The Polytechnic University English-language website is No. 1
The English-language website of Peter the Great Polytechnic University became No. 1: monitoring of the English-language websites of 67 Russian universities included in QS World Universities ranking showed such a result. Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (NSUEM) conducted this monitoring as part of a grant from the RF Ministry of Education and Science within the frame of the “Export of Education” federal project.
SPbPU foreign-language websites and accounts in world social networks are the platforms on which university’s key target audiences including foreign applicants focus. In addition to the English-language website, SPbPU international services ensure the development and ongoing operation of the official SPbPU websites in Chinese and Spanish, administer and develop the university’s English-language accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
“Such a high expert assessment is the result of the systematic work that SPbPU International Services together with the Media Center and the Department of Information Resources have been carrying out for many years. The English-language website of Polytechnic University coevally focuses on the information needs of several key target audiences, i.e., foreign applicants, foreign students and foreign partners. As an international university, where over 8 thousand foreign students study and which cooperates with 500 other universities, we perfectly understand how important it is to create a convenient information platform for the effective promotion of Polytechnic University all over the world. We clearly understand that the content that we post on the website should be clear, accessible and relevant for users, first and foremost, our target audiences. Another important matter is the integration of the website with social networks; all of our information platforms work as a complex, complementing each other. I hope that thanks to our English-language website, even more foreign partners and colleagues will learn about the achievements of our Polytechnic University, one of the best technical universities in Russia,” said Dmitry ARSENIEV, SPbPU Vice-Rector for International Relations.
The integration of websites with social networks is an important aspect, spotlighted by our university departments. The SPbPU English-language website supports a Facebook chat bot. This system translates the requests of website visitors into online consultations with university staff; thus, our employees are always in touch with potential applicants. SPbPU work experience during the admission campaign for 2019/2020 academic year showed that the Facebook chat bot allows to quickly process the initial requests of foreign applicants who have not yet completed the application form, but are ready to begin the admission process. With the help of the chat bot, SPbPU applicants could also ask employees about their future admission and living in St. Petersburg in an easier and less formal way. International services have already talked about this and other tools for integrating sites and their official accounts on social networks earlier in an expert article published on the website of the Russian Council for Foreign Affairs (RCFA).
“We clearly see the trend of the growing role and importance of university’s websites and English-language accounts in social networks as a mutually integrated communication resource. Our work is based on this, and the high expert ranking is a perfect indication for us that we are moving in the right direction,” said Maria BOCHAROVA, Director of the Center for International Recruitment and Communications.
Prepared by SPbPU International Office. Text: Olga DOROFEEVA