English as a Medium of Instruction on the Way to Sustainability and Internationalization in Non-English-Speaking Countries

The present chapter describes the comparative analysis of the implementation of English as a medium of instruction in Kazakhstan and other non-English speaking countries by presenting a small-scale study of revealing the attitudes of graduate students and lecturers towards EMI in Kazakhstan. Compared to other countries, Kazakhstan has a number of similar issues in the implementation of English as a medium of instruction, which creates the possibility of performing a practice based on the experience of others. The research on English as a medium of instruction has revealed that EMI in Kazakhstan is in need of further guidance and investigation.

Geopolitics and Economic Sustainability Nexus

New trends in market relations require new methods to solve issues towards TNCs and other actors within multilateral diplomacy. The use of economic diplomacy and responsible business is essential for TNCs to achieve the sustainability in global trading system. It is important due to frequent political changes in the modern world, to which TNCs are highly susceptible, and therefore, must be reliably protected by revised international law, clearly enshrined into relevant multilateral agreements. As the legal status of TNCs is somehow blurred, the cases of unstable TNCs performance due to political atrocities may occur. The latter leads to disruptions in their work making them to obey states' interests and further concern of the issue from states and global business entities. The disruption of both agent interests creates an overall economic instability and negatively affects the process of sustainability achieving. The work summarizes some problems TNCs face due to confrontation between states, and the question of the importance of economic diplomacy use and legal support for TNCs.

Implementation of Multilingual Education for Sustainable Development in the Netherlands and Kazakhstan

The chapter presents a comparative analysis of the implementation of multilingual/bilingual education in Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. The study explores the origin and role of multilingualism, for socio-economic development, relevant regional and international practices in multilingual education, the growth of trilingual instruction, English language training and the use of digital technologies (distant, e-learning programs) in the Eurasian region, Major common features and differences of implementing multilingual/bilingual teaching between the two case studies and the main findings from research trips are identified. A theoretical analysis of scholarly approaches, as well as practical and methodological implications, are made on the example of implementing multilingual instruction at the Kazakhstani agricultural higher educational institutions, particularly Kazakh National Agrarian University and Kazakh S. Seifullin Agritechnical University and Dutch counterparts - Wageningen University, and the Hague University of Applied Sciences.

The Impact of the Flipped Classroom on Students' Academic Achievements in Secondary Schools

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of flipped learning on students' academic achievements in the subject of science at Bilim Innovation Lyceums (BIL) in Kazakhstan. For this purpose, pre and post surveys were conducted on 168 students who were divided into two groups; the experimental group consisting of 84 students who took part in flipped learning classes for seven weeks and the control group consisting of 84 students who experienced the traditional method of classroom instruction at the same period. To achieve the objectives of the study, a final placement test score was used before and after the introduction of the flipped classroom model. The results of the study are summarized as follows. There were a significant difference between the two groups in terms of academic achievement when it measured by test scores before and after the concerned semester. On the basis of these findings, several suggestions were made for the schools to utilize innovative instructional methods including flipped learning for sustainable education in the future.

Digital Agropolis as a Model of Sustainable Development in Rural Areas of Eurasia Region

The concept of digital agropolis was proposed to ensure food security through the creation sustainable rural eco-settlements in the Eurasian region to produce environmentally friendly products through modern agricultural and digital technologies which cause minimal damage to nature. The digital agropolis model was developed in the form of a detailed description of the distinguishing features of structural systems, functions, and features that leverage green and digital technologies throughout all its components. The model can be replicated with modifications in the Eurasian countries, since it meets common strategic objectives, such as the sustainable development of rural territories; the export-oriented production/processing of organic agricultural products; the sustainable development of rural areas based on the green economy, smart agriculture, and the operations/logistics digitalization; and development of new technologies for organic farming and livestock.

Evolution of Business-Government Interaction Models

In this article public-private partnership issues are considered. The purpose is to offer a partnership trio model for the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is possible taking into account international experience, as well as by exploring the possibilities of partnership among government agencies, business entities and scientific organizations within the national economic system. A model of forming a trio partnership, which is one of the most developed forms of public-private partnership, has been proposed. This is important from the point of view of the development of the state as a whole. The article also discusses the forms of contribution of each of the participants of the partnership to achieve the goal of improving efficiency. The research methodology is based on the developments of scientists in the field of partnership between science and business, institutional economics, the use of an integrated approach and the principles of dialectics to identify the essential characteristics of partnerships, as well as the conditions for their successful application in the national economy.

How Social Media Usage Influences Student Learning Outcomes

The development of new information and communication technologies and their utilization in everyday lives and especially the involvement of new generation in the usage of these technologies for communication, for entertainment, for education, and other activities has raised a real problem of distracting of young generation from necessary information for professional and intellectual development. In this chapter, the influence of social networks on higher institution students' academic performance is considered. There is a trial to build analytical models and estimate the degree of social networks impact on student academic performance by using GPA grades. The problem of involvedness of young people in social networks and its impact on the study process and academic performance brought concern towards the quality of professional development in the Central Asian region. As it is a sustainable development provided by the country's economy, the educational system directly depends on younger generation's interest in study and wellbeing.

Educational Approaches and Strategies in the Knowledge Society

According to the theory of the link between democracy and society's need for educated citizens, the process of transmission of experiences is a basic activity for a society. The conditions of this transmission are the academic, institutional, and political freedom of that society's universities. This transmission takes the form of the communication model: a top-to-bottom form or a horizontal form. The form of transmission is a specific form of rationality expressed in a communicative action. To understand this rationality, it is necessary to analyze existing forms of communication in the context of the history of rationality itself. Today, the digitization of the higher education system has become a global trend, bringing with it new forms of communication. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, the “Industry 4.0” state program affirms that digital communication skills need to be implemented at all levels of social life. The chapter is devoted to the problem of which form of academic communication will be chosen and the consequences of this choice for the Kazakhstan in the future.

Mobile Devices in Education

This chapter reviewed the importance of using ICT in the educational process with the example of mobile devices. Mobile devices as teaching tools are becoming a more and more common part of the educational process in classrooms. Every day the share of mobile Internet and mobile device users are increasing. The level of introduction of mobile devices into the educational environment at the leading universities worldwide is quite high. In Kazakhstan, this system is spread slightly. However, the University of International Business implemented the application for learning the English language which is called “The UIB English.” It is obvious that the use of mobile learning in the educational process requires organizational, research and methodological work. Universities should create and implement projects to operate the mobile version of the portal; identify and develop the most popular mobile services integrated with the information system of the university; develop and implement a mobile security policy; and create its own applications.

Regional University Partnership for Sustainable Development in the Age of Digital Technologies

In the modern world, the sustainable development of higher education institutions is determined by their ability to integrate into the global digital knowledge. The study aimed to find out the needs of faculty in digital technologies for teaching and research. The study also aimed to find out the faculty's opinion about the building of Regional Universities' Partnership for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The practical implementation of the study could be launching a regional universities' partnership and the development of a regional resource center, which will serve for internationalization, intercultural and interpersonal exchange, and provide long-term benefits to partner universities to improve their educational potential. Due to the uneven development of digital technologies in higher education, these conclusions apply to universities not only in Central Asia but throughout the Eurasian region.