The analysis of the reasons why numerous attempts to update the Russian education system do not lead to the desired result and cause increasing criticism is carried out. One of the main reasons is seen in the violation of the systematic approach in solving the issues of the development of education in modern conditions. It is pointed out that the educational sphere, in fact, is always based on solving three problems: “what to teach”, “how to teach”, “why to teach”.

The key question, that illuminates everything else, is the main question – in what social, economic and technological structure of society a person who receives education at any level, from preschool to university, has to live and work. Violation of the sequence of solving these problems, their inconsistency and the lack of a scientific justification ahead of the decisions made, inevitably lead to internal contradictions in the system being built and reduce its effectiveness.

The analysis of why the Bologna system, which is widespread in a large number of countries with different levels of socio-economic status, turned out to be ineffective in Russia was made. It is shown that this system in its origin is a system of general higher non-professional education and an attempt to adapt it for receiving professional education in our country cannot be successful by its definition. It is said about the need of building a domestic multi-level system of professional higher education in modern conditions.

The paper aims to present the theoretical and methodological foundations for developing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) instruments in higher education within the HumanCentered AI framework and considers ChatGPT as a specific case. It is oriented toward critically analyzing scholarly literature from various disciplines to support a-disciplinary approach to utilizing AI research in higher education. The authors begin by outlining the foundations of the research, then by analyzing the implications of the “lessons” of the COVID-19 pandemic for the development of higher education in the age of AI. This is followed by an analysis of technologies such as ChatGPT that have the potential to radically change higher education in the near future. After that, the authors move on to general remarks about the prospects and challenges of using AI technologies in higher education. The relevance of the research is characterized by the analysis of the latest developments in the field of AI and their possible impact on higher education. The main results of the paper are characteristics of areas in which AI technologies can be implemented in higher education – accreditation and licensing of universities, student recruitment, teaching and learning – as well as areas in which AI technologies should not be used. In conclusion, two hypotheses are formulated, and three general and five specific conclusions about the use of AI technologies in higher education are made. 

On April 5, 2023 a round-table discussion on “Entrepreneurship Education as a Subject of Research” was organized by the Editorial Board of the “Higher Education in Russia” Journal with the Moscow University for Industry and Finance “Synergy” in the framework of the International Scientific Congress “The Role of Business in Society Transformation – 2023”. Entrepreneurship education formation is a focus of interest as for scientists, and for practitioners as well all around the world. During a round-table there were discussed the actual research issues required attention of academic society. Research trends were defined and connected: 1) with values, identity and moral dimension; 2) with mentors’ experience; 3) with students’ experience. 

Achieving the national development goals of the Russian Federation and maintaining the sustainability of the economy in the face of sanctions pressure impose special requirements on the development of entrepreneurial competencies among students of postsecondary education. One of the key innovations of the last decade in the field of entrepreneurial education in Russia was the introduction of a demonstration exam (DE) based on WorldSkills Russia methodology. Its results reveal high heterogeneity in the quality of entrepreneurial competencies acquisition among the students. Meanwhile, the experience of educational organizations that effectively cope with mass preparation for DE has not yet been sufficiently studied. Moreover, the specifics of the formation of entrepreneurial competencies in VET have not been studied, despite the steady growth in the share of college graduates in the university applicant base. In order to ensure the continuity of entrepreneurial education for students studying along the VET–HE trajectory, as well as to study the best practices for the formation of entrepreneurial competencies in the prism of DE, qualitative research of the search type was implemented.

The study was carried out based on qualitative methodology. Within its framework, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with expert teachers from four educational institutions with the highest results in the DE. For the triangulation? The data also included 4 in-depth semi-structured interviews with VET students who have successful experience in confirming the results of mastered entrepreneurial competencies. The interview analysis was based on a mixed approach.

Structural and procedural components are identified and described, showing ways to integrate entrepreneurial education into traditional VET and to create a comprehensive educational environment. Interactive components used in teaching and learning entrepreneurship are investigated. According to the research results, as in the case of leading foreign practices, the best domestic practices are characterized by the use of constructivist pedagogy, while the key teaching method is long-term interdisciplinary student projects. The specificity of the formation of entrepreneurial competencies in VET has been revealed – this is a practice orientation and an orientation towards routine entrepreneurship.

The results obtained can be used by practitioners to improve the quality of entrepreneurial education in VET schools.

Nowadays attaining a grant is a criterion of success for an early-career researcher and an important indicator of effective work of a university as a research-based and corporate institution. During its thirty-year history in Russia, grants have become a traditional and even routine practice for every Russian PhD student and an early-career researcher. Like their international colleagues, Russian researchers often don’t get sufficient support from their scientific advisor and an academic writing expert. A few attempts to improve current situation have been made in a number of research universities. One of such cases is a course “Grant Writing” that has been recently implemented in the English-language writing-intensive program of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. The complex aim or the paper can be explained by the multidimensional nature of a grant. After characterizing a grant proposal as an up-to-date text genre in the international and interdisciplinary context in the framework of Genre Field Analysis, we consider the full process of applying for a grant in real-life environment and classroom settings. Finally, in the lens of Critical Genre Analysis, the qualitative analysis of the introductory sections of Russian grant proposals is conducted. The modern genre theory gives the basis for using a combination of methods in our research. In the lens of Genre Field Analysis, the sociopragmatic approach to the grant proposal provides an opportunity to get acquainted with the modern practices of applying for a grant, while Critical Genre Analysis may contribute to the deeper understanding of the text production mechanisms. The synthesis of theory and practice and its role could be seen in the qualitative analysis of grant proposals written by PhD students, attendees of the course “Grant Writing” at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. The findings give evidence for insufficient disciplinary expertise and substitution of one genre – a grant proposal – by another one, more familiar for Russian students, – a research paper and an abstract. The obtained results testify in favor of the implementation of the course “Grant Writing” as well as other genre-based courses deeply rooted in the cross-disciplinary context and aimed at developing the researcher competence. 

The concept of “blended learning” has been widely discussed in Russian higher education. However, there are different interpretations of the concept and its status is not completely clear in the Russian regulatory environment. Although the effectiveness of this mode of education has been repeatedly recognised, systematic measures for the introduction of blended learning by universities are not being implemented. One of the factors for the success of such an implementation is the high-quality instructional design for blended learning. Difficulties in instructional design use can lead to the abandonment of blended learning or the adoption of less efficient practices. This paper explores the challenges faced by representatives of Russian universities involved in designing and teaching courses in a blended mode during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used in the study is an online survey which was conducted in 2020-2021. The respondents were participants in the professional development program “School of Instructional Design for Blended Learning”. The results of the study showed that the respondents’ professional deficits in the design of blended courses were associated with the development of new ways of designing and teaching, growth of the course quality and student-centeredness, and more efficient allocation of time resources and use of online tools. The development stage, which involves the creation or updating of digital learning resources, turned out to be the most challenging for designing. Most respondents used LMS but were not satisfied with the quality of its application; also, the majority faced the problem of retaining student engagement in blended learning. The respondents would like to improve their formative and summative assessment practices and strengthen the course quality assessment practices. Commitment to overcome the identified difficulties can contribute to the creation of more effective practice-oriented professional development programs on teaching the blended learning design for educators, instructional designers and academic advisors in Russian higher education, leading to an increase in its quality. 

The global digital transformation of the economy requires a new look at the information basis for making managerial decisions on the problem of uneven distribution of universities across Russian regions. It involves the creation of a data bank on key issues of Russian higher education. One of these indicators may be the subjective reasons for the attractiveness of territories for applicants/students/graduates in terms of the significance of images of the university and city of study, as well as factors influencing educational migration. The goal is to show, using the example of a separate case, the role played by the images of the university and the city in the choice of a university, adaptation and postgraduate migration of students from other cities (coming from Russian cities and villages). The theoretical framework of the study is built by synthesizing the theories of “spirals” about the third function of higher education, and the theory of the image of the territory in relation to educational migration. The analysis involves statistical data on the socio-economic situation in Russian regions that attract educational migrants, and the results of a survey of out-of-town students of Kazan Federal University.

The study found that both the university and the city are equally important bases for educational strategies for the majority of applicants. During their studies, they, like those who came to study only because of the university or just because of the city, consolidate the image of Kazan as a student territory with rich infrastructure and quality life, a sense of belonging to the capital of Tatarstan, positive assessments and a desire to recommend it to friends for moving. However, the reasons for educational migration and the perception of Kazan do not affect the postgraduate plans of students. Regions that are able to attract applicants and retain students after graduation – Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk regions – benefit from Tatarstan due to the fact that they offer more favorable living conditions and a larger range of offers on the market work for young professionals.

The practical significance of the work lies in the position on the importance of combining the policies of shaping the images of the university and the city, not only to attract talented youth, but also to improve the third mission of Russian universities in terms of their inclusion in the development of urban activities among students, the use of the intellectual potential of higher education for socio-economic development of territories. 

Intensive changes in business under the influence of the scientific and technological revolution cause significant changes in the requirements for the accounting profession and challenge society to look for new approaches to university accounting education. This study examines problematic and unresolved issues of Russian higher accounting education. Authors explore the history of reform over the past 30 years and the current state to find the best future directions for the development of accounting education in Russia. The research purpose is to identify causal relationships that affect the dynamics of Russian accounting education. Authors determine events that have had the greatest impact on the change in approaches to Russian accounting education. These events include accounting reform in accordance with the requirements of a market economy, information technology development, the inclusion and exit of Russia in the Bologna process, and Russia’s support for the creation of International Education Standards (IESs). Authors examine how Russian accounting education has changed under the influence of these events and find that there are both positive and problematic aspects related to the changes that have occurred in Russian accounting education. Authors show that there are both positive effects and problems from the introduction of a two-level higher accounting education in Russia (bachelor’s and master’s levels) and the convergence of the Russian Education Standards with the International Education Standards. To find solutions to the current problems of Russian accounting education, authors explore statistical data on the requirements of modern Russian business for the profession of an accountant and analyze the results from the survey of university graduates aimed at studying the degree of their satisfaction with the higher accounting education received. Based on this study, there are determined the prospects for improving Russian accounting education and substantiated the recommendations for its further development. These recommendations will be useful for organizing accounting education in economic universities, as well as for developers of economic education standards. The developed recommendations contribute to the reform of higher economic education, since many of them can be used to teach not only accountants, but also other economic professions.