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OPERATIONAL PLAN
of the Association of the State Universities of the Caspian Sea Littoral Countries for a short-term period of 1997-1998 covering the subject
“EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES AND TECHNOLOGIES”.
 
PART I: Development of a unified system of university education for specialities and fields of higher vocational education, post-graduate study and senior doctorate courses in conformity with demands of socio-economic growth of the Caspian Region States and with regard to ecological situation and fishery value of the Caspian Sea.

N	Content of Activities	Results	Period of Implementation	University in Charge
1.1	Compiling a list of specialities and fields in higher education for the purpose of educational services integration.	A list of specialities and fields	March 1997. A working meeting in ASTU	ASTU, the DSU, the KSU, the Universities of Gorgan, Mazandaran and Guilan, Atyrau and Aktau Universities.
1.2.	Analyzing and comparing  the content of  educational standards and curricula.	Coordinated unified requirements as to the levels of higher education according to the adopted list of specialities and fields.	The curricula adopted in the ASTU were sent to the university-members in March 1997  and will be discussed in September 1997.	All Association university-members.
1.3.	Defining the essence of the regional component in higher education with regard to national, social, economic and ecological peculiarities  of the Caspian Region.	Draft curricula for specialities and Master’s Degree courses; content of final tests that the graduates take according to specialities and fields of study. Themes for research conducted by post-graduates.	October 1997 - January 1998.	All Association university-members.
1.4.	Working out common requirements for entrance tests and exams taken by applicants.	Unified rules of admittance for coordinated list of specialities and fields in higher education; common tests for applicants.	January 1998 - March 1998.	All Association university-members.
1.5.	Planning a schedule for publication of textbooks, methodological appliances and teaching instructions.	Proposals as to publishing textbooks, methodological appliances and teaching instructions on taught courses and units; common curricula considering peculiarities of regional development.	March-May 1998.	All Association university-members.
1.6.	Coordinating principles of mutual recognition of educational certificates and diplomas in the Caspian Region States.	A coordinated system of comparable passing marks and educational certificates.	November-December 1998.	ASTU, the Iranian Universities, Atyrau University.
1.7.	Defining terms and implementing exchange of undergraduates, post-graduates and faculty members.	Mutual exchange of undergraduates, post-graduates and faculty members.	Annually	Agreements between the universities.

 
 
Part II. Creating a common system of distance education in the Caspian Region.

2.1.	Estimating capacities and possibilities for further development of telecommunication centres in the universities.	Current conditions and perspectives of developing transnational and national communication networks in the universities.	Information supplied by the universities by June 1997.	All Association university-members.
2.2.	Investigating organizational and regulatory basis for distance education in the Caspian Region.	Making requirements for organisation and accessibility of distance education identical; signing agreements.	September-December 1997.	ASTU, Gorgan University, the KSU.
2.3.	Establishing a database for storing information about curricula, and other types of methodological and information supply related to courses and units taught by means of distance education.	A database storing academic, methodological and information supply for taught courses.	January-December 1997.	ASTU
2.4.	Organizing and holding a scientific and methodological conference “New Information Technologies in Regional Infrastructure”.	A forum for the faculty-members to exchange experience. Developing common requirements and methodological instructions.	September 1997.	ASTU

 
 
The Operational Plan was discussed and adopted at the working meeting of the representatives of the Association university-members. Protocol N1 of March 27-28. Astrakhan State Technical University (Russia)
 
Head of the Section, ASTU Deputy-Director              Professor  A.S.Kurylev

 
 
 
 
PROTOCOL N 1
of the meeting of the representatives of the university-members of the Association of the State Universities of the Caspian Sea Littoral Countries in the section "Educational Programmes and Technologies".
27 - 28 March.
Astrakhan State Technical University
the town of Astrakhan (Russia)
 
1.   Participants in the meeting:
1.1.   A delegation from Astrakhan State Technical University (The Russian Federation); the head of the section "Educational Programmes and Technologies, ASTU Deputy-Director in charge of academic and methodological work, Mr. A.S.Kurylev.
1.2.   A delegation from Atyrau State University (The Republic of Kazakhstan), First Deputy-Director , Mr. A.U.Kushekov.
1.3.   A representative of Aktau State University (The Republic of Kazakhstan), Deputy-Director in charge of academic and methodological work, Mr. I.N.Diusenbaev.
1.4.   A delegation from Gorgan University (Islamic Republic of Iran), Chancellor - Mr. Mokhsen Mokhseni Saravi.
1.5.   A delegation from the University of Guilan (Islamic Republic of Iran), Deputy-Director in charge of research activity, Mr.Abbas Khamrang.
1.6.   A delegation from the University of Mazandaran (Islamic Republic of Iran), Chancellor - Abdol-Resa Sheikh Al-Eslami.
1.7.   A representative of the Dagestan State University (The Russian Federation), Deputy-Director in charge of research activity, Mr. A.R.Isuyev.
1.8.   A delegation from the Kalmyk State University (The Russian Federation), Director - Mr. G.M.Borlikov.
The following  members of delegations took part in the work of the section:
·      Head of the Department of Fish Products Processing from ASTU, Ms. S.A.Mizhueva, Senior Doctor (Technology);
·      Assistant -Professor of the Department of Engineering Ecology from ASTU, Ms. T.A.Makarova, Ph.D.(Technology);
·      Head of the Department of Computer Sciences and Equipment from ASTU, Ms. I.Y.Petrova, Senior Doctor(Technology);
·      Director of ASTU Scientific Library, Ms. S.A.Sergeeva;
·      Manager of ASTU Library of Methodological Literature and Appliances, Ms. M.A.Kuznetsova;
·      Manager of Academic and Methodology Department from the Kalmyk State University, Assistant-Professor V.N.Paliaeva;
·      Head of the Academic Department from Atyrau State University, Mr. G.D.Nurushev;
·      Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty from the Oil-and-Gas Institute at Atyrau State University, Mr. S.M.Akhmetov;
·      A senior specialist of the research centre "CASPIY", attached to the University of Guilan, Mr. Naser Darai (M.Sc.).
 
 
AGENDA
1.   Discussion of the activities content on the subject "Educational Programmes and Technologies"; analysis of a certain part of the Association activities programme on the subject, namely items to be planned for 1997-1998.
2.   Presentation of the list of specialities and fields compiled by the Association university-members for the purpose of developing common curricula.
HEARD: information about the activities programme and content of its parts presented by ASTU Deputy-Director Prof. A.S.Kurylev. It was supposed that a concept of common educational environment should be developed in the field of educational technologies for the Caspian Region. Unified curricula and modern methods of teaching, distance education via a global computer network "Internet" including , should be used as a basis.
The programme consists of two parts. The first one implies the development of a common system of university education as well as of post-graduate training and senior doctorate courses at the universities of the Caspian Region States, and includes the following points:
·      drawing up a list of specialities and fields to be involved for the purpose of integration of higher education systems of the states;
·      analysis and comparison of educational standards, curricula and syllabuses;
·      determination of the essence of a regional component in higher education regarding national, social, economic and ecological features of the Caspian Region;
·      establishing common requirements for entrance examinations and tests that could be applied in all the universities of the Caspian Region States;
·      planning a schedule of publishing textbooks, methodological appliances and teaching instructions;
·      coordinating principles of mutual recognition of educational certificates and diplomas in the Caspian Region States;
·      defining terms and implementing exchange of undergraduates, postgraduates and faculty members.
The second part envisages creating a common system of distance education in the Caspian Region and includes:
·      establishing a database storing information about academic, methodological and reference literature and appliances for academic courses and units taught by means of distance education;
·      estimating capacities and further development possibilities of telecommunication centres in the universities;
·      investigating and forming an organizational and regulatory basis for distance education in the Caspian Region States;
·      holding conferences on research and methodology.
The exchange of opinions on the above-mentioned content of the programme and participating of university-members in this exchange is considered necessary.
 
 
 
Speakers on the first item:
1.1.  Representatives of ASTU: Assistant-Professor T.A.Makarova and Head of the Department, Professor S.A.Mizhueva described the content of curricula for the following specialities: "Comprehensive Utilization and Protection of Water Resources", "Foodstaff Production Technologies", "Fish and Fish Products Processing". These specialities are related to fisheries. Long-standing tradition and wide experience to train specialists in the field of processing fish and fish products,  covering this area of specialization, that could be created by the universities from the Caspian Region States. At the same time the rise of the Caspian Sea level and consequent necessity of improving the ecological situation called for training specialists capable of finding comprehensive engineering solutions to the problems of protecting water resources from such types of pollutants as oil-products and waste discharges of industrial enterprises and municipal sewerage. Such speciality as "Comprehensive Utilization and Protection of Water Resources " includes 3 fields of specialization, all of them being related to the Caspian Sea and to the Volga-river.
1.2.  Representatives of the Kalmyk State University: Director, Mr.G.M.Borlikov and Assistant-Professor V.N.Paliaeva.They mentioned that the University had developed a number of higher education curricula for training specialists in the fields of nature protection, biology, law and economics that also envisage investigating the historical development of the Caspian Region as the foundation of knowledge about culture and national traditions of the inhabitants; specialists in this field are also being trained. A new speciality - "Regional Science"- has been introduced, the aspects of the Caspian Region countries survey being included. Broad experience in the field of language science and in training specialists in the field of linguistics provide the KSU with the possibility to teach Russian for the undergraduates and academic staff from Iran and ot he Caspian Region States. Teaching of oriental studies is also considered important and is being developed in the KSU. The speakers suggested approving the activities content  introduced by the ASTU Coordinating Council to the meeting.
1.3.  Representatives of Atyrau and Aktau Universities: Mr. A.U.Kushekov and I.N. Diusenbaiev. Thez spoke in favour of the activities programme content, and drew attention to the development of new fields in training specialists for solving ecological problems in the Caspian Region that was under way in Kazakhstan. These are the fields of bioeconomics, economy and technology, where close collaboration of the universities is especially needed. For instance, such specialities as "Ship Power Plant Operation", "Fish Products Processing", "Commercial Fisheries", "Production Machines and Equipment" are of great importance, and training facilities for these specialities are the best in ASTU. At the same time both Atyrau and Aktau Universities are ready to cooperate in creating educational curricula for the fields of nature protection, economics and law (ecologic regulations in particular).
1.4.  Chancellor of Gorgan University Mr.Mokhsen Mokhseni Saravi. He spoke in favour of collaboration of the Association university-members on developing educational curricula, and approved the activities content. He emphasized that it was of urgent necessity to study the Persian language establish the Persian Language Departments in the universities of Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as to study Russian and found Departments of the Russian Language in the universities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Positive decisions in this cas emight foster the creation of common educational environment in the Caspian Region. It is also important to develop new informational technologies for education, namely distance education. Possibilities of establishing  computer means of  communication, such as the network "INTERNET - CASPIY" should be investigated   and exchange of information between the universities should be provided.
1.5.  Chancellor of the University of Mazandaran, Mr. Abdol-Resa Sheikh Al-Eslami. He approved the activities content and supported the idea of collaboration of the universities in the sphere of education. He also agreed that the exchange of educational standards, curricula and syllabuses would be expedient, and their content should be discussed at the 2-nd Congress of the Association to be held in Gorgan.  He suggested that collaboration should be developed in the field of such speciality as "Shipbuilding   and Offshore Installations",that was in great demand in the Region presently.
1.6.  Deputy-Director from the University of Guilan, Mr. Abbas Khamrang. He proposed that special attention should be paid to cooperation in education, particularly in the following specialities: "Commercial Fishing", "Maritime Law", "Water Bioresources and Aquaculture". He spoke in favour of the activities content as to the programme.
1.7.  Director of  ASTU Scientific Library, Ms. S.A.Sergeeva. She presented the library stock and proposed for the universities to exchange books according to the activities programme, and to join efforts in enriching library resources, and to inform each other about new issues of the universities'  publishing houses.
1.8.  Deputy-Director of the Dagestan State University, Mr.A.R.Isuyev. He said he was entirely for the activities programme and its content and pointed out that the DSU had wide experience of training in a number of fields, was equipped with all the necessary facilities and had a highly qualified academic staff. These fields comprised economics, law, biology, the Persian language and other Arabic and Oriental languages. At the same time he sought assistance in introducing a new speciality to be trained in the DSU, namely "Water Bioresources and Aquaculture".
1.9.  Head of the Department of Computer Science and Equipment, Ms. I.Y.Petrova. She described training in various specialities at the Faculty of Automatics and Computer Equipment of ASTU.  She stressed that telecommunication systems  were being introduced in ASTU, and the University possessed 10 channels for the outlet to the global network "Internet". Another new speciality will be trained in ASTU, namely "Communication Networks and Switching Systems". The Department is involved in developing new technologies of distance education. The urgent task of the Department is to install a common server and create a database  storing information about taught courses and educational curricula for the whole Caspian Region. ASTU is ready to fulfill this task. Simultaneous analysis of resources and feasibility of further developing the existing communication centres at each university-members is also necessary in order to provide   the latter with  academic and methodology information and with on-line electronic communication. Ms. Petrova invited the participants of the meeting to take part in the international conference "Information Technologies" to be held in September 1997 where all the above mentioned problems would be discussed.
 
 
Decisions taken as to the first item:
1.  To approve and adopt the activities content for the "Educational Programmes and Technologies".
2.   To adopt the operational plan of the Association as to sections 1,2 and to indicate the next date for discussing the implementation of the plan in October 1997, during the 2-nd Congress of the Association.
3.   Participating universities should send information about persons in charge of activities according to each item of the operational plan to ASTU by May 1.
4.   To indicate 10 September 1997 as the date of the first information report about operational plan implementation, the report should be forwarded to ASTU, namely to Mr. A.S.Kurylev, the Head of the section.
 
2.   As to the second item, the Universities of the Caspian Region States compiled a list of specialities they were interested in and sought cooperation through  creating  a common educational environment. The list was voiced by the Heads of the delegations.
2.1.      Fields of economics:
·      Economics and Business Management (ASTU, the KSU, the DSU, Atyrau State University);
·      Management (ASTU, the KSU, the DSU);
·      Audit and Accounting (ASTU, the KSU, the DSU);
·      Finance and Credit (ASTU, the KSU, the DSU).
2.2. All the university-members express their wish to cooperate in the field of law (ecology regulations in particular); the University of Guilan suggested including such sphere  of jurisprudence as maritime law.
2.3. Fields of Biology:
·      Biology (with specialization in Ecology), (the KSU, the DSU);
·      Biology (with specialization in Industrial Ecology), ( Atyrau State University);
·      Biology,  Bioresources  and Aquaculture (ASTU, the University of Guilan, the DSU);
·      Comprehensive Utilization and Protection of Water Resources (ASTU, Atyrau and Aktau State Universities).
2.4. Training in the Persian and Russian languages (The Universities of Gorgan, Mazandaran and Guilan; ASTU, the KSU, the DSU).
2.5. In the field of fish catch techniques, fish and fish products processing:
·      Commercial Fisheries;
·      Fish and Fish Products Processing (ASTU, the University of Guilan, Atyrau State University);
2.6. The field of chemical processing of natural energy carriers and carbonic substances (ASTU, Atyrau and Aktau State Universities).
2.7. In the field of maritime technologies:
·      Shipbuilding and Oceanic Machinery (ASTU, the University of Mazandaran);
·      Ship Power Plant Operation (ASTU, Aktau State University).
The following decisions were taken as to the second item:
1.   To take the compiled list of specialities and fields into account, the further analysis and discussion of curricula and syllabuses being envisaged.
2.   To conduct discussion and to develop the content of curricula for these specialities with regard to national features, taking curricula and syllabuses worked out in ASTU as a background.
3.   To create a database for storing syllabuses, curricula and standards using a server "Internet" in ASTU.
4.   The Association university-members should send proposals as to the common content of that part of Educational Programme which is related to the peculiarities of the Caspian Region to ASTU in August-September 1997 where they will beeneralized and presented as the results of the activities of the universities at the 2nd Congress of the the Heads of the Universities held in Gorgan.
5.   To suggest that the Universities of Gorgan, Mazandaran and Guilan should add specialities they have chosen for collaboration to the compiled list by May 1, 1997.
 
 
Head of the Section "Educational Programmes
and Technologies", ASTU Deputy-Director in
charge of academic and methodological activity                                      Prof. A.S.Kurylev.
Secretary, a Manager of the ASTU Library of
Methodological Literature and Appliances                                      Ms. M.A.Kuznetsova.