St Petersburg University launches in Greece a distance learning course in Russian as a foreign language
In cooperation with the University of Ioannina (Greece), St Petersburg University has launched a three-month distance learning course in Russian as a foreign language for the first time in its history. The first class was held on 18 February.
The global trend in the study of foreign languages is the integration of state-of-the-art technology into the educational process. Creating the conditions for studying the subject online makes it possible to make learning as flexible and accessible as possible without compromising on the quality of teaching. St Petersburg University is actively developing in this area.
A new University project in the field of online education was the conclusion of an agreement with the University of Ioannina on conducting distance courses of Russian as a foreign language ‘Let’s Dive in Russian’.
It is a uniquely-designed course by St Petersburg University specialists in Russian as a foreign language. The programme was created specifically for the Greek project.
The course organisers planned to attract 40 students, but the interest in the project exceeded their expectations. As a result, more than 80 citizens of the Greek Republic signed up for the first class. The first lesson showed that the students were satisfied with the high level of organisation and expressed a desire to take classes in the future.
Online courses of St Petersburg University
‘The teaching of Russian as a foreign language at St Petersburg University has been conducted since the 1950s. During this time, on the one hand, the University has accumulated rich experience. It has accumulated a really solid methodological base in Russia, without which it is impossible to provide training at the proper level. On the other hand, the University regularly implements distance learning programmes that meet the latest educational trends. Thanks to the combination of these aspects, students have the opportunity to learn Russian at St Petersburg University online,’ explained Dmitry Ptyushkin, Acting Director of the Language Testing Centre at St Petersburg University.
Dmitry Ptyushkin noted that if this project is successful, a new eight-month programme will be launched at the University of Ioannina from September. At present, the University is receiving requests from other cities in Greece, Finland and the Czech Republic to organise similar classes.