Реферат: Proposal of joint european project CHAIN-E

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.)

2.3. Impact and sustainability

The successful implementation of the project will influence various aspects of the system of higher education in Russia, connected with preparation of students to be highly qualified specialists:

· On the national level it is the process of adaptation of the Russian system of higher education to the European dimensions; the possibility of mutual recognition of diplomas of future specialists in economics; creation of a model of a rapid and reliable information exchange system between the universities of Russia and European Union;

· At a regional level - perfecting of the network of the Ural universities ensuring high-quality preparation of students in the sphere of economics; uniting of scientific - pedagogical potential of the Ural universities for solution of problems in the sphere of student exchanges; development of structures coordinating student exchanges at the regional level; creation of reliable channels of information exchange on problems of preparation of high-qualified economists;

· At a university level - further development of university structures connected with student exchanges (Regional Center for Student Exchanges, Regional Office for International Cooperation); replenishment of the library funds with the economic literature, purchased by the students during their study courses abroad; creation of the atmosphere of interest in student exchanges at all structural subdivisions (faculties, departments) of the university;

· At a level of faculties - development of the structure of the Economic Faculty by student exchanges, including those with foreign universities; improvement of professional skills of the faculty teaching staff, including reading of some lectures in a foreign language; increase of students' interest in qualitative studying and learning of foreign languages;

· At a level of departments - perfecting of curricula for preparation of experts in the sphere of economics; teachers' mastering of foreign languages; rise of prestige of an economic specialty in the eyes of would-be students.

Upon termination of Tempus/Tacis financing the outcomes of the project can be maintained and developed by the structures established in the course of the project implementation (RCSE branches, ECTS-coordinators). The involvement in new projects, bilateral and multilateral agreements between the Russian and foreign universities is possible. It is obviously possible, that the mentioned structures, using the accumulated links, can offer the whole range of services to organizations and population. This will ensure additional sources of financing.

The Ural universities consortium has an intention to save and to develop the academic network established in the framework of the CHAIN-E project. For this purpose it is planned to offer and to realize the joint projects, financed from the respectable sources. All the Ural universities have an experience of grants getting from the national and non-governmental funds: “The Fund of Higher Education Development”, “National Fund for Staff Preparation” (The Government of the Russian Federation and the International Reconstruction and Development Bank), “G. Soros Fund (Opened Society Institute)” etc. During the academic network creation the universities will try to provide the financing from these sources of the respectable joint project in the field of Economics and Education. At the present time the USVPU and the USU have already got the positive decision of the “National Fund for Staff Preparation” about the loan rendering for the realization of the Innovation Education Fund project in the field of economical education of these universities.

IV.3. MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT

3.1. Management structure

Role and responsibilities of each consortium member

The structure of management of the project is indicated in the scheme below.

The University - Contractor is Ghent University (RUG). During the first year of MJEP fulfillment it acts as the University - Coordinator of the project, but it delegates some part of the responsibilities in Russia to the USVPU. Such control circuit has been already tested in 1994-98. In a course of realization of the Ural universities consortium work with the Ghent University within the framework of the multilateral agreements, and also the USVPU with Ghent, Rotterdam and Valladolid universities under the URAL project (Tempus/Tacis) T-JEP-10094-95-RF. The positive administrative experience accumulated for these years allows to recommend the used circuit of work.

During the second and third years functions of University - Coordinator of the project executes the USVPU, and some part of the responsibilities on coordination of works in Europe are preserved for RUG. The delegation of a coordinating role to Russian university (USVPU) has two reasons: first, the major part of work under the project is carried out in Russia; secondly, the fulfillment of managing functions will allow the USVPU to fix and to advance those skills of a realization of international cooperation, which were incorporated by joint activity of the Russian-European consortium of universities in 1994-98.

The problems of CHAIN-E and Russian-European subprojects development strategy (as well as development strategy of the URAL subprojects and other projects connecting universities of Ural and Europe into the network) will be settled by Council of the Rectors, which includes Prof./Dr. G. Romantsev (USVPU), Prof./Dr. V. Tretyakov (USU), Prof./Dr. V. Kamyshov (USUE), Prof./Dr. S. Naboichenko (USTU), Prof./Dr. V. Zhavoronkov (USPU) on the part of Ekaterinburg universities.

The operating project management is carried out by the Coordination Council of the managers of works at the universities. To be such managers: a Vice-Rector - coordinator of the international programs (USVPU), Prof./Dr. I. Kolobkov - Chairman of Coordination Council; a Vice-Rector on international relations (USUE), Prof./Dr. A. Maltsev – deputy head of the Coordination Council; the dean of Economics Faculty (USU), Prof./Dr. D. Nesterova; Head of the Department of The Analysis of Systems and Decision Making (USTU), Prof./Dr. O. Nikonov; a Vice-Rector on educational work and international relations (USPU), Prof./Dr. M. Igoshev are appointed. The managers of works at the universities coordinate aspirations of faculties and departments involved in the project in the correspondence with the annually developed general plan of the activity, which is approved in Tempus Department of the ETF.

A big role in carrying out of the MJEP CHAIN-E activities is played by the ECTS-coordinators, appointed at the universities, who are responsible for the ECTS implementation while realization of student exchanges. The strict fulfillment of ECTS principles, which is steadfastly monitored by the ECTS-coordinators, is the lien of that the procedures of academic recognition of study results will be facilitated, and the students who wish to study abroad, will not be afraid of extension of terms of their study because of a problem with academic recognition. In 4 of five Ural universities the ECTS-coordinators already exist and have passed training periods abroad and followed special courses in the USVPU: Prof./Dr. A. Zhuchenko Vice-rector of the USVPU; the Head of the Educational Department (USTU) Prof./Dr. V. Shavrin; the employee of the Educational Department (USPU) Prof. M. Yelisafenko; Prof./Dr. of the International Relations Department (USU) V. Kouzmine. Besides, the ECTS technology is widely known to the administrative and academic staff of the USVPU, who can be involved to management of the process of ECTS introduction into other Ural institutions.

The course of works under the project is weekly discussed by the Head of the Coordination Council with the representatives of international departments of universities (liaison-officers). The meetings of liaison -officers, as an element of operating control, are widely applied in activity of the consortium of Ural universities in 1994-98. The functions of liaison-officers execute the following persons: Prof./Dr. T. Begalova (USTU), Mrs. Y. Tokpiseva (USPU), Mrs. R. Shamsutdinova (USU).

The managers of works under the project at the universities act in a close contact with services of international cooperation. These services at various universities are on the different stages of development, however they can effort to cover needs of the project. The main work will be carried out by the most developed subdivisions of the University - Coordinator (USVPU): the Regional Office for International Cooperation, Language Center, Regional Centre for Student Exchanges.

The Regional Office for International Cooperation of the USVPU in cooperation with international departments of other universities[1] is to fulfill the following functions:

· Regularly instructs the managers of works at the consortium universities and various participants about new possibilities and new kinds of activity in the framework of the project and gives practical advises.