For teaching staff of regional universities the participation in the ENTEP project meant valuable experience and enormous progress. Within the project events I collected relevant information and gained new skills for my teaching. Thanks to the internship I got the chance to use up-to-date instruments when working with students. The modern methods and tools of formative assessment helped to enhance learning and interacting of students. Training under the project surely contributed to improving my qualification, making my classes more tempting and fascinating and, I hope, raising the quality of students knowledge and skills.

Svetlana Vlazneva, Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Theory and International Relations,
Penza State University

I would like to thank the ENTEP project team for the opportunity to attend online seminars organised by European partner institutions! Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I did not have the opportunity to visit these institutions personally and complete internships there, but thanks to the project team, I was able to participate in these seminars in the online mode. They were very informative and interesting. I broadened my horizons and improved my English language skills. I look forward to the involvement in such international seminars and conferences in the future.

Albina Dubina, Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Theory and International Relations,
Penza State University

My involvement in the ENTEP project started during the workshop at Stiftung Universität Hildesheim (Germany), where I met the incredible team under the supervision of Professor Beatrix Kress. The favourable environment at the workshop brought together all the participants for fruitful work. While participating in the international conference “Exploring cross-border collaborations in higher education institutions: teaching and learning” (Kazan, October 2018), I got acquainted with interesting people, comprehended the project and explored the achievements of all partner-universities. The amazing conference at Sanya University (China, November 2019) showed the specific educational models at each university, as well as common interest in advancing education and prospects for integrating ideas and visions. Unfortunately, starting from 2020 the meetings were held online that surely impeded the creativity. However, this did not stop the effective work during webinars with European experts and this even increased the number of participants. Trends of online teaching, maintaining students motivation online, delivering blended learning, bite size teaching, creative teaching approaches are very important issues in my professional life. I sincerely thank the project initiators, partner-universities and PSU team for excellent opportunities for mutual cooperation.

Tatiana Glotova, Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Aided Design Systems,
Penza State University

From 27 January to 8 February 2020 I completed the professional development course designed within the ENTEP project under Erasmus+ Capacity Building and offered at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Erasmus+. The course materials were divided into 5 modules and delivered at lecture and practice classes. The centre trainers relied on information, communication and interactive technologies for teaching and assigned individual and group tasks. The climate during the course was favourable. The trainers and trainees shared their personal experience in applying teaching methods and techniques and presented their practices of upgrading teaching and learning at the university. Following the professional development course I use obtained knowledge in my professional activity.

Yuliya Kaftulina, Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Theory and International Relations,
Penza State University

Within the professional development course “Enhancing teaching practices at PSU”, I explored the Bologna process, its strengths, weaknesses and ways to overcome them (using the cases from partner-universities). Major emphasis was placed on new approaches to teaching students. I especially remember the format of role-playing games, during which students may fix the covered material in the concentrated way. This approach enables students not only to consolidate theoretical knowledge in practice, but also to develop teamwork skills (and other soft skills).

Maksim Safronov, postgraduate student (Photonics, Instrument Engineering,
Optical and Biotechnical Systems and Technologies. Medical Devices, Systems and Products),
Penza State University

The engagement in the ENTEP project contributed to the significant development of my professional life. During the internship at Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (Portugal) and international conference at the University of Sanya (China), I established professional and personal relations with colleagues from European and Chinese higher education institutions. These events provided me with the opportunity to discuss the topical teaching and learning issues in higher education, share best practices, explore new trends in teaching. This undoubtedly gave the impetus to my professional growth and personal development.

Olga Androsova, Associate Professor of the Department of Translation and Translation Theory,
Penza State University

The online seminars of EU universities on their teaching practices were conducted at the high professional level. The most striking were the presentations showing real experience of specialists from various study fields in online learning in the context of limited resources. The overview of digital teaching and learning tools was of high quality. I highly commend the work of all European colleagues, who prepared and delivered materials within the seminars.

Aleksandr Tychkov, Professor of the Department of Radioengineering and Radioelectronic Systems,
Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Fundamental and Applied Studies,
Penza State University

The participation in the ENTEP project activities was the excellent opportunity to explore the features of organising the teaching and learning process in various countries, general tendencies and main challenges in European higher education, to see the best practices of foreign colleagues and eventually to get the incentive for further professional development.

Andrei Kuzmin, Associate Professor of the Department of Information and Computation Systems,
Penza State University