Mission of Minin University: ‘Higher school of pedagogics: from personal success to national development’

The set of goals to guide the reform of teacher education, lies in conjunction of expert assessments developed, including those by the framework of the Ministry of Education and Science "New Leaders of Higher Education" (2012 - 2013) by the "New Teacher Education" group and forms the basis for the project "Minin University" represents a transformation system going from " modern teacher education" to "teacher Education for the Future" by the transition:

  • from linear to non-linear model of the organization of the educational process and teaching logistics, providing modular schemes and practice-oriented basic educational programs;
  • from standardized to team-individual training model that provides both the implementation of individual educational path and the formation team-working competencies and preparation of "change teams" that will work in schools;
  • from geographically– fixed to open universal model that provides a system of integral practices, high mobility, partnerships and export of the domestic model of teacher education;
  • from the “Lecture/ seminar” system to the project-oriented team learning;
  • from Subject- to Human-oriented model, recognition of human capital for the status of a fundamental resource for the development of the country and the region, ensure the development of personal and team initiative, freedom of creativity, intellectual aspirations, cultivation of personal success, awareness of the need for civil liberties and personal responsibility for the sake of national and regional development.

In scope of this array of challenges, trends and risks in 2012 in Nizhny Novgorod region the project "Minin University" was launched, in 2013 an agreement was signed with the Ministry of Education of the Nizhny Novgorod region, that recognized this project as the "support regional university on pedagogical, psycho- pedagogical, speech pathology, humanitarian education and education in the field of culture and art and physical education", which provides a sustainable regional social development through the formation and development of personnel potential among teachers in the run up to 2023.

The project "Minin University" has three stages and is designed for the period from 2012 to 2023

The mission of this stage:
"Teach to educate and learn.
Rising anticipatory development of higher education’s quality for the sake of training and education of the teacher-innovator, innovation specialist capable of providing socio-economic growth of the Nizhny Novgorod region and the Russian Federation and their own personal progress throughout life under any circumstances. "
In September 2013 the university initiated the transition to project management on the main and additional functionality in order to elaborate a new developmental strategy up to 2023.A need for establishing of 12 strategic initiatives has aroused, which together accounted for models of quality educational platform (QEP):
 Project
(strategic initiative)
 Core points Planned outcomes
 Enter into profession  Personal and professional career guidance center Assures the selection of highly motivated university entrants and provides support for beginner teachers: from early detection of abilities to early vocational guidance and advanced employment.
 Digital Pedagogics  E-learning and E-learning environment Open teacher education in the context of the world's best case studies
 Partnership without boundaries  Integral practices, joint education, joined educational modules involving partners in the RF and abroad, joined degree. Distributed teacher education: from a regional framework through transregionalization to the global mission of teacher education as a pedagogical format for each and everyone
 EMA-UMO (Educational Methodical Association –USEFULMOBILEOFFICE)  Certification Center. The support element of pedagogical cluster. A system of experts platforms for the professional community and employers, aimed at sharing the best practices
 CLINICAL PRACTICE FRAMEWORK  A school-trainer, integrative practices. Changing the «high school - teacher -pupil- student» interaction model
 TEACHER OF THE FUTURE  Mobile  nonlinear design system of competences: a prototype GEF 5.0 A new training system that provides a new division of pedagogical work
 HR («TOVA-RISCHESTVO"): STAFF  QUALITY MANAGEMENT  Center for staff assessment and development KPI implementations and the transition to dialogue on professional development
 R&D: 1-2-3  Implementation of the «One-two-three» model (Leader) - (Leader + collaboration) - (+ rating publication+ grants + involvement of partners into TOE)
 High School of Social Initiatives  A new type of studying community Professional education: social project work and teamwork
 International Standard  Quality management system Best global practices benchmarking
 Management Accounting  Financial and economic support for marketing strategy Efficient financial management
 Patronage  Public strategy management A system of positive stakeholders. Business Partnership.


The system of strategic initiatives implies three stages of implementation:

  • substantiation and development of design models and the launch of pilot programs (2013 - 2014);
  • «quick wins" - the introduction of pilots for each of the projects and the achievement of the "shift" - "breakthrough" stage that creates the basis for replication (2014 - 2015);
  • «consolidation» of pilots, unification of strategic initiatives, implementation of the quality educational platform (QEP) (2015 - 2017).
Pursuing the objectives of trans-regional development and ensuring the formation of personnel reserve of the region and the Volga Federal District in the field of pedagogical, psycho-pedagogical, special needs, humanitarian, social-service education and education in the fields of culture and art, and physical education, Minin University will carry out the next phase of the fundamental transformation of the primary and ancillary activities aimed at implementation of the «Open Teacher Education of the Future» (OTEotF) and the final transformation of the university into a "public educational corporation" (PEC), based on the embedded model of the pedagogical cluster.

PEC will obtain the support regional University status of the cluster type implementing transregional network cooperation with leading universities and generating e Teacher Education export in collaboration with foreign partner universities.

This will be an institution which carries out its social and educational practices within the network of open educational platform, evolved from the "ProjectUniversity " model to the "Public Educational Corporation." Its elements are:
  • a system of public educational services, based on the development of MOOCs (the principle of an educational "service book" and the support of professional development as a specific device), suggesting hard consideration of the need for preparation and rotation of teaching staff in the region and the Volga Federal District;
  • open multi-functional educational cluster, which linked all levels of teacher education in the region (70% of educational institutions), domestic and foreign partners;
  • outsourcing of educational programs (recruitment in the free market, both for teachers and course and partners)
  • educational routes for primary and additional personal and professional development, group educational routes as a trend, implemented in the network of international clinical practices program, anticipatory trans-regional enrollment and Multi-Blended-Learning, aimed at combination of subject and super-subject competencies formed by the principle of "advanced teaching" ;
  • a system of independent professional cyclic certification (quality assessment of graduates by the professional community) and providing international educational qualifications and expertise of the quality of professional development, independent of any regional system.

Presentation of project

The Declaration of the project