Satbayev University Enhances Educational Programs Through EMINReM Project
The work is being carried out within the international ERASMUS project "Master Programme in Eco-Mining and Innovative Natural Resources Management," which is aimed at modernizing master's degree educational programs in the field of mining and surveying, taking into account the principles of sustainable development.
Faculty members of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy have joined 22 partners from different countries to prepare masters capable of efficiently managing resources and implementing environmentally friendly mining methods.
One of the important components of the project is exchange meetings held in various countries. The first educational visit took place from November 21 to 24, 2023, at Kütahya Dumlupınar University (Turkey). Almost the entire faculty of the Department of Mining Engineering of Dumlupınar University attended the meeting as hosts, while guest delegations represented universities from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Satbayev University and Karaganda Technical University named after Abylkas Saginov participated from Kazakhstan.
During the working sessions, the program moderator, Vasyl Mamrai, acquainted project participants with the idea, goals, objectives, and key organizational aspects of the project. Then, representatives of participating universities shared detailed information about master's programs in "Mining Engineering" and "Mine Surveying" offered at their universities. Educational programs of Satbayev University were presented by Associate Professor Ayan Toktarov from the Department of Mine Surveying and Geodesy, and Senior Lecturer Gulnara Bahmagambetova from the Department of Mining Engineering.
Special interest and active discussions were sparked by topics related to online learning programs, gamification of the learning process using VR technologies, and quality assurance processes in education. Special attention was paid to forms of education such as "problem-based learning" to encourage creativity and student independence.
The working visit also included an introductory tour of the university's educational and experimental research laboratories.
In March 2024, second training sessions for teachers and researchers were held in Germany at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Teachers from Satbayev University familiarized with advanced experience in content and teaching methods on the topic of "Ecological Extraction of Mineral Resources" shared by partners from the European Union. Representatives from 7 universities in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan participated in the program.
As benchmarks for the modernization of educational programs, master's programs such as "SINReM" and "Sustainable Development in Mining and Reclamation" were presented. SINReM is an international master's program in sustainable and innovative natural resource management developed and implemented between three universities: TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany), Ghent University (Belgium), and Uppsala University (Sweden). Partner universities presented their master's educational programs in Mining and Mine Surveying, followed by a discussion on ways to modernize the presented educational programs.
From Satbayev University, Associate Professor Ayan Toktarov and Senior Lecturer Daruesh Galamat participated in the discussion, presenting master's programs in "Mining Engineering", "Mine Surveying", and "Mineral Processing" at Satbayev University, providing a detailed description of their content and technical equipment of the laboratories where classes are conducted. After the presentations, participants discussed these educational programs and outlined ways to modernize them by incorporating new modern disciplines based on the experience of leading European partner universities of the program.
At the end of the working visit, our teachers familiarized with the laboratories of the digital learning environment of the Department of Mining Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, as well as with semi-industrial and industrial laboratory research centers, which will allow applying the acquired experience in improving the laboratories of our university in the future.
Thus, the ERASMUS EMINReM project at Satbayev University continues its work, deepening international cooperation and contributing to the development of education and scientific research in the field of sustainable use of natural resources and innovative management of them. The project supports the transfer of the latest knowledge and advanced experience in the field of sustainable eco-mining engineering, contributing to sustainable development in the field of education. The grant holders of the project are the State University "Zhytomyr Polytechnic".
