achieved at the conference will contribute to a more effective system and the development of Armenian education in the Diaspora.”

One of the main topics of the discussion was the need to introduce new methods of education in schools.  At a plenary session Dr. Yervant Zorian, AVC Founder and President, spoke about the emergence of a “digital Diaspora”, which replaces traditional community-based connections and calls for new, technology-based means of providing education.  Dr.  Zorian presented the Armenian Virtual College as a strategic tool that meets the requirements of modern education and answers the needs of today’s learners. AVC’s hybrid education program supports traditional classroom learning by combining the benefits of teacher-led lessons with the smart use of technology.

“AVC is the only organization that provides online Armenian education of this professional level, on this scale and in seven languages. We have been approached by people from other ethnic communities who wanted to use our methods and our experience for teaching their native languages,” Dr. Zorian said.
“I want to congratulate the Armenian Virtual College for being at the forefront of online education,” said Karen Mnatsakanyan, Head of the Division for Relations with the Diaspora of the Ministry of Education and Science.  Mr. Mnatsakanyan also highly commended the collaboration with AVC on different projects.

AVC Academic Director Dr. Hasmik Khalapyan introduced the Online Chess Program developed in partnership with the Chess Academy of Armenia as an innovative way to teach chess in schools and communities in Diaspora. The details of AVC’s online courses and e-learning tools were also discussed in working groups.

Many participants wanted to learn more about AVC and expressed interest in future collaborations. They were welcomed at an information table with promo booklets, course demos and other materials.