GEO 
ENG 
ARM 
The PROVE project — Promoting Values Education in Higher Education in the South Caucasus — is still in progress and marks a significant achievement in its development phase. Partner universities from Georgia and Armenia have finalized and submitted their first set of university course syllabi built upon the Values and Knowledge Education (VaKE) methodology.
These syllabi were developed by various working groups within the project through a highly collaborative process. The teams have successfully completed the development of the initial set of curricula. The collaborative work was conducted online via the Zoom platform, with active participation from both core team members and European partners, who provided invaluable expertise and guidance throughout the sessions.
The newly developed syllabi focus on integrating value-based education into higher education teaching practices and include:
- Team 2 – A general HEI-specific course for pre-service teachers (coordinated by Ilia State University).
- Team 3 – A HEI-specific course on societal issues (coordinated by Telavi State University).
- Team 4 – A pre-service teacher training course using and teaching through VaKE, and applying VaKE in internships (coordinated by Ilia State University).
A crucial role in the development process was played by Team 1, designated as the ‘Training, support, supervision, and critical friends’ group. Throughout the curriculum development phase, members of Team 1 actively participated in working meetings to provide expert feedback and strategic guidance to the other teams. They served as an advisory body to ensure the quality, coherence, and pedagogical integrity of all developed syllabi.
The courses, developed collaboratively with European partners, are grounded in interactive, student-centered approaches that connect ethical reasoning with subject knowledge. They promote active learning through dilemmas, discussions, role-play, and collaborative projects.
All syllabi have been translated and adapted into Georgian and Armenian, ensuring accessibility and contextual relevance. The translation process also included conceptual adaptation to embed the VaKE approach naturally into local pedagogical traditions.
Although partner universities from Azerbaijan could not participate due to the ongoing political situation, the project remains open to future collaboration when circumstances allow.
Ongoing Work
The current phase focuses on developing subject-specific readers and authentic ethical dilemmas to support the implementation of VaKE in various disciplines such as language teaching, geography, and sociolinguistics. These materials are designed to strengthen future teachers’ capacities for critical thinking, ethical reflection, and value-based decision-making in the classroom.
The upcoming development tasks include:
- Team 5 – Developing courses for in-service teachers (scheduled for March–April 2026)
- Team 6 – Developing community-oriented courses (scheduled for September–December 2026)
Through this ongoing collaboration, PROVE continues to advance the integration of Values and Knowledge Education in higher education across the South Caucasus.This Working process was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union.
Coordinator: Tamar Aslanishvili, Iakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University
Project Website: https://prove.tesau.edu.ge
