4. Supermarket University

A

^à When you encounter the word ‘credit’, which resembles the Russian word ‘кредит’, it is wise to check its English meaning. Read about this category of words, in Supplementary Material for Unit 2. International Words.

fter World War II, due to democratization and mass spread of education, education in developed countries is becoming a more and more affordable and open branch of economy, bringing high income that causes its commercialization. Education is seen as buying and selling service here. University is understood as a big supermarket with a great number of services to be bought. A student goes round this supermarket and chooses services that he needs. Не takes these services as a customer puts goods into his basket at a supermarket.

This model was worked out in American universities. This type is associated with the credit^à system of education. Students study academic disciplines and get a number of credits that can be accepted at another university of the State or even other country. Students get a definite list of courses, the majority of which are elective (optional). The better the funding of a university, the more elective courses one can take (though with some majors, like law, there are very few electives). In this case it was necessary to take credits as a constraint, thus giving the possibility of control while transferring students to next year, another course or from one University to another.

A new figure of educational manager appears with this type of universities. He doesn't treat students as individuals. His job is to ensure the process of students’ following educational schemes and getting credits and also to control the work of the educational mechanism in general. This is also a kind of a conveyer, but more flexible, providing space for students’ independent work. The amount of direct contact between the professors and students is minimized in such a system. Professors sometimes give tutorials, but usually ask more than answer.

5. Project University

This type also originated in developed countries, in particular, in the advanced US universities and in the best Universities of the former USSR (e.g., Physic Technological University). This type doesn’t presuppose teaching groups of students. It focuses on familiarizing students with project practice and early professional training by involving students into the work at places of their future professional activity (industrial companies, corporations and laboratories).

There is a very slight difference between teachers and students in this type of universities. Team work is necessary. Students and postgraduates, involved into a scientific project, form a project team. There are different specialists in this team who have their own goals in the project. Quite a concrete input into the project is required from everyone. Being in the process of carrying out projects, students get educated. It’s important that besides universal knowledge, students acquire creative thinking, communicative and business competence.

This type is impossible in large numbers. It`s difficult to control. This University type can`t be very big, with a high number of students. This type can be accepted into big University Corporations such as educational modules (colleges, institutes and/or business schools).