The primary advantage of teleteaching is the possibility to offer lectures (domestic as well as foreign) to any student living in any location. While the distance learning gradually becomes reality, quite insufficient attention, in our opinion, is paid to the problem of quality of teaching.
To ensure high quality of distance education, it is necessary to attract highly skilled faculty. The suggested SAVU (Siberian Advanced Virtual University) project is unique in that it draws upon extremely high qualifications of the academics and researchers that work in the Siberian Scientific Center (Novosibirsk, Russia). As a matter of fact, the very concept of the Center was to create special working conditions for scientists and educators, which was to a certain degree exceptional during the period of Soviet history reffered to as "stagnation". Because of these conditions there was an unusual concentration in Siberia of highly competent and independent teachers and students. As a result, the new Novosibirsk university established as a part of the Scientific Center became one of the reputable educational institutions, well-known in Russia and abroad. In addition, Alexey Lyapunov, a brilliant Russian scientist known as "the father of Russian cybernetics", organized here a new type of advanced high school, the so-called "Physico-Mathematical School", where students prepare for studies at Novosibirsk University. The traditions of Russian science, in particular those of the Siberian Scientific Center, will ensure the required qualifications of SAVU lecturers.
The preliminary version of the SAVU curriculum contains the following courses:
Mathematics
Prof. A. Fet
Physics
Prof. Yu Kulakov
Genetics
Prof. V. Ratner
Ecology
Prof. A. Titlyanova
Interaction between the
Environment and Society
Prof. R. Khlebopross
Russian Literature
Prof. Yu. Chumakov
Russian Music
Dr. L Petrova
Russian Cinema
Prof. L. Boyarski
Psychology
Mr. R. Connor
The History of Siberia
Dr. S. Kamyshan
The History of
Computer Science
Prof. Ya. Fet
At present, general plans of the above courses have been prepared, while detailed plans taking into account the rich possibilities of new information technologies are being designed. As the SAVU project develops further, a numbert of additional courses will be included in the curriculum. The courses will be bilingual (in Russian and in English), accomodating the needs of both Russian and Western students.
In our opinion, the realization of this project will be of special importance
for the contemporary Russia suffering from the lack of democracy, since
only the enlightment through scientific and cultural education can guarantee
genuine democratic development. We also hope that the original lectures
of Siberian scientists within the framework of SAVU will find their audience
in the Western countries, thus contributing to the integration in the field
of education and culture.