Moscow Poly Persona – Innokentii Keleinikov “Students are Sensible to the Teacher`s Professionalism and Their Demand”

This “Moscow Poly Personae” rubrics is devoted to Innokentii Keleinokov, the professor at the “Artistic and Technical Design of Printed Products” department under Moscow Poly Favorsky Institute of Graphics and Book Art. As a reminder, the rubrics is dedicated to the University teachers and academicians.

“I bound my life with the University 30 years ago when I was preparing to apply to – back then Moscow Institute of Printing Arts that afterwards became Moscow State Academy of Printing and then our University as it is now (Moscow Polytechnic University. Polygraph back then and Polytech now remains the key centers for studying book arts. And the books have been somethings close and easy to understand for me from the childhood, so I always wanted to go deep into that”, - Innokentii Keleinikov shares.

After graduation, Innokentii continued with his post-graduate studies and started working as assistant at the department. Having defensed his theses he became an assistant professor and then received the position of a professor.

What teaching gives you?

Before anything, teaching provides you with an opportunity to form your own vision of the profession (based on the classical principal “having explained something to students five times in a row you can even understand it yourself”), as well as correct it according to current situation in the professional sphere.

Do you see any interest in your profession among students? What are modern students like?

When applying to the University students by most part have vague impressions of the nature of the professional activity that they`re going to engage in (here, nothing pretty much changed over these 30 years). Thankfully, as they proceed with their studies the majority of students come to realize that what they got involved into and start choosing the aspects that they feel are closer to them and easier to understand. In this sense, modern students are not really different from back then.

Do you have personal secrets of professionalism?

It`s difficult to talk about it. Unfortunately, the results of what I do are not consistent. Students who come every year are different. However, as a rule I manage to unveil the complexity of internal communications in business sphere, connect the tasks with the real life examples. Students who understand that they`re not just being “terrorized” but actually prepared for the real difficulties ahead actually are ready for many things and won`t almost notice routine nuances.

What qualities does a teacher have to possess?

They should be a true specialist in the sphere that they teach in. Not only do they have to know the aspects of work in the industry but also the prospects of its development. Students are sensible to the teacher`s professionalism and their demand. In addition, the demand for their professional competences boosts teachers` confidence, too, and provides them with an opportunity to practically check their thoughts and theories.