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Shvaikina Nina Sergeevna, Kuzovenkova Ksenia Olegovna TOOLS FOR INCREASING COMPETITIVENESS OF HIGHER .
pedagogical sciences
УДК 372.881.1
DOI: 10.26140/bgz3-2020-0904-0053
ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПОСОБНОСТИ ВУЗОВ НА МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЙ АРЕНЕ
© 2020
Author ID:552785 SPIN: 7587-7826 Researcher ID: 5413-2016 ORCID: 6000-0003-2299-6315
Швайкина Нина Сергеевна, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент кафедры лингвистики, межкультурной коммуникации и русского как иностранного Самарский государственный технический университет (443100, Россия, Самара, улица Молодогвардейская, 244, e-mail: nsshvaikina@gmail.com) Author ID: 1033635 SPIN: 3508-5449 ORCID: 0000-0001-5055-1861
Кузовенкова Ксения Олеговна, старший преподаватель кафедры экономики и менеджмента Самарский государственный технический университет, филиал в г. Новокуйбышевске (446200, Россия, Новокуйбышевск, улица Миронова, 5, e-mail: kuzovenkova.ks@yandex.ru) Аннотация. Данная статья посвящена вопросу расширения возможностей повышения конкурентоспособности вуза на международной арене. Актуальность исследования обусловлена повышением конкуренции на рынке образовательных услуг среди вузов благодаря ежегодному мониторингу эффективности вузов. Теперь региональные вузы должны иметь не менее 0,7 процента иностранных студентов от общего контингента. Данные показатели принципиально поменяли внутри образовательных организаций направления международной деятельности, стимулируя администрацию вузов занять активную позицию в привлечении иностранных студентов.Вузы стремятся повысить свой рейтинг не только среди граждан своей страны, но и привлечь граждан из-за рубежа. Авторы проводят анализ особенностей обучения иностранных студентов в российских вузах, их мотивацию, а также специфику функционирования подготовительного отделения в Самарском государственном техническом университете и даютрекомендации для дальнейшего привлечения иностранных студентов - перечень инструментов для набора иностранных слушателей из стран ближнего и дальнего зарубежья. Статья предназначена для руководителей и специалистов высших учебных заведений, преподавателей, научных сотрудников, а также всех интересующихся вопросами международного образования, экспорта образовательных услуг, возможностями повышения конкурентоспособности российских высших учебных заведений.
Ключевые слова: интернационализация, глобализация, языковая политика вуза, международные рейтинги, ре-крутинг, экспорт образовательных услуг, конкурентоспособность вузов, академическая мобильность.
TOOLS FOR INCREASING COMPETITIVENESS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA
© 2020
Shvaikina Nina Sergeevna, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of Department of Linguistics, Cross-Cultural Communication and Russian as a Foreign Language Samara State Technical University (443100, Russia, Samara, 244, Molodogvardeiskaya str., e-mail: nsshvaikina@gmail.com) Kuzovenkova Ksenia Olegovna, Senior Lecturer of Economics
and Management Department Samara State Technical University, branch in Novokuibyshevsk (446200, Russia, Novokuibyshevsk, Mironova str., 5, e-mail: kuzovenkova.ks@yandex.ru) Abstract. This article is devoted to the issue of expanding opportunities for increasing the competitiveness of a university on the international arena. The importance of the study can be explained by increased competition on the market of educational services among universities thanks to the annual monitoring of the effectiveness of universities. Now regional universities should have at least 0.7 percent of foreign students from the total contingent. These indicators have fundamentally changed the direction of international activity within educational organizations, stimulating the administration of universities to take an active position in recruitment of international students. Universities strive to increase their rates not only among the citizens of the native country, but also to recruit international students. The authors analyze the peculiarities of teaching international students at Russian universities, their motivation, as well as the specifics of the functioning of the preparatory department at Samara State Technical University and give recommendations for international students' recruitment process - a list of tools for recruiting students from neighboring countries and beyond. The article can be used in practice of managers and specialists of higher educational institutions, teachers, researchers, as well as by everyone who is engaged in issues of international education, export of educational services, and opportunities for increasing the competitiveness of Russian higher education institutions.
Keywords: internationalization, globalization, language policy of the university, international rates, recruitment, export of educational services, competitiveness of universities, academic mobility.
INTRODUCTION
Russia attracts 6% of the global number of international students. According to this indicator, it occupies the eighth place following the United States, Britain, Australia, China, Canada, Germany and France [1].
According to data on the web-site "Study in Russia" the number of international students studying full-time has increased by 20% over three years. So, in the academic year 2014/2015, more than 183 thousand foreigners studied in Russia, in 2015/2016 this figure grew to 200 thousand, and
in 2016/2017 amounted to almost 230 thousand people [10].
Russian education has many advantages, and one of the main ones is reasonable program prices. So, the average cost of studying at Russian universities in 2020 for full-time undergraduate programs starts from 83 thousand rubles a year ($ 1277), depending on the specialty [5].
Within the framework of the Federal project "Export of education", Russian government will spend 107.5 billion rubles from 2019 to 2024 to recruit international students. This should double their flow. According to the data of the
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Швайкина Нина Сергеевна, Кузовенкова Ксения Олеговна ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПОСОБНОСТИ ...
federal project "5-100" for 2018, the specialties "clinical medicine" (20.0%), "economics and management" (13.5%), "education and pedagogical sciences" (6, 1%), "linguistics and literary criticism" (4.7%), "applied geology, mining, oil and gas and surveying" (4.2%) are the most popular among foreigners [2].
The advantages of Russian education on the website of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education include:
- The fundamental nature of university education
In Russia, you can get deep, fundamental knowledge in all areas, but the country is best known for its strong research schools in the field of physics, mathematics and nature studies. It is worth noting that Samara state technical university implements undergraduate and graduate programs for international citizens both in full-time and part-time form. Physico - mathematical and natural sciences are widely represented.
- Large selection of universities and educational programs
In Russia international students can be accepted at 766
universities in 82 regions of the country - from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. They can be offered more than 200 areas of training - from mathematical and natural sciences to profession of an actor [3].
Russian universities also offer pre-university preparatory programs (preparation for undergraduate, specialty and master's programs), short-term programs (summer university, summer schools), programs for studying Russian as a foreign language, professional retraining and advanced training programs. In particular, Samara state technical university organizes summer schools in which international students take part. On the basis of the university there is a Center for vocational training of international citizens. The Center prepares applicants from abroad who do not speak Russian for further studies at the university and other higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation. Training is carried out in three areas: natural studies, engineering, biomedical. Training is carried out in groups of up to 14 people.
- Reasonable price policy
In 2016/2017, 49.2% of international students studied under the contract for the undergraduate programs, 75.4% for the specialist degree, 82.4% in internship, 85.1% at the preparatory department [4]. Fee-based programs are popular among citizens of China, India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, South Korea, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Panama, Tunisia, Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, USA and others.
- Possibility of training on a budgetary basis
Russia is one of the few countries that offer international students the opportunity to study for free. Every year the Russian government provides dozens of thousands of budget places in Russian universities for international citizens (in 2020 - 15,000 places were offered). In addition, some categories of foreigners, including fellow-countrymen, may enter budget places out of quotas on a par with Russians. Another opportunity is to take part in university olympiads, the winners and prize-winners of which are provided with benefits for admission to leading Russian universities.
International applicants can participate in the All-Russian Olympiad (if they study in Russian schools), in some Olympiads from the list of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, as well as in local skills tournaments or competitions of individual universities held specially for them (achievements are usually only taken into account during admission to the university, which holds the competition). Participation in all competitions is voluntary and free. The most well-known Olympiads for international students are "Time to study in Russia", the International Youth Olympiad (held by HSE University), the Physics and Mathematics Olympiad "Phystech. International", International contest "Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project" - Olympiad for graduate students [8].
- Opportunities for studying Russian
Russian universities offer different programs for studying the Russian language - courses, summer schools, distance learning format lessons. A one-year course of the Russian language is provided for students who have received quotas (state scholarships) is free of charge.
- Opportunities for studying in the English language
In order to attract the largest possible number of applicants, many non-English speaking countries began to teach in English. Following the global educational trend, leading Russian universities offer training in English. English is the universal language of interethnic communication in the world. Any international student can study at almost any educational institution and flexibly build his or her career on the international labor market. The vast majority of English-language programs are implemented in leading universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The number of educational programs in English in Russia in the coming years will obviously grow. Firstly, this is due to the need to attract more applicants from abroad: according to the national project "Education" - by 2024 the number of international applicants in Russian universities willincrease up to 425 thousand people. Secondly, more and more Russian companies (more than 54% of them, according to the analysis of the University of Cambridge and QS rating agency) feel the need for employees who speak English [6].
- Opportunity to get dual-degree diplomas
Diplomas of Russian universities are recognized in most countries of the world. Intergovernmental agreements of Russia with more than 60 countries facilitate this procedure in Finland, Spain, Cuba, India, Vietnam, China, Venezuela, Namibia, France, Cyprus, Malta, Uzbekistan and Cambodia. In addition, many Russian universities are implementing joint programs with international universities, giving graduates dual-degree diplomas.
METHODOLOGY
Research objectives. The purpose of this article is to study the tools for increasing the proportion of international students studying at Russian universities, using research on the motivation of international students to study in our countryas well as their preferences, and the organization of the preparatory department inSamara state technical university in accordance with modern requirements.
The preparatory department for international citizens will have the following tasks:
- implementation of additional general educational programs for preparing international students for entering a university;
- ensuring high quality of education through the selection of qualified teaching staff both from full-time employees and from other universities;
- educational and methodological support of students of the preparatory department and the teaching staff;
- dissemination and popularization of knowledge, the implementation of cultural and educational activities.
In order to carry outthese tasks, the preparatory department organizes the development of additional general educational programs for training international citizens for additional general educational programs that provide professional training, executes instructions from the university administration, and decisions of the Academic Council of the university.
The functions of the preparatory department, as a rule, include:
- organization and support of the educational process in the system of pre-university training of international citizens;
- acceptance of documents from international citizens for training at the preparatory department;
- organization of entrance testing of international citizens to determine the level of proficiency and the degree of formation of communicative competence in Russian as a foreign language in accordance with the requirements for the development of additional general educational programs of professional training;
- contract executionwith international citizens for the
Shvaikina Nina Sergeevna, Kuzovenkova Ksenia Olegovna pedagogical
TOOLS FOR INCREASING COMPETITIVENESS OF HIGHER ... sciences
provision of fee-based educational services;
- preparation of draft orders on the admission of international students to the preparatory department of the university;
- distribution of international students at the preparatory department of the university in groups;
- preparation of documents for the recognition of documents on the education of international citizens-students of the preparatory department and their sending to the authorized body for the recognition of their educational level;
- scheduling classes for international students of the preparatory department;
- formation of a database of international students at the preparatory department;
- control ofstudy journals at the preparatory department;
-implementation of the input, intermediate and final
control of knowledge of international students;
- monitoring the progress of the educational process;
- organization of selection of qualified teaching staff;
- coordination of work programs in the disciplines taught at the preparatory department;
- scheduling training sessions at the preparatory department;
- providing methodological and advisory assistance to teachers of the departments;
- development and implementation of progressive forms, methods and means of training;
- development of the material and technical base of the preparatory department;
- organization of educational and methodological work in the field of pre-university training of international citizens;
- development of recommendations for improving the system of pre-university training of foreign citizens;
- the implementation of other types of activities in accordance with the charter of the university;
- organization and control of the educational process in accordance with the requirements of curricula;
- development of curricula, training schedules, programs of independent work of foreign students, the procedure for the intermediate and final certification of foreign students at the preparatory department;
- organization of work on the formation of personal files of foreign students of the preparatory department;
- analysis of the results of certification of foreign students in the preparatory department;
- development of measures to improve the training of foreign students at the preparatory department;
- development of measures to eliminate shortcomings in the work of the preparatory department identified in the verification process.
The methods, techniques and technologies used in the study. The methods used in this research are analysis and synthesis of literary sources on this issue, as well as a pedagogical experiment.
RESULTS
The recommendations are based on studying the best practices of the HSE University in recruitment of international students. In particular, the University has Department for International students' recruitment. Its activities are aimed at identifying prospective markets, planning the admission of international citizens, initiating, developing and supporting tools to attract talented international students, promoting university educational programs on the international market of educational services using modern marketing tools, developing programs for the involvement of international applicants and students, interacting with international graduates of educational programs, ensuring a high level of personalization and customer focus, ensuring a high level of support for international applicants.
The development of HSE University as a globally competitive university requires the creation of an environment in which students and staff, regardless of their citizenship and language, will be able to fully participate in all aspects of 208
university life.
Based on the experience of the Higher School of Economics and the data on the motivation of foreign students to study at Russian universities, we can outline the following ways to increase the recruitment of the Samara state technical University for international students:
- the development of more programs in English in priority areas for international students based on an analysis of their preferences;
- development of joint programs (for example, Erasmus +) [9];
- development of online courses and programs on open education platforms;
- development of distance learning programs for the preparatory department of foreign students;
- creation of support centers for foreign students;
- development of intensive courses of the Russian language before training;
- organization of not only summer, but also winter schools for international students;
- development of the Study Experience Tour program, in which a student (applicant) can immerse himself in the real conditions of training for a 2-week period [8];
- development of a program of discounts for foreign students (from 10% to 100% of the cost of training);
- attracting the largest companies, including banks, in the region to organize a competition for scholarships granted to foreign citizens entering the university in accordance with criteria established by partner companies with an obligation to provide places for internships and / or employment to winners.
- organization of a group campus tour. There is currently a trend towards virtual campus tours. This also includes virtual exhibitions, which are information and advertising materials of universities placed on a specially created Internet platform;
- development of a program to engage graduates in the promotion of the university, including the recruitment of international students.
- creation ofa set of photo and video materials about the university on behalf of the students studying abroad, with the subsequent use of these materials for the presentation of the university.
CONCLUSION
Conclusions of the study. This article is one of the first attempts, based on an analysis of Russian and foreign practices, to develop recommendations on creating a system for recruitment of international students at Russian universities. These recommendations can be of vital importance for universities, which are just beginning to form a coherent system of recruitment.
To increase the recruitment forces of the Samara state technical university for international students, it is necessary to timely monitor the trends and needs of international youth. In this regard, the development and implementation of new models for managing the educational process, in particular the organization of a separate unit in order to support international students, is required. It is also important to develop new forms of joint programs in English, organize online tours on campus, on-line distance courses for foreigners, as well as summer and winter training.
Prospects for further research in this field. As further prospects, it seems expedient to improve the training of specialists for working with international students, taking into account the requirements of the world labor market, the introduction of the latest forms of training, educational programs and pedagogical technologies, the expansion of joint research activities with colleagues from abroad.
A set of measures aimed at attracting foreign students to Russia and creating favorable conditions for their stay and study leads to progress in the export of educational services, which also affects the improvement of the quality of higher education in Russia and the country's position in various
world rates._
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Швайкина Нина Сергеевна, Кузовенкова Ксения Олеговна ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПОСОБНОСТИ ...
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Статья поступила в редакцию 25.05.2020 Статья принята к публикации 27.11.2020
