On February 8-9, 2018 the international scientific and practical conference «Innovative approaches to educational process of higher school: national and international aspects» took place at PSU campus in Mezhdurechye. The event has been dedicated to the 50th birthday of the University. Polotsk State University and Republican Institute of Higher School of the Republic of Belarus has become the organizers of the conference.
More than 40 guests took part in the conference representing Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (Moscow, Russia), Komi Republican Academy of State Service and Administration (Syktyvkar, Russia), State University of Humanities and Technology (Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Russia), Republican Institute of Higher School in Belarus, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, Francisk Skorina Gomel State University, A.A. Kuleshov Mogilev State University and other HEIs.
The issues of higher school development at the current stage, implementation of innovative approaches in educational process at national and international levels were the major topics for discussion.
Rector of Polotsk State University, professor Dmitry Lazovsky opened the conference and plenary session. D. Lazovsky told about the development of our university, its profile, underlined the significance and importance of study process closely connected with joining Bologna Process and implementation of information technologies and modern methods of teaching: «The study process is the most important activity direction of any HEI. It’s always very important to satisfy modern requirements, prospects. The topic of the conference are quite relevant not only for higher education in Belarus, but in other countries. I hope that this conference enrich us with knowledge about the most important aspects of higher school. We’ll feel and understand the perspective for development of higher school in the field of teaching and in the field of higher education system».
For two days the following sections have been carried out in the conference:
- Design and implementation of competently-focused educational programs HEIs and problem of diagnosing competences, ensuring higher education quality.
- Using information and communicative technologies in educational process and problems of distant and mixed learning.
- Some issues from pedagogy and methods of higher education, innovative educational technologies.
- Interaction with employers and development of practical training.
- Educational process.
The participants of the conference – highly skilled specialists in the field of teaching methods, also representatives of HEIs in Belarus and other countries – presented interesting reports.
The conference materials – more than 140 articles – will be published as a collection of conference materials. More than 55 articles have been represented by PSU staff members, the others – from the leading universities in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland.
During the conference the organizers and participants told about relevant problems of higher school and prospects for its development:
Nadezhda Boreiko, head of Studies Department at Polotsk State University, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor: «This conference is dedicated to some issues of higher school education and educational process. Today there are so many guests from Republican Institute of Higher School, leading Russian and Republican universities. I think the conference will be very interesting and productive because we are going to discuss very relevant problems of current higher education system».
Igor Titovich, Vice-Rector for Science Work, PhD in History, Associate Professor: «Any conference gathers many specialists, especially those, who work in the system of higher education. It is aimed at the formation of scientific assumptions and concepts that can become some legal acts and help to develop our system of higher education in the future».
Vasily Senashenko, Doctor of Science in Physics and Mathematics, Professor at the Department of Comparative Educational Political Science at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia: «Today the most important problem for us is a reform of higher school. It is based on regulations of Bologna declaration. Russia signed it in 2003, Belarus did it in 2015 during the meeting of European ministers responsible for education, science and regulations of Bologna declaration. Nowadays the regulation, which is included in the declaration, is implemented in Belarus. I hope that today we can thoroughly discuss some problems of higher education reform. I’m here for the third time and I’m very impressed by Polotsk State University».
