Every year, Voronezh State University welcomes over 70 international academic exchange students. During the coronavirus outbreak, when the borders between countries are closed, students from international partner universities who were supposed to come to VSU in September were provided with a chance to complete their programmes online. The International Relations office continues to receive distance learning applications from France (the University of Lille), Turkey (Marmara University, (Istanbul), Akdeniz University (Antalya), Izmir Katip Celebi University (Izmir)), and partner universities from Japan. The most popular programme among international students is the programme by the International Education Institute “Russian as a Foreign Language” which was successfully tested online this spring. As a result, many students decided to continue studying Russian online in the new semester.
On 15 September, international students started their courses on the educational portal “Electronic University VSU”. The disciplines are taught by lecturers from the International Education Institute, the Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, the Faculty of International Relations, and the Faculty of Philology. E-courses cannot replace the experience of studying abroad, visiting the country, the city, and the university, however, it will allow us to maintain academic exchange programmes despite temporary mobility restrictions.
