On 29 – 30 November 2022, the Project was delighted to facilitate a two-day tailormade workshop on Project Cycle Management (PCM) for the University “Kadri Zeka” in Gjilan (UKZ). The workshop was designed jointly by the HERAS Plus Team and the UKZ leadership. The event was attended by a core team of academic and administrative staff of UKZ, who are determined to work on further advancing the university’s performance in applying and implementing projects.

The tailormade workshop aimed at building capacities for writing, monitoring and implementing Projects. The program covered all the main subjects involved in PCM, whereas the delivery method was through presentations, group work and coaching sessions. The UKZ team members, who undertook the training, were guided to work on concrete project ideas aiming to convert them into draft project proposals.

This specially designed program on PCM is considered a structural intervention in the path towards further institutional development. The training is part of the support provided to UKZ based on the competitive fund for strategic development of public universities, and it is in line with the joint actions agreed in the MoU between HERAS Plus Project and the University.

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study visit

On 24 February 2022, the Project conducted a workshop with University “Kadri Zeka” in Gjilan (UKZ Gjilan) on strategic intervention measures to improve position in the webometric ranking of world universities.

The workshop was facilitated by HERAS Plus external expert Mr. Blerim Rexha, and it was attended by the working group, designated by the university, and composed of senior academic and administrative staff. The working group surveyed the methods of calculating the university ranking by Cybermetrics Lab, the largest research institute in Spain. However, the focus was on the practical steps that a Higher Education Institution (HEI) may undertake to improve its position in this ranking.

The workshop on understanding the webometric ranking of world universities devoted great considerations to the technical matters related to the parameters of this type of cybermetric, such as Visibility (Impact), Openness, Excellence, and the overall Internet Presence. The Activity is part of the support provided to UKZ Gjilan, based on their specific request, and within the framework of the competitive fund for strategic development of public universities.

HERAS Plus is working to improve the overall research output, teaching excellence and the student service provided by public universities in Kosovo in line with the trends and standards of European Higher Education Area.

On 14 October 2021, HERAS Plus was pleased to promote the Baseline Assessment (BA) Report for the University Kadri Zeka (UKZ) in Gjilan, which was prepared with expert support from the Project.

The BA is an overview of the University’s current institutional development and it records the progress and challenges. In addition, the BA identifies a significant number of areas for improvement, which are expressed in the form of Recommendations with clear mechanisms and indicators. The key recommendations that emerged from this assessment are expected to be supported by the Project based on the earmarked funds for public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The BA was presented by the project expert Mr. Bujar Gallopeni who was leading the drafting process of the document.

The event was attended by the senior management of UKZ Gjilan, academics, administrative staff and students – whereas addressed officially by the Rector, Mr. Bajram Kosumi, and HERAS Plus Team Leader, Mr. Aqim Emurli.

In his official address, Team Leader, Mr. Emurli, noted that the Baseline Assessments, which are conducted for six public Universities, in fact, are the first ones of its kind in Kosovo. The assessments, and the BA Reports, are a modest contribution, but in the right direction and using the correct approach, with an impact reaching beyond the public HEIs in Kosovo.

The Rector, Mr. Kosumi, expressed his enthusiasm and hope that the cooperation between UKZ Gjilan and HERAS Plus will further streamline and develop based on the findings of BA Report. In this regards, the Rector highlighted that he, and the University leadership team, are looking forward to the Project’s support also in the process of implementing the key recommendations that came from the BA.

The event concluded with the ceremonial signing of the MoU between the Project and UKZ Gjilan, commit on working together in the areas of strategic development of the University.

On 19 January 2021, HERAS Plus Project organized and delivered mock-simulation interviews with the University “Kadri Zeka” in Gjilan (UKZ) representatives and the University stakeholders, which will be part of the experts review through the institutional accreditation process. A total of seven sessions were organized representing all the target groups that will interact with the accreditation expert team, including the senior management of the University, the quality assurance staff, the deans (heads of Programs), the teaching staff, students, alumni (graduates) and the industry/employers.

The exercise proved very useful for the university, as it served as a tool for identifying challenges and proposing actions for improvements.

This support is a part of the ongoing the activities with the UKZ Gjilan, which aim at strengthening the capacity of the University in meeting the standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESGs).