The informatization of the educational process

The educational process was organized on the network educational and methodological educational platform of the university. Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has been purposefully working for many years on the formation of the digital transformation of the educational process, starting with informatization as an increase in the efficiency of using a large amount of information at all stages of the educational process: from the introduction of information technologies within individual academic disciplines to 100% provision of disciplines with electronic educational and methodological complexes on the educational portal of the university. To date, the educational portal of the university is an educational and methodological network educational platform containing 2 thousand GB of information; 23.5 thousand users; 50 thousand courses.

All academic disciplines are provided with state-registered electronic educational and methodological complexes. The educational portal allows organizing communication between teachers and students, students with each other, track the activity of students in visiting the portal and using its materials, demonstrate and evaluate the results of work performed. Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has a significant potential for digital transformation of the educational process:

− automated system “Digital admissions Office”;

− educational portal of the university;

− digital service “ Individial working plan of Master’s student;

− automated management system “University”;

− educational process control system;

− distance education system;

− teacher's personal account on the Intranet portal;

− student’s personal account on the Intranet portal;

− electronic schedule and mobile version of the class schedule.

Yanka Kupala State University’s accumulated experience, the availability of educational and methodological support and the possibility of communication on the educational platform of the university made it easy to implement educational programs using ICT (using online technologies). In order to regulate the use of ICT at the University the Regulation on the use of ICT in the educational process was approved by the Rector's Order No. 485 dated 25.05.2020.

Scientific and methodological support in the specialties of the II stage of higher education at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno is available in full: standard curricula, university curricula for specialties, curricula for disciplines approved in accordance with the established procedure.

In the process of implementing the educational program of the magistracy with the use of ICT, daily monitoring of the conduct and attendance of classes by students and their performance of training tasks was provided. At Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno an electronic service "Journal of Attendance and Progress Recording" has developed and operates. Using this service, teachers evaluate the level of learning outcomes of students by setting a mark, and also keep records of students' attendance in the classroom.

The educational platform of the University

To organize work using ICT in 2020, an electronic manual “Educational Portal: for teachers and students” was developed, which is a guide to the educational portal of the university, contains instructions on using platforms for organizing training in the form of webinars, video conferences and is used, including when teaching citizens of the People's Republic of China. Teachers and students, using an electronic manual, easily master the skills of working with such elements of the course as: lecture, assignment, forum, seminar, wiki, test. A separate role is assigned to the monitoring system and the evaluation log, as well as the methodology for conducting webinars on the WebEx, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams platforms.

In the educational process Yanka Kupala State University widely uses the capabilities of the educational portal (www.edu.grsu.by). Educational portal of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno is an online educational platform created in 2011 based on the Moodle course management system. This is a single information resource on which organizational and educational materials are presented in a complex that fully support the educational process. The educational portal contains an electronic schedule, electronic educational and methodological complexes for all academic disciplines: curricula, presentations and lecture texts, practical lesson plans and methodological recommendations for them, tasks for guided independent work, questions for exams and tests; video and audio information; an electronic library and much more.

Electronic teaching materials posted on the educational portal can be used by a master's student in classes under the guidance of a teacher and independently. Assignments in academic disciplines posted on edu.grsu.by, aimed at the formation of the competencies specified in the curriculum: systemic thinking and activation of creative potential, the ability to find non-standard ways of obtaining, comprehending and processing information, etc. Undergraduates for the use of electronic educational resources have the necessary level of personal computer proficiency, each undergraduate has his own login and password to log in.

All educational and curricular documentation was developed on the basics of the specifics of teaching foreign citizens in English. Every student is provided with electronic educational literature and teaching materials in English for all subjects mentioned in the work plan.

Possibilities of the educational portal allow organizing individual tutoring for foreign students in their specialties and academic research as part of preparation of their master thesis.

The quality assurance of teaching in English

The educational process at the II stage of higher education is implemented by the most qualified teachers who have an academic degree, title, teaching experience or professional experience, taking into account the profile of education, who possess modern educational, including information technologies necessary for the organization of educational and research processes at the proper level.

More than 100 teachers were trained in English on the basis of the Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, including within the framework of the project “Enchancement of lifelong learning in Belarus”.

All teachers who carry out the educational process in English have passed the certification of professional competencies “Foreign language proficiency”, according to the results of which they were admitted to teaching academic disciplines in English (order of Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs No. 129, No. 305-306).

Compliance of individual work plans of Master’s students

 “Individual work plan of Master’s study” digital service allows organizing interaction between the teacher (supervisor) and the student towards development and progress monitoring of the master’s individual work plan.

Individual work plans of Master’s students were developed on the basis of the curriculum in the specialty together with the heads of research work, discussed at meetings of departments and Faculty councils and approved by Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno during the first two weeks since the beginning of the studies in accordance with the “Rules for the certification of students, cadets, trainees in the development of the content of educational programs of higher education”. Individual plans of undergraduates provide for measures to master the educational program of the II stage, forms and deadlines for reporting.

The management of the research work of Master students is carried out by supervisors appointed from among the teachers with an academic degree and academic title. The number of undergraduates at one supervisor does not exceed 7 people according to paragraph 73 of the Decree of the Ministry of Education dated 29.05.2012 No. 53 “On approval of the Rules for certification of students, cadets, trainees when mastering the content of educational programs of higher education”.

The intermediate certification of Master students was held at the meeting of the department twice a semester in accordance with the individual curricula of the work of Master students. The relevant records are available in the minutes of the meetings of the department and are included in the individual Master's plan.

Examination sessions were conducted in accordance with the “Rules for the certification of students, cadets, trainees in the development of the content of educational programs of higher education” (approved by the decree of the Ministry of Education on 23.05.2012 No. 53).

The form of final certification of students in accordance with Article 215 of the Code on Education when mastering the content of educational programs of higher education of the II stage is the defense of a Master's thesis. The final certification of students, upon completion of mastering the content of the educational program, is carried out by state examination commissions (hereinafter referred to as SEC). The chairmen of the SEC are appointed by order of the Ministry of Education, the composition of the SEC (members of the commissions) of higher education institutions are approved by the rector of the university no later than a month before the start of the work of the commissions for the defense of master's theses.

Decisions on the admission of a Master's thesis to the defense are made taking into account the degree of originality and correct borrowing, confirmed by the relevant certificate. Students who have fully completed the curriculum of the specialty, the individual master's work plan are allowed to defend their master's theses.

After the normalization of the epidemiological situation in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Education dated 29.07.2021 No. 577all foreign students were informed about the need to arrive at the university to finish their studies at the II stage of higher education, being directly in the classrooms and laboratories of the university.