Higher education: new architecture

 

https://hedclub.com/ru/library/information_map_of_russian_education_105536

 

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Before reading:

I. Brainstorm. Answer the following questions:

1. What types of higher education institutions do you know?

2. Do you know the difference between federal universities and traditional ones?

3. What is national research university? What are its functions?

4. What federal universities do you know? Do you have some in your city?

5. What are the leading universities in Russia?

 

While reading:

 

 Read and translate the text.

Higher education: new architecture

 

The strategic goal of a new quality level of Russia’s education which would meet challenges and demands of the XXI century is applied to Russian higher education to its full extent. For the past decade, since 2006, the government introduced a number of large-scale changes in the structure of higher education. The core of these changes is the establishment of a modern effective network of Russian leading HEIs which should become the driving force necessary to attain the strategic goal.

Nowadays such a network is well-established. Originally it included 41 higher education institu­tions: ten federal universities, 29 national research universities, and two oldest universities of the country—Lomonosov Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University.

It should be noted, that most of the leading uni­versities are located in the largest cities of Russia such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, and others.

The brief description of the mentioned HEI cat­egories is as follows.

Federal university.

The name federal in this case relates to the mission and the location of such universities. The territory of Russia is divided into macro-regions which are called federal districts. Therefore, the strategic mis­sion of a federal university is creation and develop­ment of competitive human resources in the district as well as ensuring its social, economic and tech­nological progress through advanced intellectual, research and educational opportunities, solutions, and cases. Such solutions and practices should be shaped on the ground of close integration of educa­tion, science and employers representing the main industries of a federal district. Becoming such an innovative institutional integrator is the key strate­gic task of a federal university.

Ten federal universities were established in Russia in the period from 2006 to 2016.

The activity of each federal university is condi­tioned by an individual long-term development program which contains target indicators in HEI’s priorities—educational, scientific, or international (integration of Russian education into the inter­national academic area and export of educational services). It is essential that these indicators are mutually related with strategic indicators set in the programs of socioeconomic development of the macroregions—the federal districts. In addition, the development program of each federal univer­sity complies with the priority growth areas in sci­ence, technology and engineering in the Russian Federation and with the key technology list.

The priority and key technology list (approved by the President Decree in 2011 and amended in 2015) defines the main trends in the scientific, technologi­cal, economic development of the country. It frames the long-term benchmarks for Russian higher edu­cation in general and for the leading Russian uni­versities in particular—what human resources will be necessary for the science and research sector and for the national economy within the coming ten to twenty years.

FACT
From 2006 to 2014 the scope of research and development in the federal universities increased by six times.

FACT
Over a quarter of the total number of interna­tional educators working in Russiaʼs higher edu­cation institutions are employed by twenty-nine national research universities.

National research university.

The project focusing on the establishment of a national research university pool started in 2008. The higher education institution nominated for this category (as well as related budget fund­ing), similar to a federal university, should gener­ate a strategic program of its development for the period of ten years and defend it in the open contest organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. National research uni­versities are selected based on the outcomes of a thorough analysis and the previous development dynamics of the applicant university. The analysis comprises such categories as human resources, an educational and research infrastructure, efficiency of academic and research activities, certificates of international and national recognition as well as the quality, feasibility and expected outcomes of the development program submitted to the contest.

Nowadays the mentioned network includes 29 educational institutions. The mission of a national research university is to a large extend similar to the strategic goals and objectives of a federal university. The difference is in the emphasis put by a federal uni­versity on academic and human resource aspects of the innovative development of Russia’s macroregions, while a national research university plays a specific role in the development of world class high technology, in knowledge creation and in training a new genera­tion of Russian researchers, scientists, and academic staff for higher education. According to this mission every national research university assumes the pro­gram obligations to improve the priority growth areas corresponding to its profile. The comprehensive list of priority growth areas (totally 106 fields) is com­piled with the view of the main objectives of the inno­vative and technological development of the Russian Federation; the priority growth areas are distributed among 29 national research universities.

 

GOAL The NTI results by 2035:

Russia is one of the global leaders in the development of the worldwide industries of a knowledge-driven economy;

Russia is in the top 10 exporters of intel­lectual property;

Russia is in the top 10 of the Global Innovation Index;

Russia has a positive balance of the talents engaged in the field of science, technology and innovations;

the average increment rate of the new NTI-economy is 9% per year;

Russian companies created ten global technology brands.

 

After reading:

 

 

Study the vocabulary:

Demand – n., the consumer's desire and ability to purchase a good or service.

Establishment – n., the act of forming something.

Competitive – adj., used to describe situations or activities in which people or firms compete with each other.

Essential – adj., absolutely necessary; extremely important.

Comply with – v., act in accordance with a wish or command.

Amend – v., make minor changes to (a text, piece of legislation, etc.) in order to make it fairer or more accurate, or to reflect changing circumstances.

Approve – v., officially agree to or accept as satisfactory.

Benchmark – n., something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured.

Fund­ing – n., money provided, especially by an organization or government, for a particular purpose.

Thorough – adj., something being done completely, missing no details.

Comprise – v., consist of; be made up of.

Feasibility – n., the state or degree of being easily or conveniently done.

Assume – v., suppose to be the case, without proof.

 

II. TRUE / FALSE: Read the article again and decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE.

1. In Russia there are 41 higher education institutions, they include 9 federal universities, 29 national research universities and two oldest universities.

2. Russian oldest universities are Lomonosov Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State Pedagogical University.

3. The major universities are situated in the largest Russian cities.

4. The title “federal” refers to the place and the mission of universities.

5. The strategic mission of federal universities is to promote progress through advanced intellectual, research and educational opportunities, solutions, and cases for the whole country.

6. From 2006 to 2014 the amount of research and development in the federal universities decreased by four times.

7. One of the main goals of national research universities is to educate a new genera­tion of Russian researchers, scientists, and academic staff

8. Russia is going to the leader in creative economy.

9. More than half of the total number of interna­tional educators working in Russiaʼs higher edu­cation institutions are hired by national research universities.

10. National research uni­versities are chosen based on the results of a careful analysis and the previous development dynamics of the applicant university.

 

 III. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1) driving	a) outcomes
2) human	b) analysis
3) federal	c) force
4) thorough	d) goal
5) to meet	e) integration
6) to attain	f) resources
7) educational	g) mission
8) expected	h) infrastructure
9) close	i) demands
10) strategic	j) district

 

 IV. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1) leading	a) comprise
2) large-scale	b) specify
3) mission	c) result
4) contain	d) top-ranked
5) essential	e) commitment
6) outcome	f) detailed
7) obligation	g) huge
8) thorough	h) advanced
9) define	i) purpose
10) innovative	j) integral

 

V. Multiple choice quiz

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