Objective

2.1. Objective

In general the objective of the project is to make the student mobility possible and to update the content of higher economic education, its methods and forms of teaching with the help of international cooperation in this area what will promote the development of market relations in Russia and its integration in the world economic community.

The improvement of higher economic education should be realized by its adaptation to the European education dimensions. Russian economic education has not sufficient experience of operating in market conditions therefore the students trained do not always correspond to the requirements of the new market conditions. The solution of this problem can be reached as one of the outcomes of international cooperation in the field of economic education. Such cooperation is inevitably connected with students and teachers exchanges, with problems of development of joint professional education programs, with problems of academic recognition of educational degrees and diplomas.

The outlined problems in the field of economic education allow to formulate the specific objective of the project: " Creation of a mobility network for students in economics based on internationalised curricula in the field of financial and industrial managament, banking and insurance for making the student mobility possible and for upgrading of education quality". Such a constantly functioning network will allow not only to accumulate and generalize the experience of teaching the students, but also to prepare the background for scientific exchange. Doubtlessly, in the course of student exchanges the growth of the staff participating in the development of internationalized educational programs will also be ensured. To achieve this objective it is necessary to set the following tasks:

·     Strengthening of the existing and creation of new organizational structures dealing with student exchanges;

·     Development of internationalized curricula and joint short-term internationalized educational programs;

·     Development of new and improvement of the existing procedures of recognition of the results of abroad study courses;

·     Realization of student exchanges;

·     Analysis, generalization and dissemination of the experience obtained;

·     Taking special measures to provide the stability and sustainability of the network created.

 

2.2. Outcomes, activities and inputs

OUTCOME TABLE

Outcome reference N°: 1......................... Description of the outcome: 73 students and postgraduates, having taken part in the students exchange programs between Russian and European universities.

Deadline: June, 30, 2001.............................. Institutions involved (reference N°): 1-8

Description of the activities:

1.1 Working out a common selection procedure of students-economists at all Russian higher educational institutions, participants of the consortium. Making use of the foreign universities experience. The VC branches together with the home institution professors carry out the selection. Language fluency will be one of the most imortant criteria.

1.2 Creation and annual updating as well as setting up in the Internet of the participating institutions information packages (in English language).

1.3 Organization of access to the resources of the host university (libraries, computer facilities, etc.).

1.4 Accommodation of foreign students in the hostels of the higher educational institutions, participants of the project. Organization of the foreign students’ leisure. Guarantee of their security during their staying abroad.

1.5 Language training for the outgoing students (before their departure).

1.6 Organizational and informational students’ support.

1.7 Supervising of the outgoing students (application of the ECTS system; in order to achive the best results of studying abroad the guidance from the home institution is presupposed).

1.8 Application of ECTS for the study results’ recognition (the regulations of the ECTS are mentioned in the “ECTS User’s Guide” well known in European universities).

1.9 Experience dissemination – organization of an international conference on the results of student exchanges (in Ekaterinburg).

1.10 Experience dissemination – organization in Ekaterinburg of 3 annual regional conferences on the problems of economic education, with the European partners taking part.

Target group(s):

Students, postgraduate students.

Inputs allocated from the Tempus budget:

1. Covering the expenses, connected with students’ exchange (travel and stay):

50 students' East-West mobility – 5 months; 10 postgraduate students' East-West mobility – 10 months

10 students' West-East mobility – 5 months; 3 postgraduate students' West-East mobility – 10 months

2. Financing of Russian universities information packages’ publishing.

3. Financing of work of the Language Centre teaching staff.

4. Financing of the international conference organization expenses and covering of travel and stay costs of Russian participants.

5. Covering of travel and stay at the conference costs of EU participants.

6. Financing of the conference printed materials issue.

7. Technical equipping of the Language Centre.

8. Financing of the administrative staff, academic staff

9. 3 conferences’ organization expenses financing. Covering of travel and stay costs at the conference of RF participants.

10. Financing of travel and stay of EU participants of the conference.

11. Financing of the conference printed materials issue.

Inputs allocated from outside the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of the ECTS coordinators’ work.

2. Financing the professors’ work in teaching foreign students.

3. Financing of the information packages’ elaboration.

4. Financing of the EU universities information packages’ issuing.

5. Provision of an access to the library, computer classes and other educational equipment.

Duration (in weeks): 156

Total Tempus funding required for this outcome (including related mobility flows) over project duration:

ECU .560'670

(this amount reflects the inputs from the Tempus budget only - for other contributions see the financial table V.8.)

OUTCOME TABLE

(Continued)

Outcome reference N°: 2......................... Description of the outcome: 75 students and postgraduate students, having taken part in the students exchange program between the Ural higher educational institutions, participants of the consortium.

Deadline: June, 30, 2001.............................. Institutions involved (reference N°): 2-6......................................................

Description of the activities:

2.1 Working out a common selection procedure of students-economists at all higher educational institutions, participants of the consortium. Making use of foreign universities experience. The selection has to be made by the students’ exchange centres and professors of universities.

2.2 Creation and annual updating as well as setting up in the Internet of information packages of Ural universities, taking part in the project (in the Russian language).

2.3 Organization of access to the resources of the host university (libraries, computer facilities ets.).

2.4 Supervising of the outgoing students.

2.5 Accommodation of other-town students in the hostels of the higher educational institutions, participants of the project.

2.6 Organizational and informational students’ support.

2.7 Application of ECTS for the studying results’ recognition.

Target group(s):

Administrative staff, academic staff, students, postgraduate students.

Inputs allocated from the Tempus budget:

Inputs allocated from outside the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of the students’ exchanges:

75 students' East-East mobility, 5 months.

2. Financing of the ECTS coordinators work.

3. Financing of the overtime work of the teachers.

4. Provision of an access to the library, computer classes and other educational equipment.

Duration (in weeks): 156

Total Tempus funding required for this outcome (including related mobility flows) over project duration:

ECU. 0

(this amount reflects the inputs from the Tempus budget only - for other contributions see the financial table V.8.)

OUTCOME TABLE

(Continued)

Outcome reference N°: 3......................... Description of the outcome: Internationalization of professional educational economic programs at higher educational institutions, participants of the project.

Deadline: August, 31, 2001.......................... Institutions involved (reference N°): 1-8......................................................

Description of the activities:

3.1 Comparative analysis of professional educational programs of the home and host universities.

3.2 Selection of foreign study courses, which are of interest for the sending university.

3.3 Foreseeing the ways to overcome the differences in professional educational programs.

3.4 ECTS system introduction.

3.5 Short-term mutual visits of administrative and academic staff to co-ordinate the work and discuss the problems of students’ mobility, such as diploma recognition and methods of credit transfer.

3.6 Administrative and academic staff training periods (administrative for intensive courses for studying methods of credit transfer; academics to perfect the teaching methods).

3.7 Expending of the library resources of partner universities at the expense of purchasing of books and periodical issues on the Economics problems.

3.8 Provision of project participants with an access to the computer databases containing some information concerning the contents of courses offered at the economic faculties of the European universities.

3.9 Creation of a computer database of educational programs, curricula and teaching aids in Economics.

3.10 Dissemination of the experience – organization of Ural annual inter-universities’ seminars on internationalization of higher economic education.

3.11 Dissemination of the experience – publishing of Newsletters on internationalization of higher economic education (3 times a year).

Target group(s):

Administrative staff, academic staff.

Inputs allocated from the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of short-term visits.

15 Administrative and academic staff members' mobility East-West

2. Financing of training periods and intensive courses.

15 Administrative and academic staff members' mobility East-West.

3. Financing of the Newsletters publishing.

4. Financing of books and periodical publications purchasing.

5. Financing of an access to the computer databases.

Inputs allocated from outside the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of the experts work in educational programs’ analysis.

2. Financing of the work on ECTS introduction.

3. Financing of the work on elaboration of the didactic materials and teaching aids.

4. Financing of 3 seminars.

5. Financing of language courses for trainees.

Duration (in weeks): 101

Total Tempus funding required for this outcome (including related mobility flows) over project duration:

ECU .93'900

(this amount reflects the inputs from the Tempus budget only - for other contributions see the financial table V.8.)

OUTCOME TABLE

(Continued)

Outcome reference N°: 4......................... Description of the outcome: A network of branches of the Regional Centre for Students’ Exchanges (RCSE) at the Ural universities – participants of the consortium, as well as constant contacts of the Centre and its branches with the corresponding structures of the European universities participating in the project.

Deadline: August, 31, 2001.......................... Institutions involved (reference N°): 2-6

Description of the activities:

4.1 Creation of RCSE branches at the universities of the Ural consortium and their technical provision.

4.2. Establishing of cooperation links between the heads of the RCSE branches at the Ural universities.

4.3 Appointment of ECTS-coordinators in Economics at each participating university.

4.4 Training of the ECTS-coordinators and staff of the RCSE and its branches at the European universities.

4.5 Organization of meetings, conferences, seminars on the exchange of experience with participation of the heads and the staff of the RCSE, ECTS-coordinators and students participating in the project.

4.6 Establishing of direct links between the ECTS-coordinators in economics of the Ural consortium universities and the European universities, participation in the work of the ECTS ALUMNI Association.

4.7 Dissemination of the experience – publishing activities (Newsletters, see Outcome 3 Activity 3.11).

Target group(s):

Staff of the RCSE and its branches, ECTS-coordinators.

Inputs allocated from the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of intensive courses for the RCSE staff and ECTS-coordinators at European universities.

2. Financing of the publishing activities (it is the same activity mentioned above, see Outcome 3).

3. Provision of the RCSE branches with equipment:

4 PCs; 4 Laser Jets; 4 Copying machines; 4 Binding machines.

4. Financing of software.

5. Financing of services for the equipment.

Inputs allocated from outside the Tempus budget:

1. Premises, furniture, municipal costs.

2. Staff costs (RCSE and its branches staff, ECTS-coordinators).

3. Computer network, communications.

4. Financing of conferences and seminars.

Duration (in weeks): 156

Total Tempus funding required for this outcome (including related mobility flows) over project duration:

ECU .38'000

(this amount reflects the inputs from the Tempus budget only - for other contributions see the financial table V.8.)

OUTCOME TABLE

(Continued)

Outcome reference N°: 5......................... Description of the outcome: 20 academic staff will deliver lectures at the universities-participants in the project.

Deadline: June, 31, 2001.............................. Institutions involved (reference N°): 1-8

Description of the activities:

5.1 Elaboration of new study courses (reviews lectures on subjects that are read at the professors’ home institutions) and their methodological provision.

5.2 Organizational and informational support of the outgoing lecturers.

5.3 Dissemination of the experience: publishing activity (Newsletters, see Outcome 3, Activity 3.11).

Target group(s):

Academic staff, postgraduate students, students, administrative staff.

Inputs allocated from the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of the 15 academic staff members' East-West mobility (it is the same mobility mentioned above, see Outcome 3).

2. Financing of the 5 academic staff members' West-East mobility.

3. Publishing of didactical materials (teaching aids) for the lectures to be read abroad (20 sets).

Inputs allocated from outside the Tempus budget:

1. Financing of the work on elaboration of new copyrightable courses.

Duration (in weeks): 77

Total Tempus funding required for this outcome (including related mobility flows) over project duration:

ECU .22'800

(this amount reflects the inputs from the Tempus budget only - for other contributions see the financial table V.8.)