The article examines the implementation of one of the most important axiological foundations of higher education – the formation of attitudes among students towards public service as a social value. The relevance of the study is due to the need to evaluate educational practices that perform this social function in the higher education system. The focus of attention is on the readiness of students for public service as a result of the introduction of a new pedagogical approach «Service Learning» into the education. Some research questions are analyzed: the concept of public service and its interpretation in the context of higher education; key indicators of university students’ readiness for public service; opportunities for Service Learning to develop readiness for public service. It is proposed to consider public service as an activity in the interests of other people, implemented in two forms – as social and professional service. The first form is associated with the implementation of responsible and reciprocal behavior, the second form is the social mission of the profession. Based on the data of the sociological study (2024), the features and problems of forming readiness for social and professional service among students of Russian universities are shown. A significant result of the study was the fixation of changes in the personal qualities of students in the process of Service Learning, which are as predictors of their involvement in the practice of public service during and after university studies.

The development of student civic consciousness is an essential aim of upbringing and educational activities in Russian universities, where project-based learning successfully integrates these processes. The institutionalisation of the “Service Learning” programme in higher education actualises the search for methodological foundations and methodical solutions to assess the social effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of this approach in the logic of project-based learning, considering the particularities of the Russian context. The article presents the findings of a semiformalised survey of experts representing 52 higher education institutions across Russia, located in 32 cities across all federal districts of the Russian Federation (purposive sampling, N-65; 2024). The study provides evidence that the engagement of Russian university students in social projects conducted within the framework of project-based learning has an impact on the process of their civic consciousness formation. The evaluation of the influence of students' participation in social projects on their civic consciousness is connected to the conviction of experts that project-based learning cultivates the professionalism and agency of students. The extent to which students engage with socially oriented project activities is dependent less on the institutional context of project-based learning in higher education institutions and more on the interest and professionalism of the staff involved in the organisation and implementation of student projects. The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing students' citizenship is higher in universities participating in the pilot “Service Learning” programme. It has been proven that the implementation of this approach in project-based learning activates the interaction of external customers with students, thus bringing higher education and practical sphere closer together.

The paper proposes an approach to the design of the Service Learning discipline in a medical university, based on a detailed sociological study, a comparative review of the experiences of other countries, and the results of a pilot project at the Privolzhsky Research Medical University (Nizhny Novgorod). The aim of this study is to develop recommendations for the organisational support and content of Service Learning (subject types, target groups, formats), taking into account the medical students’ identified motivation to undertake projects with a volunteering component. The results showed that medical students have a particular motivation to participate in the discipline that is different from that of students of other disciplines (in the study, the control sample consisted of students in the social sciences and humanities): they emphasise the development of professional skills and the improvement of medical knowledge. Medical students choose projects related to direct clinical practice and public health, emphasising their interest in the practical application of knowledge and social responsibility. The main task of the discipline – the formation of civicism, social responsibility, moral values – is organically achieved in the medical students training. On the other hand, the tight schedule and rigid academic discipline in medical university require stability and certainty in the educational process, which is at odds with the project activity logic, that is characterised by flexibility and changeability of the external environment. The search for optimal organisational conditions for the implementation of project activities in a medical university can be the subject of further research on the topic of the publication.

The article presents the results of the application of the “Service Learning” pedagogical approach at the Southern Federal University (SFU) in the 2023/24 academic year. The authors have outlined the contours of the development of this educational technology, the idea of which belongs to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Association of Volunteer Centers. The article summarizes the experience of the structural divisions of the SFU in integrating the pedagogical approach into the educational process. The analysis of real social situations (cases) is of scientific and practical value for the coordinators of Russian universities responsible for introducing “Service Learning” into the educational process of all fields and levels of study. The authors define the criteria for the success of the pedagogical approach, its distinctive features, and also present the prospects for further development of “Service Learning”. The research is exploratory in nature, however, the conclusions obtained seem fruitful for sharing the first experience of implementing the “Service Learning” approach and further theoretical and methodological discussion about the possibilities and limitations of the approach.

This article contributes to the debate on the origins of the Service Learning pedagogical approach. It examines the controversy surrounding the identification of «Obuchenie Sluzheniem» and «Service Learning». The author comes to a number of conclusions. It is possible to state the superiority of the USSR in relation to the USA in the practice of introducing the approach requiring the integration of socially useful work and higher education. The Service Learning approach has become a significant part of the university landscape in the world, as the effectiveness of the approach has been proven in the course of numerous scientific studies. It is not correct to speak of a simple identity between indigenous service learning and the Western approach because of the great variety of existing implementation models. When talking about the intellectual foundations of Service Learning, K.D. Ushinsky should be mentioned along with J. Dewey. Thus, taking into account the similarities in terms of the theory and methodology of Obuchenie sluzheniem and Service Learning, the domestic approach has national historical-cultural and theoretical roots and specific features.

The university is considered in historical retrospect and perspective as a cognitive institution of society that ensures the reproduction and development of thinking. The concept of “university generation” is basic for the study. Three generations of universities are distinguished in history (scholastic, research, entrepreneurial); the university of the future is considered as a fourthgeneration university (“cognitive university”).

Universities of definite generations developed specific historical types of thinking. It is proposed to define types of thinking through their characteristic “objects”, “methods” and “intentions”. The peculiarity of the university as a cognitive institution is that it works at the level of foundations – it creates and reproduces the foundations of worldviews and social practices. These can be ontological, value-based, socio-practical, anthropological foundations of knowledge systems and practices.

A hypothesis is proposed: the fourth generation university will cultivate methodological thinking (“thinking about thinking”), its key objective will be the formation of collective and hybrid (including AI) intelligences, and the development of technologies for their work. The activities of University 4.0 will be aimed at creating the foundations of new practices (ontological, value-based, ethical, anthropological) and setting precedents for these practices.

The article solves the problem of comparing the influence of two factors – the presence of higher education and generational affiliation – on digital competence and on the behavior of young people in the Internet space. Approaches arising from the theory of digital inequality are involved to solve it. They are problematizing the importance of socio-demographic and other population’s characteristics for the use of information and technological innovations. Another important study aspect was the theory of generations. It made it possible to identify generations Y and Z, formed under the conditions of technological changes at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. The article focuses on representatives of Generation Z. Their digital competence and behavior on the Internet is compared with higher education. Sources of the study: a sociological survey of young people in 8 federal districts of Russia conducted in 2023, data from analytical companies subjected to secondary assessment, materials from official statistics.

Education is the third most important factor influencing the digital inequality of Russian youth, two other reasons are behind – place of residence and material security. Higher education maintains its position in ensuring the digital competence of young people. However, its presence does not affect the behavior of young people on the Internet. Representatives of Generation Z, who today are still studying at or enrolling in Russian universities, are not inferior to those who have higher education in terms of the information and technological innovations level of use. Digital natives are noticeably more likely than millennials to evaluate the Internet as a source of education, self-education, and broadening their horizons. Such a request creates new tasks for higher education. The article concludes with recommendations for Russian universities regarding their work in social media that is significant for generation Z.

The study deals with the problem of students’ health. Discussing the relevant studies, the author notes that most researchers focus on the role of the educational environment. Considering it, the author underlines that there are other significant factors, which affect students’ health. Because health keeping is a purposeful activity that includes motivational, behavioral, expressive components as well as cognitive one, it is necessary to study the peculiarities of the formation students’ ideas about healthy caring. In addition, it should be taken into account that modern students are digital generation Z, who are famous for their deep involvement into online reality that has a significant impact on the construction of their values and ideas, including those about health. The purpose of the paper is to study the ideas about health keeping among Zet-students and identify the factors of their formation. The theoretical and methodological background includes theories of social constructivism, digitalization of health and mediatization. The empirical data consist of data from the author’s research (methods – survey (online questionnaire)) and those presented in relevant publications. Based on the results, the features of ideas about health keeping and the main factors of their formation were identified. As it has found out, along with traditional ones, this process is increasingly influenced by online resources, which have ambivalent impact. Considering the focus of Generation Z students on healthy life, health value, it is proposed to expand measures within the educational process to form an ideology of healthy lifestyle among modern students.