Project partners
The grant co-ordinator, Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT), is uniquely placed to transfer European practice to the higher education sector in Uzbekistan given its experience in pioneering the delivery of internationally accredited degree programs in Uzbekistan. Since its foundation in 2002, upon the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, WIUT has been at the cutting edge of introducing independent learning techniques in Uzbekistan and has been charged by the government with acting as a model and disseminator of international practice across the higher education sector. As such, WIUT already has developed contacts and regularly holds meetings with Rectors of other universities in Uzbekistan and has a close working relationship with the Ministry of Higher and Specialised Secondary Education (MHSSE). For example WIUT, in co-operation with the Academy of State and Social Construction under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, has recently launched a joint programme consisting of a series workshops for Uzbek university top managers to acquaint them with the UK system of education and its implementation in Uzbekistan. This has been overseen by the Rector of WIUT, who has served as a special advisor to the President on matters of higher education and can assist in the development of the MHSSE action plan for independent learning.
WIUT’s staff is in a unique position of understanding the realities of the higher education system in Uzbekistan (having studied or taught within it) as well as the European system (the majority of academic staff having postgraduate degrees from European universities). Having experience of both teacher centred learning in Uzbekistan and independent learning in Europe they will be well placed in assisting MHSSE in developing strategies to promote independent learning across the sector.
The University of Westminster, United Kingdom, has been WIUT’s partner from its inception and has been closely involved in guiding WIUT in its development of independent learning, in particular drawing from the expertise of the Educational Initiative Centre, the head of which has paid two visits to Uzbekistan to assist WIUT in implementing independent learning. In addition to its involvement with WIUT, University of Westminster has worked closely with TEMPUS partners in Russia and China and has a strong commitment to working in partnership with new accession countries. Ann Rumpus Ph.D. had over 30 years experience of lecturing and more recently fulfilling a university-wide role in curriculum development, connected with modular structures, accreditation of prior learning and credit accumulation. She is currently Head of the University’s Educational Initiative Centre, an institution-wide unit which supports educational developments, and which promotes change and innovation in curriculum design and course delivery across the institution. This includes a wide range of staff development provision in issues of teaching and learning (including independent learning) for colleagues across a range of disciplines, within the University, and other higher and further education colleges. In addition to two previous visits to WIUT and training of WIUT colleagues in the UK, she has also carried out training in Nigeria and Lithuania. She is also responsible for the development and delivery of the University’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy and Strategy, an MA in Higher Education (a programme for academic staff), the University’s Centre for Research into Education, and a number of links with associated Further Education Colleges and other bodies concerned with higher and further education. She has been involved in gaining, development and delivery of a range of Government funded projects in higher and further education.
Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU) in Poznan, Poland, has extensive experience in participating in TEMPUS projects and has itself been undergoing a process of transition from a Soviet influenced system to one that has adopted European Union norms. The expert that they will be contributing to the project, Professor Dylak Stanislaw, will be drawing from experience in assisting the Ministry of Education in Poland restructure, including being a member of the working group on restructuring and serving as advisor to the Minister of Education on issues of curriculum development and teacher education. As head of the Department of Research on Teacher Education and Teacher Professional Development, he has published widely on issues related to independent learning (including Introduction to Curriculum Development which has gone through three editions and deals with learning materials and teaching strategies necessary for independent learning.) His seniority and experience will be of particular importance when seeking to communicate the experience of Polish universities and its relevance for reform of higher education in Uzbekistan.
Jamilya Gulyamova (British Council Tashkent Information and Learning Centre Manager) will act as an independent expert for the purposes of the final project evaluation. She has been involved in a number of education projects in the area of teacher training, material development and open learning. After serving as President of the Uzbek English Teachers Association she joined the British Council as manager of an open learning centre pilot project. In 2004 she completed a special course on open and distance learning (LETTOL), with Sheffield College UK
