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EXTEND PhD School

As part of the project, from November 15-20, 2021 the event “EXTEND PhD School” was held at NMSTU. The organizers and key participants of the event were the members of NMSTU EXTEND project team Natalia N. Zerkina (teacher/ trainer/ researcher), Iuliia A. Savinova (teacher/ trainer/ researcher, manager), Konstantin A. Ruban (technical specialist). About 30 PhD students and teachers from Russia and Tajikistan met to learn about the best European practices in the field of project activities from partner universities of the project, such as Warrick University (UK), Minho University (Portugal), Riga Technical University (Latvia) and Polytechnica University of Bucharest (Romania).

The objectives of the event "EXTEND PhD SCHOOL" were the following:

  1. to familiarize PhD students from technical universities of Russia and Tajikistan as a new generation of teachers of engineering disciplines with the developments of the EXTEND project (descriptors of competencies, training courses, Course Book, etc.), the results of the EXTEND project (network of EXTEND Centers and its resources, cooperation agreements with foreign universities, the possibility of joint scientific and educational activities, personal professional contacts, etc.);
  2. to equip PhD students with the best EU practices that are aimed at improving engineering education in terms of Active learning strategies, Digital tools, PBL and Assessment.
  3. to transform the existing university courses taking into account the best EU practices.

According to the Project application form, “EXTEND PhD School” was planned to be organized at Warwick university (Summer 2020), but because of the pandemic restrictions, it was decided to hold it at NMSTU. The EXTEND team of NMSTU managed to overcome the challenges of the pandemic and organize work in a mixed format in such a way that the restrictions of movement faced by European partner universities who did not come to NMSTU did not affect the quality and content of the event.

Young scientists from 8 partner universities of Russia and Tajikistan were the participants of “EXTEND PhD School”:

Khujand State University named after academian Bobojon Gafurov

  1. Vasidzhаn Sidikov
  2. Mehrubon Mirmuhamedov
  3. Jamshed Sharipov

Kulob State University named after A. Rudaki

  1. Amonullo Kholiqov
  2. Alisher Hofizov
  3. Safarkhon Rafiev

Tajik National University

  1. Sarvinai Hakmiyon
  2. Firuza Нasanzoda
  3. Safargul Odinazoda

Technological University of Tajikistan

  1. Mavzuna Khalikova
  2. Tojiddin Nurakov
  3. Abdurahmon Habibov

Moscow State University of Civil Engineering

  1. Yehia Ahmed Kotp Sayed
  2. Belal Ali
  3. Margarita Gelmanova
  4. Alexander Yakubovich

National Research Mordovia State University

  1. Yegor Kazakov
  2. Alina Taratynova
  3. Yevgeniy Leonenko

Bauman Moscow State Technical University

  1. Anastasia  Kransutskaya
  2. Maria  Sinitsa
  3. Olga  Ivanova

Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University

  1. Iuliia Savinova
  2. Natalia Zerkina
  3. Viktor Sysoev
  4. Konstantin Ruban
  5. Dmitriy Nazarov
  6. Leonid Nosov
  7. Matvey Ishmetev
  8. Aleksey Lymar

The total number of teachers - 9

The total number of PhD students - 19

“EXTEND PhD SCHOOL” is a very important scientific and educational event for the group of engineering PhD students from partner universities in Russia and Tajikistan on the ground of Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University, Russia, Magnitogorsk.

“EXTEND PhD SCHOOL” was held to study the best EU practices in engineering education: PBL, active learning strategies, digital tools and assessment; equip engineering PhD students with project achievements, activities and participate in case studies, on-line and off-line events

Engineering PhD students received not only theoretical knowledge but actively participated in practical elaboration and transformation of engineering courses, such as:

BMSTU team - “Information and metrological assurance of the product life cycle”;

KhSU team - “Training on the basis of scientific research in the field of electrical engineering and software engineering”;

MGSU team - “Basics of Urban Planning”;

NMSTU team - “Organic Chtmistry”;

MRSU team - “Information Technology in Medicine”;

TNU team - “Computer programs for  mathematical processing (Matlab, Mathcad)”;

TUT team - “Heat Engineering” ;

KulSU team - “Computer programming (for master’s degree)”

That was a festival of smart ideas, where PhD students presented their project works to European partners online, who encouraged participants with their questions and engaged them into active discussion.

The most important moment is that the majority of PhD students are practicing university teachers and they really improved their courses which are on-going. The format is very modern and applicable for the transformation and improvement of any training course.

Accompanying teachers of EXTEND TEAMS underlined the importance and practical value of the event for engineering education development. Moreover, the suggested format of the training is very logical and convenient for different educational activities and events.

EU partners shared experience and valuable information on:

  • Curriculum development and Active Learning -UMinho (Rui Lima, Diana Mesquita);
  • Project Based Learning- University of Warwick (Robin Clark and team) 
  • Online and digital tools in Teaching - Riga Technical University (Karlis Valtins and team)
  • ICT Assessment tools (general assessment and focus on ICT in assessment)(Maria Dascalu and team).

It must be underlined that all set aims and goals of “EXTEND PhD SCHOOL” have been successfully achieved and recognized by the participants, as it was Theory in Practice.

As a result, all participants had a brilliant opportunity to gain the best European experience, apply it for real university courses and share their experience with their colleagues. Moreover, “EXTEND PhD SCHOOL” was a great venue for NMSTU and partner universities, participants  organized new collaborations and established new scientific contacts and relations.

In general, participants of “EXTEND PhD SCHOOL” gained unique experience of the international project implementation. The School was one of the most visible Project event which illustrates that EXTEND project aims and goals have been achieved and put into practice.