PhD, Associate Professor N.B. Serova¹
PhD, Associate Professor V.V. Gail^1
1Ural Federal University (UrFU), Yekaterinburg

Keywords: physical education, physical culture, higher education system, department, faculty, institute.

Background. Presently Ural Federal University is one of the leading universities of the Sverdlovsk region training specialists for the national sports sector.

Objective of the study was to make a retrospective analysis of the years-long education, research and sport policies and practices of the Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of Ural Federal University.

Study results and discussion. Professor, Dr. Med. Sci. V.V. Skryabin was the first head of the academic Physical Education Department in the period of September 1932 to November 1934. He endorsed a regulation to spell out responsibilities of the physical education group managers and introduced a stipend accrual system to factor in the students’ progress in the academic physical education discipline [6, pp. 139-143].

In the period from December 1934 to 1970, the Physical Education Department was headed by Associate Professor, PhD A.M. Vishnevskiy who made a valuable contribution to the first All-round Sport Games and GTO Complex implementation projects; helped establish an Academic Sports Club in 1945; and put on track the academic mass sports. He made a lot to establish the first medical examination station at the Institute to monitor the students’ health [1, pp. 29-37].

A large contribution to the UFU physical education and sports in the fast-progress period of 1971-1986 was made by Associate Professor and Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sports of Russia Y.L. Polikarpov who was appointed as Physical Education Department Head in 1971. It was due to his efforts that the academic physical education course of 2 hours per week was implemented in the four academic yearly curricula [3, p. 298].

Progress of Ural Polytechnic University gave a boost to the Physical Education Department activities and, as a result, the establishment was soon acknowledged the leading academic Physical Education Department in the Urals. In 1984, the Physical Education Department was headed by PhD Biology, Dr. Hab., Professor, Master of Sport of the USSR L.S. Dvorkin who helped establish elite athletic training systems in different academic sport disciplines. It was due to the efforts of this highly knowledgeable, perfectly cultured and ambitious leader that the academic Physical Education Department was established at the University in 1988 with L.S. Dvorkin nominated its first Dean.

It was in May 1991, that Dr. Hab., Professor, Master of Sport of the USSR L.A. Rapoport was appointed to the Physical Education Department Dean position. He heavily contributed to the top-level academics being recruited to the Physical Education Department; new sport assets provided; educational process supported by systemic education and practical provisions; and the academic athletes renowned by their high sport culture, standards and traditions. As a result, in 1994 the academic Physical Education discipline was qualified a diploma specialty followed by the academic Corporate Management discipline launched in 1997. With the new diploma specialties, in November 2004 the Physical Education Department was upgraded to Institute of Physical Education, Social Services and Tourism to train not only traditional physical education and sports specialists but also sector managers, social service and tourism specialists, advertising and public relations specialists for the national physical culture and sports sector. The Institute trained specialists in academic 032103 Recreation and Health Sports and Tourism and 032102 Adaptive Physical Education disciplines [1, p. 45].

It was in 2006 that Dr.Hab., Professor S.V. Novakovskiy was appointed the Institute Director. It was due to his persistent efforts that the football field was improved by artificial all-weather cover; new indoor sport hall, indoor tennis courts and martial arts gyms were put into operation; and four academic departments were furnished with new education and training classes and facilities.

In 2011 PhD., Associate Professor, Honorary Physical Education Specialist N.B. Serova was appointed to direct the Institute by Rector V.A. Koksharov, and was at least as successful in this position as her predecessors. Most recently the Institute title was revised and an Institute Development Program for the Period up to 2020 was developed.

As things now stand, the modern Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy provides the three-level (bachelor, master, post-graduate) education services to about thousand students at the following four departments: Physical Education Theory Department; Physical Education Sector Management Department; Health Service and Technologies Department; and Youth Activity Management Department. More than 16,000 students are being trained at the sports facilities of the Institute by the Physical Education Department faculty.

The Institute faculty is highly knowledgeable and experienced to build due competences and skills in the students. Lectures are delivered by 15 Doctors of Science, 21 Professors, and 65 PhDs, with many staff members qualified Masters of Sports, World Class Masters of Sports, Honorary Masters of Sports, Honored Coaches of Russia/USSR and Honorary Physical Education Sector Specialists.

To facilitate the academic progress of the students, most of the education materials including lectures, presentations and practical tasks are now accessible from any part of the world via Internet with application of the relevant remote education technology. Presently the Institute is training about thirty students from other countries namely: Bulgaria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Columbia, Mexico, Tadzhikistan, Turkey, Ukraine and Croatia; and the local students are also free to opt for practical or probative studies at foreign universities.

In 2012 the Institute management established a Sport Selection and Rehabilitation Technology Research Laboratory equipped with modern high-tech systems made by the leading companies to secure high-quality all-round scientific support for the academic sports and elite sports with the relevant rehabilitation and progress control and correction technologies. Study reports of the Laboratory have been ranked high and awarded at international research events many times.

Staff members of the Laboratory have been on probation trainings at the leading Russian and foreign universities and research centres including Cambridge University, London South Bank University, Bologna University, Strasbourg University, European Board of Sports Medicine, American Board of Sports Medicine, Moscow Humanitarian Medical University named after Sechenov and others; and have actively participated with their study reports at international congresses and conferences.

Large contribution to the Institute innovative activity was made by the Innovation and Implementation Centre (IIC) ‘Sport Technologies’ which statutory business is dominated by the research developments in metrology and certification of sport facilities, with the certified facilities being registered with the Register of the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports. In 2015 the IIC joined the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) – and was the first Russian university to join in fact. The IIC uses DelTec test system made in Netherlands to test the cover materials applied in sport facilities in compliance with the relevant international standards applied by FIFA, UEFA, FIH, IAAF and FIBA.

It is now common for the Institute to invite leading Russian and foreign researchers, highly reputable practitioners, politicians and culture sector specialists to deliver lectures to its students – including Doctor, Sport Psychology Professor Sidonio Serpa from Portugal; Swedish Professor Unestål Lars Erik; British Professor Katya Mileva; Professor of Sofia University Tatyana Yancheva; sport psychologist for the Bulgarian Olympic Team, Doctor of Sport Management Marius-Cristian Frunza from France; Professor of Kazakhstan National University n.a. El-Farabi A.R. Masalimova, and many others.

The Institute is proud of its unique research experience, particularly in the young population statuses and problems studies, the experience providing the effective resource-sensitive toolkits for the education projects designed for this population group. The interdisciplinary research teams and associations established by the Institute help solve the most critical problems of the modern research in cooperation with the Institute departments and student research groups. Academic staff members of the Institute defend theses in different research field every year: thus lately three academicians defended their PhD theses, with one of them being the Institute graduate. Research findings of the Institute academicians are reported and discussed on a regular basis at the relevant international and national congresses and conferences, including those hosted by the Institute. The growing stock of research findings and developments of the Institute staff is published on a yearly basis both in the relevant research anthologies and electronic research archive of USU.

The USU Sports Club is well supplied by sport facilities and grounds to host 30 sport teams successfully trained on a regular basis. Competitive accomplishments of the University athletes in the top-ranking international events heavily contribute to the USU image, make its brand name widely known both in Russia and abroad, and provide a great motivation for the thousands of university students and athletes in the academic physical education and sports process and for promotion of healthy lifestyle and mass sports in the student communities. The University management takes persistent efforts to facilitate the competitive progress and give every gifted student a chance to prove him/herself in the relevant sport events and competitions.

The gifted academic athletes are engaged in excellence trainings to secure further competitive accomplishments. Thus last year World Class Master of Sport S. Kovalyov won the World Champion titles in three professional boxing nominations; World Class Master of Sport N. Fakhrutdinov won a Student Champion title in football; Candidate Master of Sports A. Garashenko won a Champion title in snowkiting; Candidate Master of Sports A. Kaminskaya won silver in the Russian Championship and bronze in the International Tournament in Finland; D. Fakiryanov became a Russian Champion and twice Russian Cup Finals winner in mountaineering; Master of Sport S. Kobeleva won the Russian Champion title with the USU women’s football team; Master of Sport D. Gabiulina won a World Champion title in karate; World Class Master of Sport A. Rasov won the Russian Cup in high jumps and a silver medal in the Russian Junior Championship; and Honorary Master of Sport P. Datsyuk won the titles of World and Olympic Champion.

The Institute curricula lure many sport celebrities into the academic community. Thus the following leading national athletes have entered the Institute for the last two years: Olympic Champion in gymnastics, Honorary Master of Sport A. Tatareva; World Champion in biathlon P. Shevnina; prize winner of the 2013 World Swimming Championship and bronze medallist of the European Championship D. Ustinova; World Junior Boxing Champion S. Murashev; and 2016 Olympic Games Champion D. Belyavskiy.

Conclusion. The study gives a detailed account of the history of the sport specialist training services provided by the Institute. More than 2000 physical education and sport specialists who have successfully contributed to the national physical culture and sports sector progress, often in the top management positions, have been trained in the Institute for the study period. Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of Ural Federal University is highly successful as a leader of the sport specialist training in the area, and is doing its best to keep up the quality of the sport specialist education.

References

1. Dvorkin L.S., Chermit K.D., Davydov O.Y. Fizicheskoe vospitanie studentov. Ucheb. posobie [Physical education of students. Study guide]. Rostov-on-Don: Fenix publ.; Krasnodar: Neoglori publ., 2008, 700 p.
2. Rapoport L.A., Gushchin S.N., Piratinskiy A.E. Minuty dlitelny, a gody bystrotechny [Minutes are long, and years are short]. Ekaterinburg: USTU-UPI publ., 2005, 56 p.
3. Naboychenko S.S. UGTU-UPI: ocherki istorii. 1920-2005 [USTU-UPI: historical essays. 1920-2005]. Yekaterinburg: AMB publ., 2005, 608 p.

Corresponding author: d_narkhov@mail.ru

Abstract

In the study the authors makes a retrospective analysis of the Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy evolution to the leading educational establishment in the Middle Urals where specialists for the national physical education and sports sector are trained. Special emphasis was made on the persistent reforms to secure progress of the establishment from a technical university Department to the modern Institute providing the three-level (bachelor, master, post-graduate) education service. Subject to a special analysis were the policies and practices of the Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy to address the new educational process challenges.

The study gives a detailed account of the history of the sport specialist training services provided in the Institute. More than 2000 physical education and sport specialists who have successfully contributed to the national physical culture and sports sector progress, often in the top management positions, have been trained in the Institute for the study period. The Institute of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of Ural Federal University is highly successful as a leader of the sport specialist training in the area, and is doing its best to keep up the quality of the sport specialist education.