Casual dress is expected for both women and men at the university level. Some students may come into class in a sweat suit, and nice shoes. This is typically not looked down upon. Raggedy, dirty and unclean clothes tend to be socially prohibited outside of the home.
The Armenian educational system is going through a trial period in which it will eventually switch over to a western system of grading (within the next 5 years). Some universities grade on a 1-10 system, the failing grade of which is 3, some others grade on the 100% system, the failing grade of which is 30% and less, and some other higher educational establishments grade on A-F system. Most institutions grades on the following scale: 5-Excellent 4-Satisfactory 3-Average 2-Below Average. The "failing" concept is not really enforced. However, grades 3 and below are looked into at a deeper level. There also can be a plus (+) or minus (-) that can be added to the grade to increase or decrease the number value.
Interactive communicative teaching approaches such as experiential, group/pair work, etc, have been introduced in , but are just now becoming a highlight in the classroom. Typically, the classroom teaching environment is still very Soviet based, with the teacher as the leader, lecturing, and the students as pupils, listening. There is two-way communication, but the teachers are typically known as specialists.
