Project Activities At The University: Russian And European Experience

Abstract

The article discusses the experience of implementing project activities at a university on the example of the project-oriented model of NovSU and the problem-oriented model of Aalborg University. The authors believe that the development of education models based on the introduction of project activities into the educational process can be among the methods of transforming Russian higher education. Modeling the educational process on the basis of project activities allows universities to achieve a systemic result associated with solving the problems of self-development of students and the formation of an individual educational trajectory. The authors have identified a number of identical components of the models as a result of a comparative analysis of Russian and European education models. The system-forming factor in the models is project activity, which provides not only an orientation towards the student's activity in the educational process (through solving specific problems within the framework of the project), but also involves modeling practical situations. Both universities provide for teamwork on the project by small groups of students, the implementation of the project by students every semester with subsequent defense, close communication with industrial partners, systemic changes in the principles of teaching and assessment of those academic disciplines for which the project is envisaged, personnel support for the work of project teams. The project-oriented model in the conditions of the Russian higher education system fulfills the task of complementing and updating the disciplinary approach to teaching, allowing to combine the individualization of education and an interdisciplinary approach.

Keywords: High schoolproject activityproject-oriented model

Introduction

An active search is under way in Russian higher education, which is going through a period of transformations, for educational models that would take into account the constant dynamics of the labor market caused by the trends in the development of the information society. Today, “sharpening a university graduate to a strict set of professional skills is the priority of education in the industrial era, when the basic requirements for the profession remained unchanged for decades” (Ivakhnenko & Attaeva, 2019, p. 22).

The digital era with elements of a rapid pace of technology change, the introduction of innovations, and virtualization of reality dictates new challenges to the higher education system. Hence, the graduate must be able to adapt to changing conditions, be ready for these challenges of the external environment. As the researchers emphasize, “the modernizing Russian higher education system today requires new educational technologies”, which are inextricably linked with life (Starchikova et al., 2018, p. 53). It is important for universities to take into account not only academic achievements, but also “innovation in teaching, both in methods and in content” (Salmi & Frumin, 2013, p. 45), with an emphasis on the quality of graduate training and attraction of young teachers.

Among the various directions of transformation of the higher education system, it should be noted those that allow for a “shift in emphasis from the translation of knowledge by the teacher to the active educational activity of the student” (Popova, 2017, p. 34). Such a strategy for the formation of educational models focuses on increasing the importance of the principles of individualization of education and the subject orientation of education in a Russian university.

Problem Statement

Project activity today is becoming the object of numerous works, where its specificity is considered as a whole (Belyakov et al., 2011) or certain aspects of it are studied (Kapranova, 2014). It is often noted that project activities form the student's skills to work in a team, which “in the future will provide a beginner specialist with a great advantage over competitors in the labor market” (Shulezhkova & Maksimova, 2019, p. 112). The project activities of trainees “have long established themselves in the West and is gradually being introduced into the Russian education system" (Novikova et al., 2019, p. 77). The didactic effect of project activities at the university is very widely represented in scientific works that draw attention to the shift in the focus of higher education pedagogy towards the student. Project activity is a resource that consists in "increasing initiative and responsibility in the learning process, developing the student's subject position in the development and adoption of a conscious trajectory of an individual educational route in the logic of "objectives - means - result" (Kovrov, 2019, p. 63).

However, today the project activity has already gone beyond the methodology of mastering the discipline, it acts rather as a basis for the acquisition of lifelong learning skills, which allow the graduate to adapt to constant changes in the global labor market, in technology, requirements to work, etc. (Vaganova et al., 2017) One should agree with the opinion that “vivid examples of subject-oriented type technology are project activities, which have great opportunities for self-development and self-organization of students and can be used in the educational process” (Bayborodova et al., 2018, p. 13).

Project activities can become a key factor in transforming the higher education system and complement the traditional disciplinary paradigm, provided that an integrated project-oriented education model is created. The project-oriented model presupposes the development of soft competencies, which acquire a decisive importance in the era of instability and high dynamism of social processes, the “rhizomality” of professional spheres of activity. We believe that modeling the educational process on the basis of project activities in the context of the university will make it possible to achieve a qualitatively final result associated with solving the problems of self-development of students, the formation of an individual educational trajectory, improving the quality of teaching and the practical orientation of education.

The scientific problem, in this regard, is the fragmentation of the research of educational models based on the introduction of project activities into the system of the university, which allows forming an innovative educational environment that solves the tasks that modern higher education faces.

A similar project-oriented model was developed with the participation of the authors of this article in 2019 and began to adapt across all undergraduate educational programs at Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University (NovSU). Project activities were identified as a backbone component based on the study of similar experience in a number of Russian universities and conducted research in this field.

As the European experience shows, such models have existed in universities for a long time, they are known all over the world and have positively proven themselves already in the second half of the 20th century. Thus, the Scandinavian model of education PBL (Problem Based Learning) emerged in the 70s of the last century and gained its popularity in Denmark. The PBL model itself is quite versatile. The learning process is built of the student's active position in opposition to the traditional passive process of transmitting knowledge within the framework of the model (Maurer & Neuhold, 2014). Russian universities partially use PBL technologies, for example, when organizing seminars as a method of forming professional competencies (Petrova, 2017).

At Aalborg University, the PBL model imply features that are very similar to the project-oriented model of NovSU due to the use of project activities as a key one in the educational process, as the authors of the article were convinced of during their face-to-face acquaintance with this model in Denmark. During training, students work in teams on a project where “each student completes as many projects as there are semesters in the university”, while the Danes themselves refer to the model as implementing the ideas of project-based learning (Soloviev, 2007, p. 21). The experience of Aalborg University is important in the context of this work, since the Danish university pays great attention to the project activities of students, which, like at NovSU, is mandatory for all students from the first semester.

Research Questions

In this paper, we will conduct a comparative analysis of the educational models of NovSU and Aalborg University. Research questions are the following.

3.1. What components of the analyzed educational models of universities in Russia and Denmark are identical?

3.2. What is the educational effect of the systematic implementation of project activities in the university?

3.3. What are the weaknesses of the educational models of NovSU and Aalborg University?

Purpose of the Study

The aim of the work is to identify the key components of a project-oriented model of higher education based on a comparative analysis of educational models with the use of project activities implemented in Russia and Denmark.

Research Methods

Since the research problem involves the solution of a complex task aimed at identifying the components of a project-oriented model, the authors use a systematic method that allows considering the model as an integral system consisting of interconnected components. Also, the work uses a comparative method in the analysis and comparison of two models of Russian and European practices to achieve the goal of the study, as well as methods of generalization and synthesis of scientific information, which generally complement the applied methodology.

Findings

Let us consider the features of two educational models of universities that use project activities as a modeling factor. Both educational models are implemented in universities located in small towns (Veliky Novgorod and Aalborg), that is, universities use such educational models as a resource to increase their competitiveness through the creation of an innovative educational environment in order to attract applicants, including foreign ones.

Conclusion

As a result of a comparative analysis of the project-oriented model of NovSU and the problem-oriented model of Aalborg University, we have established a certain identity of the structures of these models. The system-forming factor of the models is project activity, which provides not only an orientation towards the student's activity in the educational process (through solving specific problems within the project), but also involves modeling practical situations. Both models provide for teamwork on the project in small groups of students, the implementation of the project every semester with subsequent defense, close communication with industrial partners, personnel support for the work of project teams, systemic changes in the principles of teaching and assessment of those academic disciplines for which the project is envisaged. The project-oriented model in the conditions of the Russian higher education system fulfills the task of complementing and updating the disciplinary approach to learning, allowing combining the individualization of education, an interdisciplinary approach and focusing on active educational activities of students.

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