Педагогические науки/1.Дистанционное образование

PhD Krasnoshchekov V.V.*, Ivanin D.A.*, PhD Schelm M.**

*St.Petersburg State Polytechnic University, Russia

**Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany

Implementation of the student project “Russia Today / Germany Today”

International activities of universities contribute to improving the quality of high school education and to increasing the competitiveness of universities. The shape and direction of international cooperation in the field of university education are defined in Article 105 of the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation." Such forms include "participation in international organizations and an international educational, research and scientific and technological projects" [1, p. 105].

One of the articles of the Declaration of UNESCO on October 9, 1998 is dedicated to quality of higher education. In particular, it states that quality requires the international dimension in higher education: "the exchange of knowledge, creation of interactive networks, mobility of teachers and students, international research projects, while taking into account the national cultural values and conditions" [2, p. 12]. According to the modern view of the role of projects in the international activities of universities international projects can be considered as the field of for the exchange of ideas. International project activity contributes to common cultural and professional competencies of students, above all, cross-cultural. In turn, intercultural competences are key components of the internationalization of the student body, and hence these ones improve the quality of graduates [3].

St.Petersburg State Polytechnic University (SPbPU) won the qualifying stage of a Project of improving the competitiveness of the leading universities [4]. For a number of years SPbPU will receive budgetary support in order to advance to the highest places in the world educational ratings (QS for example). One of the objectives of the Project [4] is the development of strategic partnership of world leading universities. Strategic partnership program between the universities became one of the innovative forms of inter-university cooperation. The strategic partnership is carried out at all levels of university life. It involves undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and researchers, managers and staff.

Most of the SPbPU strategic partnership programs are implemented with universities from Germany. The first strategic partnership agreement was signed between SPbPU and Leibniz University of Hannover (LUH) [5]. It capped the 35-year collaboration in the field of education and science.

The implementation of joint student project «Russia today / Germany today» started within the working programs of the strategic partnership between departments of SPbPU and LUH [6, 7]. Strategic partnerships program STU - LUH is supported by the German Association of Academic Exchanges (DAAD), so one of the objectives of the program is to develop and to implement the innovative forms of joint activity of students.

Student project «Russia today / Germany today» is innovative both in its aims, and in the composition of the participants. The objectives of the project are:

1. Development of common cultural competence of students: communication, language and cross-cultural.

2. Development of general competencies of students in the field of information technology, communications, public relations and so on.

3. Creating a positive image of Russia and St. Petersburg among German students as well as positive image of Hanover and Germany among Russian students.

4. Increase the motivation of German students for study in Russia, in St. Petersburg and in SPbPU.

5. Increase motivation Russian students to study in Germany, in Hanover and LUH.
6. Deepening of internationalization both of SPbPU and of LUH at students level, at teachers level, and at the level of the staff and administration.

Participants of the project in St. Petersburg are:

1. Russian students of SPbPU those intended to study in Germany (actively involved).

2. German students studying in SPbPU through academic exchanges (actively involved).

3. Russian students of SPbPU studying German (not yet actively involved).

4. Russian teachers and administration officials of SPbPU (supervise the project implementation).

Participants of the project in Hanover:

1. German students of LUH studying Russian (actively involved).

2. Russian students of LUH, arrived from SPbPU through academic exchanges (not yet actively involved).

3. German students LUH, those intended to study in Russia (not yet actively involved).

4. German teachers and representatives of the administration of LUH (supervise the project implementation).

Technically, the project is implemented as follows. Students from LUH and from SPbPU shoot short videos about student life in Hanover and St. Petersburg. Rollers are accompanied by commentaries on two of the three languages: German, Russian or English.

In SPbPU the script of each roller is prepared under the guidance of faculty and staff those involved in project. Filming is carefully rehearsed. Students show classes, dormitories, sports facilities at their universities. Also they offer to see popular and affordable places of entertainment. Students shoot videos on a semi-professional equipment. Example frame from the SPbPU-made video with German student is given in [8].

In LUH they implement more spontaneous shooting with the use of mobile phones. It is now recognized that spontaneous and not staged rollers cause greater interest of students, encourage them to do live feedback and comments. Therefore, SPbPU students invited to abandon semi-professional equipment, and to plan a general concept video only.

The rollers are placed on a special website, and commented on by other students. So, the project eventually received the form of videoblog. Site is moderated by teachers of LUH Language Centre. The main value of the rollers is in the comments. These comments are used by teachers of Russian Language from LUH Centre for Applied Linguistics and Special Languages in the learning process as the basis of innovative interactive educational technology. Moreover, the presence of comments both in the target language and in native language is important. Also students can use mediator language. Usually it is English. Therefore, for the educational process in Hanover teachers need comments from Russian students those are still little. Using the comments both of Russian and German students German teachers have the opportunity to improve not only the language competences but also the intercultural competences of students.

Obviously, the lack of participation of Russian students studying German, is a weakness of the project, which should be strengthened, especially as the opportunities for that are existed. Another weakness is the lack of interest for the project from SPbPU students enrolled in LUH. During the training in LUH one of the active participants of the project - the SPbPU student D.Ivanin - attempted to attract Russian students to participate in the project. In general, this attempt failed, the students referred to the difficulties of adaptation and employment research. At the same time D.Ivanin directed several videos in Hanover, presenting the look of Russian student at the German city, which should arouse the interest of Russian students of SPbPU.

It can be concluded that the project «Russia today / Germany today» has not exhausted its possibilities. The potential exist for development both of student interchange of ideas and of pedagogical innovations.

References:

1. Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2012 N 273-FZ "On Education in Russian Federation". - URL: - http://www.rg.ru/2012/12/30/obrazovanie-dok.html
2. The World Declaration for Higher Education in the XXI Century: Vision and Action. Paris, UNESCO, October 9, 1998 - 24. - URL: - http://www.sde.ru/files/t/pdf/5.pdf#page=7

3. Krasnoshchekov V.V. The internationalization of the university as a factor in improving the quality of graduate // Fundamental Research, 2014, № 6, Part 5. - Pp. 1045-1048.
4. 5top100. The project of improvement of the competitiveness of leading universities of Russian Federation. - URL: - www.5top100.ru

5. Arseniev D., Bogdanova N., Sokolova N., Barden B., Butych N. Strategic Partnership in International Cooperation in Higher Education // Results of Joint Research Activity of Scientists from Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University and Leibniz University of Hannover. SPb., Polytechnical University Publishing House, 2014. - Pp. 14-25.

6. Krasnoshchekov V.V., Baranova I.I., Schwienhorst K. Research on Motivation of German-speaking Students to study the Russian Language and Culture: Project "Russia today / Germany today" // Results of Joint Research Activity of Scientists from Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University and Leibniz University of Hannover. SPb., Polytechnical University Publishing House, 2014. - Pp. 45-52.

7. Krasnoshchekov V.V., Baranova I.I., Schwienhorst K. International student project «Russia today / Germany today» // Aktuální vymoženosti vĕdy - 2014. Materiály X mezinárodní vĕdecko-praktická conference. Praha, 27.06.2014-30.06. 2014. Díl 8. Pedagogika. Praha, Publishing House "Education and Science" s.r.o., 2014. –

Pp. 3-6.

8. Krasnoshchekov VV, Ivaniv DA, Bannik C. Student participation in the international project «Russia today / Germany today» // Actual problems of modern science. Coll. come between. scientific and practical. Conf. Ufa, September 15, 2014 Ufa, Aeterna, 2014. - S. 203-205.