Ural Federal University: University Lecturer Became One of the Best Lecturers in Russia

The awarding ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian contest “League of Lecturers” took place on December 1 in the Digital Business Space (Moscow). This large-scale project is aimed at searching, selecting and revealing talented lecturers, professionals from different fields of knowledge. One of the 50 winners of the contest was Anastasia Stepanova, senior lecturer of the Ural Federal University Center for the Development of Universal Competences.

The competition consisted of five stages, and in each it was necessary to demonstrate skills in public speaking. At the first stage, each participant had to shoot a two-minute video about himself/herself and his/her professional activities. Semifinal was a live performance of the speaker in a remote format. After all, a good lecturer must work competently with the audience – to keep the attention, to be on the same wave and interact with the audience – in any environment. The finals of the competition were held in the top universities of Moscow, and the performances of the participants were judged by students.

Anastasia Stepanova performed lectures in such professional fields as conflictology, self-management, and psychology. In the final lecture “Under Pressure” in 20 minutes Anastasia revealed the actual topic of nervous tension, emotional burnout and stress for the end of the calendar year.

“We are often told how important it is to develop flexibility to be successful in such a volatile world. In reality, however, the growing number of cases, deadlines, responsibilities and demands of society only drive us into a corner where we anxiously await another blow from the external environment. How to cope with increasing nervous tension and how to begin to live, not survive in a race for success – this was my lecture,” said Anastasia Stepanova.

The teacher noted that her final presentation was interactive in nature: there was a lot of communication with the audience, and at the end everyone in the room participated in a small psychological experiment.

“I am very happy that the students were active, interested and highly appreciated my presentation,” Anastasia shared her impressions.

The winners of the competition received their awards from the hands of Sergey Kirienko, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Society “Znanie”.

“In order to enthuse young people, children and the younger generation, you need to burn yourself. It is not just a transfer of some set of knowledge, but emotions, your own passion and confidence. The future of the country depends on what the younger generation will be like. And so the most important task now is the transmission of knowledge, the transmission of attitudes towards life, self-confidence and that enthusiasm and motivation for the next generation. And that’s what you do. Thank you very much for that,” Sergey Kiriyenko noted.

The winners prize consists of cubes made from a rare rock – shungite, weighing over 2.5 kilograms. The choice of material underscores the unique talent of the lecturers and their significant contribution to the development of education in the country. Sergei Kiriyenko also announced that the winners of the first season of the “League of Lecturers” will receive grants of 500 thousand rubles for training and improving their skills.

The winners also received the honorary status of lecturer of the Russian Society “Znanie” and the opportunity to speak at the best educational venues in the country.