St Petersburg University takes part in the 2022 Moscow International Education Salon
This year, St Petersburg University has prepared a large-scale programme for the Moscow International Education Salon (MMSO). Among the events offered by the University both in-person and online are lectures and workshops by St Petersburg University academic staff and presentations of new academic programmes to name but a few.
Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, addressed the participants in the Moscow International Education Salon with a welcoming speech. The deputy heads of the Admission Directorate at St Petersburg University spoke about: the main stages of the 2022 admissions campaign; the benefits of studying at St Petersburg University; and preparing applicants for intellectual contests.
The participants can gain a deeper insight into the clinical approach to education. The University has been successfully developing this approach for almost 25 years. St Petersburg University is the first university in Russia to introduce the model of clinical practice for students. The oldest clinic is the Legal Clinic. It was opened in 1998. It was the first experience in Russia in clinical practices in education.
Today, more than 10 different clinics work at St Petersburg University. This enables students to gain unique experience in being engaged in real projects during their studies. Partners, in their turn, can find successful early-career professionals among students.
The experts and students from the St Petersburg University Mediation Centre offered workshops on effective problem-solving and overcoming conflict situations. Additionally, they offered a workshop on neutralising manipulations and an express training session on working with emotions and stress during conflicts.
As part of the poster session, the University presented a student project. This project Terroir Concept is the winner of the SPbU Start-up 2021 contest. St Petersburg University students have developed a geoinformation system for soil analysis to evaluate the areas for planting grapes and choose the most suitable places, taking into account climatic conditions and characteristics of grape varieties.
How we can use technology to improve the quality of education is among the key topics discussed at the Moscow International Education Salon. St Petersburg University shared its experience in creating online courses in a wide range of areas: from palaeontology to artificial intelligence.
Today, St Petersburg University has developed more than 300 online courses for students, schoolchildren, and teachers. In 2022, St Petersburg University launched its own online educational platform "St Petersburg University Open Educational Space". Students can take numerous online courses offered by the University and pursue academic programmes implemented remotely.
Today, St Petersburg University ranks first in terms of the number of courses and audience coverage on the national Open Education platform. The number of students pursuing the courses of St Petersburg University has exceeded two million people. The University is the first Russian university to launch its courses on the Chinese platform XuetangX and offer online courses on the Stepik.org platform.
Those who visited the stand of the University at the MMSO can take an online tour of the modern campus of the Graduate School of Management at St Petersburg University using VR glasses technology. Additionally, they can get acquainted with the history and modern infrastructure of the Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus. The participants in the Moscow International Education Salon will have access to a book display of publications of the time of Peter the Great prepared by the Department of Rare Books at the M. Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University. Additionally, they can take a historical quiz ‘The First University of Peter the Great’, which is held by the St Petersburg University History Museum.
Natalia Vlasova, Head of the Teaching Methods Department of the Centre of E-Learning Development at St Petersburg University, and Maiia Rusakova, Head of the group for developing the content and methodological approaches to organising clinical practices for students at St Petersburg University, will take part in educational discussions about changing educational products that are undergoing changes due to the current challenges and rapid digitalisation.
On the online platform of the Moscow International Education Salon, St Petersburg University will offer consultations on degree and non-degree programmes and online courses. Additionally, they will talk about the latest developments and achievements of the University scientists. The ‘Hour of Science’ cycle will feature Tatiana Chernigovskaya, Director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies at St Petersburg University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education, Doctor of Philology and Biology; Igor Tikhonovich, Dean of the Faculty of Biology at St Petersburg University, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biology; and Pavel Skutschas, Associate Professor in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Doctor of Biology.
The 9th Moscow International Education Salon took place on 29-30 April 2022. It is the largest event in the field of education in Russia. It is an open forum and a large-scale exhibition of technologies, infrastructure and intellectual solutions. Among the key topics of the 2022 MMSO are how to overcome uncertainty and how to preserve sustainable development and integrity of the professional community taking into account the current challenges. More than 1,000 experts in the field of education took part in the MMSO business programme.