The aim of the proposed project is to increase the number of experts and qualified workers and to reduce the existing unemployment rate in the field of Multimedia and Digital Television (MDTV). The project will have significant long term effects that will be felt by researchers, higher education institutions, students and broadcasters both in the Republic of Albania and Kosovo. During the first phase of the project, an analysis of the problems and needs of the MDTV area in Albania and Kosovo will be undertaken. Based on the results of this study and the technical expertise of the European Union (EU) Partners, the existing curricula of Multimedia bachelor programme will be reviewed in order to improve the quality of higher education and enhance its relevance for the labour market and society as a whole. Also, due to the fast development of the Multimedia and Digital Television technologies, new and innovative education master programme should be introduced in this field. UAMD will open a new professional master programme offering the possibility to specialize in three multimedia and digital television fields: Image Processing, Animation and Production/Post-production. On the other side, EPOKA and higher education institution (HEI) partners of the Republic of Kosovo will introduce three modules to their existing master programmes. For these purpose, Albania and Kosovo will train academic staff in the EU HEIs partner in order to improve their level of competences and skills in the field of Image Processing, Animation and Production/Post-production.In order to support the successful implementation of the Multimedia and Digital Television curricula in both bachelor and professional master programme a new state of the art laboratory will be established at the Faculty of Information Technology (UAMD) premises. The laboratory will be used for the organization of both academic staff trainings and practice classes of the Multimedia and Digital Television programmes.

Virtual Albanian European Universities Exchange (VALEU-X) is a joint project to support the internationalisation efforts of Higher Educational Institutions in Albania through modern technology-enhanced academic exchange with European HEIs. It proposes blending on-campus teaching activities with international Virtual Collaborative Learning (VCL) components as a Virtual Mobility element to introduce international perspectives in formal higher educational programmes within a holistic approach of Internationalisation at Home.The project objectives include:- Enable academic staff to extend their teaching processes and content with international perspectives and elements- Help Albanian HEI to develop effective internationalisation strategies- Provide Albanian students with international experience at their home HEI- Prepare Albanian HEI for successful integration in the EU academic landscapeThe foreseen outcomes and results include:- New problem-based learning practices based on constructive collaborative methodologies.- Common international study activities involving Albanian and European students and academics.- Blended Mobility setup using Virtual Collaborative Learning (VCL) methods and modern ICT including Social Media.- Virtual/Blended Mobility augmented Internationalisation at Home strategies with acknowledgment and recognition mechanisms.The envisaged impact encompasses:- Build capacity at Albanian HEI for international/EU academic practices- Encourage personal growth of Albanian students to become EU citizens- Overcome limited physical academic mobility between Albania and the EU- Increase relevance of Albanian HE programs to international/EU job markets- Promote applied teaching and learning using modern technologies- Enhance the adoption of “eBologna” in Albanian HE

COWEB (Promoting and Facilitating Collaborative Virtual International Learning in the Western Balkans Higher Education Institutions) aims to build capacities in the Western Balkans (WB) Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for international virtual collaborative learning (VCL) as an innovative pedagogical approach in teaching and learning, with a focus on co-creating virtual/blended learning spaces and course content that will boost 21st century skills and competencies for students and address the low cross-border collaboration among HEIs and students in the WB region. The COWEB project is important for the following Target Groups of the project.-WB HEI Students-WB HEI Academic Staff-WB HEIsThe objectives of the COWEB are aimed to be achieved through a set of activities including, -Desk research and first-hand observation about virtual collaboration in Western Balkans region-International Forum on innovative virtual teaching and learning pedagogies -Training academic staff with pedagogical and didactical methodologies and teaching tools for implementing of VCL/COIL modules-E-Tutor qualification of senior students as teaching facilitators -Short Term Exchanges of the academic staff among EU and WB partners-Delivery of VCL course content and activities in a Local, Regional and International level-Dissemination Events (Midterm, Final Conference) as multipliers of project results.Among the deliverables of the COWEB project are,-Report on EU Best Practices on VCL (Benchmarking)-Report on Western Balkans Needs Assessment on Virtual Collaborative Learning-Didactical Staff training materials and Teaching & Learning Materials-Local, Regional and International VCL Course Delivered-Research Output on VCL Course experience-Project Website, and Promotional Materials The outcomes of COWEB will have a significant and long-term impact on the targeted HEIs beyond the projects' lifetime and as such benefit the society in general.

The key to unlock the economic potential of Western Balkans countries is enhancement of quality of higher education by modernizing teaching and learning and fostering the innovation. Virtual Technologies, with 52% growth rate in next five years, are at the frontier of development now, considered as tool that can revolutionize the higher education sector .The project general aim is to introduce for the first time at Western Balkan universities the concept of virtual technologies as a tool for accelerating university modernization while contributing on developing knowledge-driven society. The project has these objectives and target groups:- Support capacity building in WB countries for integrating Virtual technologies in higher education. Training of target groups such as: academic staff, administrative staff and students;- Produce innovative courses on this topic by developing technology based and pedagogically sound content, assessment tools etc. Target groups: students, attracting students to learn, making the whole HE system more competitive- Create strategic WB HEIs partnership targeting public and private HE sector in all WB countries- Organize events with industry targeting industry involvement and creating sustainable academy-industry partnership; Filling the gap between formal education and the workplace.- Establish Virtual Technology Hub that will target mostly students and researchers-Tackle the topic of AR VR user experience, targeting the worldwide ICT academic and industry society- Organizing public events on national, regional and EU levels will be the main activities-By incorporating Virtual Technologies in academic culture of universities we aim to increase the quality and level of efficiency in teaching and knowledge retention through interactive learning methods.

The wider project objective was to establish and support quality assurance processes and mechanisms to ensure effective management and enhance teaching and learning at the private higher education institutions in Albania. The Project aimed to support the private higher education institutions in Albania to achieve the priorities of the two key documents: “Increasing the impact of EU Development: an Agenda for Change” and “European Higher Education in the World”. The project addressed the national priority for Joint projects, quality assurance processes and mechanisms, under category C – improving management and operation of higher education institutions. The project comprised the following specific objectives:- To establish / support the quality assurance structures / offices at the private HE institutions in Albania;- To provide capacity building on quality assurance;- To provide trainings on designing study programs based on labour market needs.- To draft action plans supporting the processes of quality assurance and enhancement in teaching, learning and administration.- To modernize the infrastructure of Quality Assurance Offices.- Development of QA guidelines. The principles characterizing the project focused on: knowledge transfer and adaption to local needs, capacity and institutional building, sustainability and local ownership, as well as QA throughout the project.The project delivered the main following results (project documents, templates and research publications): 1. Guidelines for Research Evaluation; 2. Research Evaluation; 3. Final Report on Needs and analysis about QA; 4. Report on Quality Assurance Qualifications Frameworks and recognition with HEIs; 5. Template for QA Manual; 6. Comparative analysis of the accreditation procedures between Kosovo and Albania on implementation of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area; 7. Challenges on implementation of e-Learning and online evaluation of teaching, learning and research in Kosovo and Albania; 8. QA Action Plans; 9. QA Manuals.