Pedagogical support for adapting and training personnel for the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation through international educational cooperation

Aim. To develop and substantiate a theory-based model for providing pedagogical support to engineering and technical personnel, as well as management professionals, in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF), considering the shift in international educational cooperation towards partners in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS, given the suspension of cooperation with Western Arctic states.
Methods. A comprehensive methodology was applied, including a comparative pedagogical analysis of educational programs; content analysis of regulatory documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and relevant universities in the Arctic region; an expert survey of representatives of the National Arctic Scientific and Educational Consortium (NANOK) and the Russian-Asian Consortium for Arctic Research (n = 34); and a statistical analysis of trends in the number of international students enrolled in Arctic-related programs for 2019–2025.
Results. From 2019 to 2025, the percentage of international students from the Asia-Pacific region who were enrolled in Arctic educational programs increased from about 12% to 41%. A model of pedagogical support comprising three components — adaptation, competency, and reflection and assessment — has been developed. The model was tested using network programs with universities in China and India. Conventional models of pedagogical support initially designed for culturally homogeneous student communities proved ineffective when applied to students from Southeast and South Asia. This is due to differences in educational traditions, language barriers, and a lack of adaptation to the local climate.
Conclusion. The proposed model can serve as a foundation for designing dual-degree educational programs and fostering network collaboration between Russian Arctic universities and their international partners. However, further research is needed to longitudinally assess the professional adaptation of joint program graduates at AZRF enterprises.

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