Integrating the Italian and Uzbek higher education system in Geosciences: the example of the preparatory year at the Branch of the University of Pisa in Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

The Branch of the University of Pisa in Tashkent was established in 2022 in accordance with the Agreement between the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Geology and Mineral Resources, the University of Geological Sciences, Uzbekistan (UGS), and the University of Pisa (UniPi). The main tasks of the Branch are the integration of educational, scientific, and production processes, as well as the preparation of highly qualified specialists to develop the geosciences of Uzbekistan, combining exploration and mining processes with environmental sustainability. The opening of a new bachelor’s degree in Geology (L-34) (first-degree course) in a foreign country hinges on the internationalization process of UniPi. In these regards, this BSc course is the first organized by UniPi in a foreign branch, and the first in Geosciences delivered abroad by an Italian University. This BSc will prepare graduates with the skills of L-34 courses and a focus on georesources and environmental geology. To harmonize the differences between the Higher Education (HE) curricula in the two countries (Italy and Uzbekistan), UGS and UniPi came to the agreement to adopt EU curriculum with some changes made for fitting it into local educational standards. One of them is to introduce a Preparatory Year (PY) to fulfill the Italian requirements for a minimum of 12 years of school to access to HE and satisfy the needs in the preparation of incoming students. The PY is a one-year course whose aim is to complete the preparation needed by students with only 11 years of schooling to enter a UniPi BSc program and includes several fields of study to achieve a solid background in science and an intensive course in English language to achieve a B2 level, necessary to attend the BSc courses in English. The first semester includes teaching of English, as well as basic math, physics, and chemistry taught in Russian. The second semester includes basic physics, chemistry, math, and a course of Introduction to Geosciences, fully taught in English. The peculiarity of this PY is the relevant role given to geoscience subjects. The contents of the Introduction to Geosciences course involve four main parts: i) the physics of the Earth: cartography and base astronomy; ii) the four spheres of the Earth: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and anthroposphere; iii) the dynamic planet: plate tectonic and geological time; iv) the Anthropocene: the global changes and the use of natural resources. These contents refer to the Italian Ministry Guidelines for high school natural sciences curricula and to the International Geoscience Syllabus, prepared by International Geoscience Education Organization (IGEO) and the International Union of Geological Sciences Commission on Geoscience Education (IUGS-COGE) in 2014. This project also represents an opportunity to test the teaching ability of the Italian University in a foreign and culturally distant context, exporting the educational model of our country.