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16УДК 378.2 ГРНТИ14.37.27.
Раздел 6
Медисплинарные исследования
THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY STAFF ACADEMIC MOBILITY IN
THE CONTEXT OF NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK
CREATION
ELENA V. ABUBAKAROVA
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Assistant Professor of Human Sciences and Intercultural Communication Department, Financial University under the Government
of the Russian Federation, Barnaul branch, 656000, Barnaul, Lenin St., bld. 54, Russia E-mail: EVAbubakarova@fa. ru
OXANA N. ZHERDEVA
Candidate of Philological Sciences, Assistant Professor of Human Sciences and Intercultural Communication Department, Financial University under the Government
of the Russian Federation, Barnaul branch, 656000, Barnaul, Lenin St., bld. 54, Russia E-mail: [email protected]
SERGEY Y.SHEVELEV
Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of Human Sciences and Intercultural Communication Department, Financial University under the Government
of the Russian Federation, Barnaul branch, 656000, Barnaul, Lenin St., bld. 54, Russia E-mail: SYUSHevelev@fa. ru
Abstract. In the context of European Higher Education Area creation characterized by the international orientation of higher education system, the development of university staff academic mobility plays an important role in the process of learning services improvement and competitive recovery of education institutions. The paper briefly reviews the impact of national qualifications framework for university teachers on the development of their academic mobility and sums up international practice in this field.
Keywords: academic mobility, university staff, national qualifications framework, professional competence, non-technical competence, academic mobility programs.
One of the most specific features of modern educational system is a continuous necessity to enhance the quality of learning services and professional status of teaching in higher education. As we have already mentioned in our previous work, the
establishment of accreditation scheme for university teachers within a national qualifications framework is an important issue nowadays [1].
Advanced high school curricula are not enough for training of highly skilled specialists who are in great demand in modern technically developed society. Good teaching is perhaps the most important part of good education. Vast experience in teaching, professional behavior, learning and competence motivation of university staff are key students' success factors. One ineffective teacher may jeopardize the entire educational success of a young person regardless of how many effective teachers he or she has.
Pamela D. Trucker and James H. Stronge, authors of Linking Teacher Evaluation and Student Learning, write about the greatest role of effective teachers in increasing students' achievement,» years of research on teacher quality support the fact that effective teachers not only make students feel good about school and learning, but also that their work actually results in increased student achievement. Studies have substantiated that a whole range of personal and professional qualities are associated with higher levels of student achievement" [4, p.10].
The great importance of teaching is not just acknowledged by educators and practitioners from all over the world, but by the public at large. The survey conducted in the USA in 2010 said that 55% of Americans defined the quality of teaching as "the greatest influence on student learning" in comparison with such factors as family living standards, parents' educational level, social environment and others [2].
Promoting university staff academic mobility is supposed one of the most effective ways of university teachers' professional and cultural competences development, as academic mobility means academic staff removal within a country or abroad for short or long periods of time to participate in international conferences, for study visits or teaching and experience exchange. In general, university staff academic mobility is considered an important condition of internationalization of higher education and improving its quality. It also promotes international scientific studies and cooperation among universities from all over the world.
Regular speaking practice is an essential and important part of foreign language learning process. The main goal is to teach students to communicate in a foreign language in different spheres including a professional one. In the absence of foreign language environment students' training outcome mostly depends on teacher's professional skill level which in its turn includes not only excellent knowledge of teaching methods, but knowledge of language itself and excellent communication skills as well. In this context international academic mobility programs offer scope for foreign language teachers' self-education and continuing professional development. Within these programs teaching or studying abroad they can simultaneously get valuable linguistic practice and cultural experience.
Through the work conducted by the Academic Mobility Centre (Finland) in 2007, we are knowledgeable about the following advantages of university staff academic mobility development:
• it promotes international cooperation among universities from all over the world and internationalization of higher education in general;
• it helps to get teaching experience within multicultural environment;
• it permits to compare teaching methods using in different universities;
• it helps to get general and specific information about education systems of other countries;
• it promotes students' academic mobility;
• it helps to get acquainted with cultures of foreign countries;
• it helps to improve foreign language level of university staff;
• it helps to get across to foreign colleagues and students [3].
The development of university staff academic mobility is among important issues of foreign policy of most Russian universities nowadays. Analyzing the current higher education cooperation between the European Union and Russia we can talk about a variety of obstacles which slow down this process:
• Lack of international academic mobility programs for students and university staff;
• Difference in education systems, which complicates the process of diploma recognition and equivalences (Master and PhD degree);
• Lack of financial resources to pay additional costs, even in case of mobility grants;
• Time-consuming visa application process;
• Cultural and language barriers;
• Lack of university staff motivation.
The last-mentioned factor is perhaps the most predominant one which hampers the bilateral cooperation in the framework of academic mobility development. Picture lpresents the main reasons which cause the lack of university staff motivation to participate in international academic mobility programs.
Picture 1. The reasons of the lack of university staff motivation
The first important reason for weak university staff motivation to participate in international academic mobility programs is the so-called information barrier. Most of university teachers have the lack of knowledge about the existence of international programs, conditions of participation and current opportunities for international mobility. It causes over-estimation of difficulties to enter these programs and as a result reduces teachers' motivation.
The second important reason is the absence of national qualifications framework for university staff in Russia. According to the Education Act of the Russian Federation every university teacher must improve his or her qualification level once every three years. At the same time no official document gives any qualification level scheme, describing the requirements and ways of qualification level upgrading, which could provide the reward and recognition of qualification improvement outcomes by means of increase in salary or career development. Unfortunately, it declines university staff motivation to take part in academic mobility programs and in most cases the procedure of qualification improvement takes formal approach.
Most of European countries have already realized the necessity and great importance of international academic mobility development. In some countries reward mechanisms are integrated in national or institutional systems of career progression and national qualifications framework.
Every five years university teachers in Spain have to go through the evaluation procedure of the teaching activity carried out by universities. Every six years the evaluation of teachers' research activity is carried out by the National Commission of the Evaluation of Research Activity. Both evaluations lead to an additional remuneration for teaching merits and research productivity and take into account accomplishments at universities or research institutions abroad. Moreover, the participation in academic mobility programs is also taken into consideration in the context of the National Accreditation that all university teachers need to be eligible for accessing the university teaching bodies as career civil servant teachers. The National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation has developed a merit scale for evaluation, which includes merits related to different forms of international mobility.
In France professors who have worked in the same capacity at least two years abroad (or one year in another county) are granted an additional year of seniority to be taken into account for advancement in step.
In Latvia university staff has to go through re-election procedure with an open competition every six years. International academic mobility is legally justified as one of the quality criteria for the career development of university staff. Depending on the specific regulations of each university teachers who take part in different academic mobility programs may be paid in addition to their official salary.
Summarizing the above we can make the following observations:
1. The development of university staff academic mobility should be considered as an important condition of creating Common Education Space and a valuable contribution to the domestic education and scientific progress;
2. To increase the level of international academic mobility of university staff the information exchange among partner countries should be improved;
3. The competence motivation of university staff is a key factor of international academic mobility development;
4. The competence motivation of university staff should be increased through the implementation of reward and recognition scheme of qualification improvement outcomes. The reward and recognition scheme should provide high level of the social and economic status of university staff;
5. The effective performance of reward and recognition mechanism should be provided by its integration in national qualifications framework for university staff.
Reference List:
1. Абубакарова Е.В., Жердева O.H. Зарубежный опыт внедрения отраслевой рамкн квалификаций преподавателей высшей школы.// Социально-экономическая политика страны и Сибирского региона при переходе на инновационный путь развития. Материалы IX Международной научной конференции. 2017. С. 142-145.
2. David Roth and Watson Scott Swail. Certification and Teacher Preparation in the United States. - Educational Policy Institute Washington, DC, 2010, 50p.
3. Garam I. International Teacher Mobility: benefits and impact in comprehensive and upper secondary schools, vocational education and training, and higher education. - Helsinki: CIMO, 2007, 64 p.
4. Pamela D. Tucker, James H. Stronge. Linking Teacher Evaluation and Student Learning. - Association for Supervision & Curriculum, Deve, 2005, p 10
РАЗВИТИЕ АКАДЕМИЧЕСКОЙ МОБИЛЬНОСТИ ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЕЙ ВЫСШЕЙ ШКОЛЫ В УСЛОВИЯХ СОЗДАНИЯ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ
РАМКИ КВАЛИФИКАЦИЙ
АБУБАКАРОВА ЕЛЕНА ВИКТОРОВНА
кандидат педагогических наук, доцент кафедры «Общегуманитарные науки и межкультурные коммуникации», Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации, Барнаульский филиал, 656038, г. Барнаул, пр. Ленина, д. 54, Россия. E-mail: EVAbubakarova@fa. ru
ЖЕРДЕВА ОКСАНА НИКОЛАЕВНА
кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры «Общегуманитарные науки и межкультурные коммуникации», Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации, Барнаульский филиал, 656038, г. Барнаул, пр. Ленина, д. 54, Россия.
E-mail: ONZherdeva@fa. ru
ШЕВЕЛЕВ СЕРГЕЙ ЮРЬЕВИЧ
кандидат экономических наук, доцент, заведующий кафедрой «Общегуманитарные науки и межкультурные коммуникации», Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации, Барнаульский филиал,656038, г. Барнаул, пр. Ленина, д. 54, Россия. E-mail: [email protected]
Аннотация. В условиях формирования единого образовательного пространства, сопровождающегося ориентированностью системы высшего образования на международные стандарты, развитие академической мобильности профессорско-преподавательского состава играет важную роль в процессе повышения качества образовательных услуг и конкурентоспособности вузов. В статье дано краткое описание механизма влияния отраслевой рамки квалификаций преподавателей высшей школы на повышение их академической мобильности, а также приведен краткий анализ опыта зарубежных стран в данной сфере.
Ключевые слова: академическая мобильность, отраслевая рамка квалификаций, профессиональные компетенции, общекультурные компетенции.
