SPbPU held a session on virtual mobility at EURIE-2021

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University participated in the Eurasia Higher Education Summit (EURIE). The event was held in Istanbul (Turkey) in a mixed format and united over 120 speakers from Great Britain, Canada, the USA, Australia, Belgium, Japan, Turkey, and more than 20 other countries. All in all, about 3000 participants from all over the world joined the different sessions of the summit.

Polytechnic University was represented at EURIE by Alla MAZINA, Deputy Head of the International Education Office. Together with the Secretary General of the International Association T. I. M. E. Gwenaëlle GUILLERME, the SPbPU speaker held almost an hour-long session devoted to the experience of transition from the real to the virtual mobility - a form of academic mobility which allows studying at foreign universities without leaving home. In addition, the parties discussed the prospects of developing academic mobility programs after the pandemic.

“Of course, virtual academic mobility can never completely replace physical mobility. However, based on SPbPU’s successful experience in conducting student project marathons, We believe that the most promising form of mobility is mixed: virtual mobility and short-term visits to partner universities. Mixed mobility is significantly cheaper and allows more students to acquire new competencies and international experience. In Russia, we are sure that а picture is worth a thousand words.  Today the pandemic is on the wane, and we hope for the resumption of academic mobility, using the experience we have gained. Well, virtual mobility can be a supplement, but by no means a replacement of academic mobility,” Alla MAZINA commented.

Let us remind, that Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is one of the leaders in Russia in terms of international academic mobility of students. In 2019, more than 550 students and professors of SPbPU went abroad to study or undergo an internship. Because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, their number has fallen by more than a factor of three. However, despite the difficult conditions, the university has managed to adapt to the new challenges and has maintained an active position in the international academic space.

The topic of virtual mobility and the experience of student project marathons at SPbPU was met with interest by the session participants, who noted the achievements of Polytechnic University and appreciated the solutions that the university offered for the development of exchange programs.

Prepared by the SPbPU International Office