Педагогические науки/5.Современные методы преподавания
PhD Krasnoshchekov V.V., PhD Zaharova I.B.
Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University, Russia
International
student project “Our Universities” as an example of new tools of higher
education quality improvement
In accordance with the generally recognized definition done by Minna
Söderqvist , the
internationalization of the university is a process of transformation of the
national institution into international, leading to the inclusion of the
international dimension into integrated management of all components of the
university in order to improve the quality of teaching and research and to
achieve the required competences [1, p. 29]. Thus, the internationalization of
higher education institutions contributes to the quality of training at the
university, and hence to the competitiveness of universities. The UNESCO
Declaration of 9 October 1998 on the quality of higher education, noted that
quality requires from higher education international dimension, included the
exchange of knowledge, creation of interactive networking, mobility of
professors and students, international research projects, while taking into
account national cultural values and the environment [2]. Currently,
international projects are treated as fruitful fields for the exchange of
ideas. International project activity contributes to the formation of general
and professional competencies of students, especially cross-cultural ones.
Intercultural competence is key component of the internationalization of the
students, and hence of graduates quality improvement [3].
Development
of the system of strategic partnership of leading universities in the world is
one of the tasks of the Project of improvement of competitiveness of Russian
universities. Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) is
one from 15 winners of the first stage of the project above. Program of
strategic partnership between the universities become one of the innovative
forms of inter-university cooperation. Strategic partnership system operates on
the basis of long-term cooperation programs in education, and in science and in
other areas. Strategic partnership in contrast to the more simple and local
forms of cooperation includes the development of project culture shared by the
partners, and the improvement of the universities quality. The strategic
partnership is carried out at all the levels of high school including the
cathedral level, and the institute level, and university-wide one. Students,
and post-graduate students, and
faculty, and researchers, and staff are involved In the process of partnership
development.
Most of SPbPU strategic partnership
programs is implemented with universities in Germany. The first strategic
partnership agreement was signed with Leibniz University of Hannover (LUH). It
marked a more than thirty-year cooperation in the field of education and
science between SPbPU and LUH. LUH is one of the best universities in Germany,
firmly holding the position among the 400 best universities according to the QS
rankings in the world. SPbPU and LUH
partnership is financially supported by the German Society for Academic
Exchange (DAAD) under the "Strategic partnerships and thematic networks
2012-2016" program prolonged until 2018. Three of joint student projects
of SPbPU and LUH are associated with the implementation of joint educational
programs: «International design project» [4], "Our universities" [5]
and «Russia Today / Germany Today» [6].
Student project "Our universities" starts a joint project of
the International Department of LUH and the Department of International
Cooperation of the Institute of International Educational Program of SPbPU,
that now is the Department of Advertising and PR. The purpose of the project is
the development of communicative and intercultural competences of students, a
comparison of professional competence of students of high schools-partners, as
well as the formation of their corporate university values. Project objectives
are to create promotional products those inform students of partner
universities on educational opportunities of the universities and especially of
the program of strategic partnership. Let’s consider the various aspects of the
project in terms of project management theory.
The
subjects (participants) of the project.
On the Russian side of the project participants were first-year students of
full-time education, received training in the bachelor program
"Advertising and PR". The choice was not accidental freshmen.
Firstly, the project is conceived as a longitudinal study, with the aim of
comparative analysis of the development of professional competencies in
students. First year students participate in the project, and then it will be
repeated, when the first-year students will move to the last year of
undergraduate. Secondly, attracting of newcomers for participate in the
international project with elements of academic mobility allows us to
incorporate them quickly into the information environment of the university.
Third, the freshmen get an example of the university opportunities in the field
of academic mobility, which contributes to the formation of the corporate
values of the academic environment. On the German side, the project
participants were students of the Centre for Applied Linguistics and Special
Languages, studying Russian language and culture, as well as students, focused
on doing business in Eastern Europe.
Objects
of the project activities. The object of the project activity are
information and promotional materials in the forms of a dummy booklet, flyers,
posters and other printed materials, as well as in the form of video, cartoon,
etc. A prerequisite was the implementation of information and promotional materials
at the same time in two or three languages (Russian, English, German).
Phases
and timing of the project. The first stage of the project was divided into
two phases. The first phase took place in SPbPU from 10 September to 8
November, 2014. The second phase was from 30 November to 7 December 2014 in the
LUH. The second stage also was divided into two phases in the same dates in
September – December 2015. The third stage will start in August 2016.
Financing of the project. The project
is financing in half by "Strategic partnerships and thematic
networks 2012-2016" and Project of improvement of competitiveness of
Russian universities together with the financial support SPbPU.
The
implementation of the project. The project was a part of study discipline
"Theory of communication" of the study program "Advertising and
PR". Ready information and promotional materials could be counted as a
course work. Freshmen were selected independently and voluntarily the ability
of writing usual course work or participating in the project "Our
universities'. All freshmen know that the winners of the project (10 people)
will be able to go on a week-long internship at the LUH. Project participants
have offered for several areas: teaching in strategic partner universities; summer
schools; student academic mobility; double degree programs; comparative
analysis of universities.
Students are given the opportunity to
choose a theme for development, and to unite in groups or to work individually.
Workshops for student’s information and consultation were organized with
representatives of international services and relevant experts in the
advertising business. They made presentations and stories about the project of
strategic partnership of universities, its development and importance for
universities; about the possibilities of student academic mobility; on the
summer schools and programs of double diplomas. In addition, each group had the
opportunity to get once a week advice on the project from marketing and
advertising specialists. Profiled experts conducted additional sessions on the
formation of professional skills and knowledge: photo and video shooting,
editing, the possibilities of modern digital cameras; the beginning of the
composition, particularly the psychology of color and color perception. Also
recommendations for the production of the original layout were given etc. Thus,
in the course of the project the students get the opportunity for the formation
of general and professional competences, including the design, provided by
Russian standards of "Advertising and PR" bachelor program.
The
international project "Our universities" was attended by over 100
students those prepared 48 projects for the qualifying competition. Assessing
the level of formation of competences in the field of advertising was carried
out in the form of a tender submitted by the student materials. Commission was
formed for the official selection of the best information and promotional
materials, which has analyzed the submissions. The commission worked only with
information and promotional materials, the authorship of the works were not
disclosed in order to avoid subjectivity in the assessments. Two days later,
the commission selected 10 best works and announced the names of winners of the
project.
The works of the project winners were
sent to the LUH international office. German colleagues sent a working version
of the internship program, which has been adjusted by the Russian side. The
internship program included: training for the development of intercultural and
communicative competences, conducted international business coach; LUH lectures
on the history and current educational programs; familiarity with the
educational programs and the work of various departments of the university like
international office, marketing and advertising department, sales center,
language center etc. Master classes took a special place in the internship
program. The topics of master classes were: style of the German and English
languages, the creation of the video, album and features work in the video blog
«Russia Today / Germany Today» [6].
The program of the workshop had been
scheduled to meet with German and foreign students studying in the LUH. They
discussed the videos made for the competition "Our universities" and
video from video blog «Russia Today / Germany Today» on current topics for
students shot by German and Russian students those were the participants of the
summer school in St. Petersburg and Hanover. A special time has been allocated
for video and photo shoots in the LUH, historical and cultural sites of
Hanover. Informal meetings are regularly organized by the international office
LUH for all students. These meetings were called by Russian students as the
events of particular interest. Every evening there were held a variety of
activities, among which the most interesting were the game called “Quest for
the evening Hanover”, evening of poetry, where anyone reading the poems in
different languages, master classes in international cuisine and traditions of
the New Year in different countries. Thus, short program was based on a
combination of training and extra-curricular activities, which have been found
most conducive to the development of cross-cultural student’s competencies [7,
pp. 162-166].
After the return the project participants
prepared reports with the details of training and made comments and
suggestions, and prepared the necessary materials on the project for the
departments involved in the information policy of the university. Internship
participants were given a week to finalize its information and promotional
materials, taking into account the comments received from the experts of two
universities. Students have submitted their materials to the advertising and
marketing department and international offices of SPbPU and LUH, and spread
them on social networks, and presented with comments on the video blog «Russia
Today / Germany Today».
Results of the project.
Since the project was held for the first time, it was not devoid of drawbacks,
among which the following should be noted:
1. Lack of language competence of students (English and Russian) is evident.
Oral communication skills are better developed than in writing. Both Russian
and German experts have identified a large number of grammatical and stylistic
errors in the information and promotional materials.
2.
Insufficient level of development of professionally important qualities of the
person, like lack of initiative, the absence of desire of responsibility,
inability in business communications were marked.
3.
Low level of formation of design competence was shown. There was the collapse
of the initial design teams. As a result, the best projects were carried out by
one or two students. Most of the "big" projects, or were not brought
to the end or were performed poorly.
4.
Insufficient development of competencies in the field of advertising was fond
out. Lack of experience with large amounts of information, inability of
analysis of the material, uncritical thinking was detected with lack of skills
of public speaking, presentation and self-revealed in the presentation of its
products in SPbPU and LUH. Lack of independence of thought, lack of confidence
in their creative capabilities, low legal culture led to the fact that part of
the work performed was a direct rip-off or existing printed materials, or has
been slightly altered.
Such
shortcomings were predictable. Their awareness show the students that they are
just starting their way in the field of advertising, and joint work of students
and teachers is required to form respective competences and professionally
important qualities of the person. Also teachers received a wealth of material
to adjust their courses to achieve the fullest educational purposes.
Along
with the identified shortcomings, we can talk about the undoubted merits of the
project.
1.
The project helped to quickly turn the freshmen to the active student life, the
university has shown the possibilities and prospects for personal development through
participation in international programs and projects.
2.
Participation in the project contributed to establishing and development of new
or additional internal and external relationships: between SPbPU and LUH at
different levels. Participants have attracted to the project other Russian and
foreign students. The wide field of communication has given synergies and
contributed to the development of such a level of communicative and
intercultural competences, which would have been impossible with the traditional
form of the educational process.
3.
Implementation of information and promotional materials in multiple languages
increased the complexity of the work, and contributed to the development of
language skills of students.
4.
Participation in the project contributed to the development of professional
competencies. Russian students got a glimpse of the future professional field.
The project showed students the motivation for professional development.
5.
The project contributed to the development both general cultural competence and
personality of students and their creativity, and gave them the opportunity to
believe in their abilities and talents.
6.
The project contributed to the positive development of value orientations of
the Russian students, taught them how to be tolerant and open to the world,
while remaining patriots of the university and the country. The album collected
by Russian and German students and dedicated to our universities, cultural and
historical links of St. Petersburg and Hanover contributed to the international
educational cooperation.
7.
Student materials, their personal contacts in Germany helped SPbPU become more
attractive for young people in Europe, and therefore more competitive.
So
it was proved that international student projects can be used to improve the
quality of educational programs [8]. Thus, an international joint project
activities contribute to the higher education quality, to the development of
the internationalization of the university and to improvement its image, which
leads to increase competitiveness of the university in the global educational
space.
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