The significance of student competitions for the development of motivation for education and the acquisition of professional competences in the students the Department of Forensic Medical Expertise of the Sechenovsky University

Abstract

Russia joined the Bologna process in 2003 and since that time has become integrated into the unified European educational space. The key element of the new form of the higher education process is the self-guided unsupervised work of the students. Motivation is needed to promote the involvement of the students in the educational process which implies the necessity of the goal-oriented initiative for the acquisition of professional knowledge and practical experience in the field of forensic medicine. To achieve this goal, the Department of Forensic Medicine of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University places special emphasis on the experience with carrying out student competitions. Each such competition consists of several contests focused on the solution of a specific problem, e.g. the inspection of the place of occurrence under investigation with a gunshot or punctured-and-incised wound, forensic medical autopsy, problem studies, and intelligence tests. All the contests and problem studies are held in the form of an interactive game. The experience gained in the course of the student competitions gives practical evidence that the interdepartmental intelligence contests contribute to raising the interest of students in forensic medicine. The open competition provides a highly efficient tool for the popularization of scientific knowledge and the promotion of interest in the participation in the forensic medical research activities. Moreover, the student competitions facilitate formation of the earlier professional skills indispensable for team working and the development of abilities for making decisions under the extreme conditions. In addition, the contests teach the participants the art of public appearance. They improve the quality of vocational training in forensic medicine and help to establish the first professional contacts at the interinstitutional (including international) level.