3 million euros will be invested in development by the EKA

Implementing the strategic development plan, the EKA University of Applied Sciences (EKA) with the support of Citadele Bank will invest 3 million euros to create a modern and contemporary study environment in a building on Pernavas Street. It will have specialized auditories and laboratories that will be available to students 24 hours a day.

The building in Riga, Pernavas Street, was acquired by EKA last year, and significant financial resources will be invested in it within five years. Active work is currently being carried out on the development of building renovation projects for moving to new premises as soon as possible.

The new spatials will be equipped with specialized auditoriums and laboratories, which are already in the existing university building, for example, lawyers will have a training court hall, logistics specialists - logistics auditorium, interior designers - painting room, computer game developers - digital laboratory, and future cultural managers - creative room with various multimedia options. It is also planned to create new laboratories, which would be available to students 24 hours a day. As the building is located almost in the center of Riga, it will also be much more convenient to get to.

The educational institution is one of Latvia′s pioneers in providing studies remotely. The EKA University of Applied Sciences has been implementing a unique form of study for several years - e-learning face-to-face, providing the distance learning process with live lectures, seminars and discussions in virtual auditoriums. Continuing to develop technologically, as well as developing the methodology for the implementation of such studies, it is planned to modernize the e-environment of the university in order to further maintain its leading positions in this field.

"Our university specialists regularly share their e-learning experience with foreign colleagues - for four years now lecturers from Germany, Portugal, Greece, England and USA, as well as from the Baltic States and many others have come to Latvia - they learn from our experience, and we are from them, ” tells Anna Saltykova, EKA co-owner and board member.

"We see that the role of innovation and digital solutions is growing rapidly, not only in the banking sector. Therefore, Citadele, as a digital bank, especially appreciates that the main priority in the development of EKA will continue to be the quality assurance and improvement of the study process by developing various digital solutions and innovative study methods, as well as the development of science and creativity and lifelong learning. We appreciate that EKA will also continue to work on attracting foreign students for developing the export of education. In an age of rapid change, modern educational opportunities are very important, ” admits Guntis Mincis, Head of Medium Business Services at Citadele Bank.

When the COVID-19 emergency situation started, the university was able to adapt very quickly to the situation - many years of experience in implementing e-studies allowed to reorganize the whole study process in one day, providing both lectures and meetings with industry leaders and even online defense of diploma theses. "We had experience, but for others it was something completely new and unprecedented. That′s why the idea arose to share our knowledge with Latvian teachers who educate our children every day. We organized a free seminar for teachers about the available tools and elements to use, so that the distance learning activities would be interesting and keep the attention of the students, because the work remotely is very different from the face-to-face. This webinar was attended by more than 1,500 teachers, ” reveals Anna Saltykova.

The quality of e-learning implemented by EKA is also confirmed by the fact that university students attend the current online lectures even more diligently and perform study work more diligently than face-to-face lectures before the introduction of the state of emergency - this has been acknowledged by the university lecturers.

The EKA University of Applied Sciences was founded in 1998 and, based on innovative methods and a multicultural approach, ensures the acquisition of high-quality academic and professional higher education in accordance with the highest standards.