Caspian public university academic policy

14. Academic mobility policy

14.1. According to the educational quality policy, an important objective of the university is to ensure the academic mobility of students, teachers and researchers. In this regard, the following tasks are identified:

1) improving the quality of higher and postgraduate education;
2) improving the efficiency of scientific research;
3) establishment and realization of external and internal integration relations;
4) increasing the competitiveness of specialists in the Kazakh labor market;
5) formation of intercultural communication skills and other competencies necessary for the successful professional activity among participants of academic mobility.
14.2. Academic mobility is the movement of students and teachers for a certain period of time to another educational or scientific institution within Kazakhstan or abroad for the purpose of learning or teaching.
14.3. Credits mastered within the academic mobility programs are subject to traansfer (see credit recognition/credit transfer).
14.4. The following forms of academic mobility are implemented in CPU:
1) internal academic mobility is the movement for a certain academic period (semester or academic year) to another higher educational institution within Kazakhstan;
2) external international academic mobility is the movement for a certain academic period (semester or academic year) to a foreign higher educational institution;
3) inbound academic mobility is the mobility for admission, movement of students or teachers (including foreign ones) from other universities inside the country or abroad to study or teach at CPU;
4) outgoing academic mobility is the movement of students or teachers to study or teach at another university within the country or abroad.
14.5. Mainly academic mobility of students and teaching staff is ensured by sending them to foreign partner universities for:
 Joint programs (double diploma programs);
 Training in academic exchange programs;
 scientific and pedagogical training;
 participation in summer schools;
 upgrading skills’ courses;
 Teaching and research activities.
 academic mobility of Master’s and PhD program students may also be carried out in the form of a scientific and practical internship.
14.6. External outgoing academic mobility is carried out through participation in competitions, partner programs, internships, etc., according to the students and teaching staff initiative. As for the inbound external mobility, the organization of academic mobility of foreign students involves deans, SSC, legal adviser, and AM coordinator.
14.7. Internal inbound and outbound academic mobility is coordinated by the deans, SSC, legal counsel, and AM coordinator. To implement the internal incoming and outgoing AM, it is necessary to have an agreement on AM between a foreign university and a Kazakhstani university.
14.8. If academic mobility of students takes place at the expense of funds allocated by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a competition is announced. The procedure for selecting applicants is carried out in accordance with the provision on the tender commission.
14.9. The duration of any form of academic mobility for the students and teaching staff is from 2 weeks to the full semester or one academic year.
14.10. The goals of CPU students and teaching staff academic mobility are to improve the quality of training, participate in the international system of higher education, ensure the competitiveness of students and teaching staff, and strengthen the prestige and image of the university in the market of educational services.
14.11. The main criteria for the abroad education’s selection within the framework of academic mobility are:
1) the level of a foreign language knowledge necessary for admission to higher educational institutions of the receiving party;
2) completion of at least one academic period in the home university;
3) academic performance at the end of the academic period;
4) GPA current performance of at least 3.5 (for applicants for mobility from the state budget);
5) excellent students (with grades A, A-), athletes, winners of subject Olympiads and competitions have a preferential right to academic mobility at the expense of the state budget and under international agreements.
14.12. Organizing the academic mobility, an individual curriculum is drawn up, and it includes disciplines to be studied at another university or at CPU and the educational agreement.
14.13. Agreements for academic mobility programs are executed by the center of monitoring and quality, the IC of the academic mobility program is formed with the assistance of advisors and leaders of educational programs.
14.14. Assignment or admission to academic mobility programs is carried out by the Rector’s order. It is done by the monitoring and quality center on the basis of agreements.
14.15. As for the elaboration of IC for the academic mobility program, part or all (if the results of the training meet the requirements of the educational program) of the discipline of the student’s current curriculum is replaced by the disciplines planned for study at another university.
14.16. If it is impossible to replace the disciplines of the main working curriculum of the educational program with the disciplines planned for study at another university. The IC of academic mobility is compiled according to the proposed program of the receiving university, and the disciplines of the CPU are mastered in the online format.
14.17. The transfer to distance learning for the part of the disciplines is carried out by the Rector’s order on the basis of the Dean’s application together with the monitoring and quality center. The academic department issues the order to transfer to distance learning.
14.18. Disciplines excluded from the student's IC and replaced by the disciplines of the academic mobility program are not subject to study at the CPU. The exception is the student's own will to study them, in this case the IC is adjusted and up to 36-40 semester credits are allowed to be registered.
14.19. After mastering the educational program, the document confirming the results of training is a transcript.
14.20. Positive assessments for the IC disciplines of the academic mobility program at another university are fully transferred in the corresponding amount of credits and are included in the current cumulative rating.
14.21. If unsatisfactory grades are received for the IC disciplines of the academic mobility program at another university (if the total number of academic backlogs does not exceed 3 disciplines and 15 credits), they are liquidated in the summer semester on a paid basis in CPU. If the academic backlogs exceed 15 credits, the student remains for re-course.
14.22. In case the academic mobility program is conducted at the expense of the state budget or funds allocated within the framework of the Erasmus exchange programs, etc. and it is not fulfilled by the student, it is subject to expulsion, with full reimbursement of the financial costs of academic mobility.
14.23. At the end of the academic mobility program, students submit documents confirming the fulfillment of the IC program. The monitoring and quality center makes a corresponding order for completing the program and credits’ transfer for the mastered disciplines.
14.24. The student has the right to apply for the studied disciplines inclusion in the list of disciplines presented in the appendix to the diploma as additional in excess of the normative number of credits of the basic curriculum, taking into account them or without them for calculating the cumulative rating. Disciplines entered into the transcript without specifying the mark or amount of credits cannot be taken into account.
14.25 The decision to include disciplines, such as additional disciplines, in the appendix to the diploma is made by the Dean of the corresponding Faculty/High School and passes the disciplines to the Registration Office for enrolling.
14.26. Records of credited disciplines are entered by the RO in the AIS of the university.
14.27. Students who are the holders of the State educational grant and who participate in the academic mobility program are paid a full scholarship, in accordance with the rules of appointment and payment of scholarships.
14.28. Academic mobility of students is carried out in the framework of agreements with university partners, tripartite agreements (CPU/student/host University), invitation letters.
14.29. It is necessary to submit an invitation from the university, research institutes, conference organizers, etc for applying for training, internship under the AM program. In the case of providing services to the other party on a reimbursable basis (giving lectures), a corresponding contract must be concluded.
14.30. Receiving an official invitation, teachers and researchers who plan an individual educational trajectory, academic or research program should agree with the university management on all conditions and deadlines for AM. On the basis of the statement approved by the rector, the Department of Human Resources (hereinafter referred to as DHR) issues an appropriate order on the secondment under the AM program.
14.31. Based on the results of the AM, a copy of the participation certificate in the conference, upgrading training courses, etc. are submitted to the DHR. Reporting documents (boarding passes, check for payment for hotel accommodation) are submitted to the accounting department if the university participated in the financing of the trip. It is also necessary to submit a report on the results of the trip in the established form.
14.32. In the case of the teaching staff’s internal incoming and outgoing AM related to teaching activities, the parties specify the conditions and form of service provision (exit, virtual mobility). A partnership agreement is signed and a service agreement is drawn up.
14.33. In order to invite foreign teaching staff to the university, it is necessary to have an agreement on cooperation with the university of the invited party or directly with the specialist himself. The corresponding direction of the specialty is agreed by the Dean and the EP Leader on the visit program, lecture hours, and the target audience. With a positive decision of the university management, the AM coordinator issues an official invitation for the name of a foreign scientist. Upon the arrival of a foreign scientist, an agreement on the provision of services is signed and during the stay a fee is paid for the teaching hours.
14.34. Control over the status of a foreign teacher, conclusion/termination of the contract (in agreement with accounting department), registration are carried out by a legal adviser.
14.35. In case of teaching staff exchange, each university pays the expenses and maintenance of its specialist for the duration of AM.