ASU is one of head (basic) higher education institutions of the University of the Shanghai Organization of Cooperation (USOC), uniting more than 70 leading universities of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan. The number of ASU foreign students mostly from the mentioned countries annually rises by 50%. The number of foreign visiting professors invited to ASU for the purpose of conducting academic process, carrying out scientific research, participation in educational and scientific trainings and other forms of academic mobility is constantly increasing. On the basis of ASU UNESCO chair (the chair of innovative education in the cross-border region) has been opened.

 

Under the support of the Russian Federation Ministry of Education and Science the 2012-2016 program of ASU strategic development "Development of Altai state university geared at modernization of the economy and the social sphere of the Altai territory and regions of Siberia” is being realized in the university alongside with the program of development of student associations’ activities and some others. Due to these federal subsidies the project "Increasing language competence of the ASU teaching staff and students" has been implementing since June 2013 on the basis of the ASU Linguistic Center. The project main objective is to consolidate the efforts to form and perfect the foreign language competence of teaching staff and students geared at integration into the international scientific and educational space.

 

So, the English language training has been conducted since 2004 by the Linguistic Center in the University. Being a catalyser of language learning processes it performs the following major tasks: 

• To increase the language competence level of the ASU teaching staff and students; 

• Working out and realization of additional educational language courses; 

• Information and methodological support for foreign languages’ learning: training materials, online resources, interactive software applications; 

• Advisory support on international standardized tests to diagnose the language proficiency level; 

• Advisory support for participation in international scientific and educational grant and scholarship projects/programmes of foreign foundations and funds; 

• Organizational support to ensure the conduct of open video lectures, webinars in foreign languages with foreign experts’ participation; 

• Professional development and qualification improvement of foreign language teachers by means of participation in distance educational courses and webinars. 

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The ASU Linguistic Center's role in the UNICO project

 

Currently the Linguistic Centre together with the department of foreign languages (law and economic profiles) is the platform for realization of the European project 544283-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-ES-TEMPUS-JPHES “Lifelong Language Learning University Centre Network for New Career Opportunities and Personal Development (UNICO)”. The ASU UNICO project team alongside with other 10 university partners is responsible for Centre of Excellence creation and hence is in charge of its further sustainable development. ASU team is represented in all project working groups and performs the required tasks aimed at reaching the main UNICO project objectives. 

 

The main contact persons are Elina Gubernatorova and Nadezhda Usvyat.