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Saint Petersburg State University experts held a seminar on the development of additional courses designed to help foreign students prepare for applying to Russian universities. The workshop was attended by more than 150 professors from 40 Russian and 23 foreign higher educational institutions.
During the meeting, the history of the preparatory department at Saint Petersburg State University was presented and modern approaches to education and marketing of the courses were outlined. To illustrate their methods, the University professors conducted several open lessons of Russian as a foreign language, both general and specialised (on biology and literature). After that, a few undergraduate students who used to study at the preparatory department and one of the current attendees shared their views on the courses, showing their excellent knowledge of the Russian language.
Furthermore, a new distance learning course “Practical aspects of teaching Russian as a foreign language: pre-university level” was presented at the seminar. More details about it can be found here. More than 50 teachers immediately signed up for the course.
Providing our students with quality education in a comfortable environment, with an individual approach to each student, has always been and still remains a main focus of our work at the University's preparatory department.
Dmitry Ptyushkin, the Head of Language Testing Centre
The preparatory department of Saint Petersburg State University was founded in 2018. Since its establishment, more than 250 prospective students from 59 countries have attended the courses. Interest in the studies has been steadily growing, and the number of applications in 2021 is already four times higher than last year. During the COVID-19 pandemic the educational process has been moved online, and all classes are now conducted remotely. The timing of the lectures and group seminars is arranged in such a way that all students can easily participate in them regardless of their time zones. Moreover, in 2020 the classrooms were fully renovated to help students feel comfortable to attend face-to-face classes after the pandemic. More information about additional courses and trainings can be found here.
Saint Petersburg State University is very active on social media, and members of the staff are always ready to answer any questions about studying at the University. Besides, the University regularly arranges various activities for foreign applicants to help them learn about becoming a student of the preparatory department. In 2021, online meetings for applicants from China, Greece, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Serbia and many other countries took place.
The University is open to cooperation in the work of the preparatory department and invites everyone who wishes to engage in constructive dialogue. For all questions and suggestions you can contact the University at precourses@spbu.ru. If you want to know even more about the accumulated experience in the field of additional education for foreign applicants or become a participant of the program, send an email to test.language@spbu.ru.