The article addresses the issues concerning the development of the public information system about the quality of education in the country. It also considers an approach towards creation of the monitoring system of the quality of educational process of a higher education institution based on an independent assessment of educational programmes, and includes objectives, tasks and principles of functioning and major indicators of this approach.

The article clarifies the content of «employer» concept. It is noted that in addition to the institutional approach, which focuses mainly on the different types of organizations that can act as employers, it is important to take into account the personal approach. It is connected with the fact that experts, acting as the employer's representative, often actually represent only themselves. The paper discusses the basic options for employer participation in the educational process, including relatively new: participation in the work of the specialized Councils on education programs, reviewing final qualifying works, participation in the state examination commissions, etc. The author's reasoning is based on the past experience, in particular, he emphasizes the undesirability to staff state examination commission only with the representatives of employers.

The article analyzes a system of social interaction practices which are used by national universities to undertake their network activity in daily life. Taking into consideration value and goal orientation, the authors reveal obvious and hidden motives for university's choice between interaction practices in network communities. The authors' classification of the principles specifying the nature of interaction between actors in network communities is suggested. In accordance with the present classification, social practices of network partnership, network competition, and network simulator are suggested. On the basis of the proposed classification, expectant beneficiaries of network activity inside community are described. The authors study the mechanism of forming network simulators in research and education space and the phenomenon of network collapse as an inevitable consequence of their existence. The reasons for emergence of network simulacra in social networks with university participation are explored.

The article investigates certain aspects of the national higher education system of Russian Federation. Special attention is paid to the presence of formal and informal mechanisms that facilitate the capture of regulation and rent extraction by the existing actors. The article presents an analysis of possibilities of opportunistic behavior of the administration of a higher education organization. As a source of the rent there might be inappropriate use of the institutions facilitated by the various mechanisms. In this case this source can be warranted by the internal regulatory documents of the organizations, as well as the external legal statutes. The research also presents analysis of rent extraction sources and examples of the use of administrative resources. The article points out the negative trends and growth of opportunities of rent-seeking behavior of the actors of this market.

Within the discussion about the competence approach in higher education the article highlights the issues of goal-setting and diagnosing of higher professional education purposes. By the comparison of traditional and competence-based approaches to the formulation of the obj ectives of higher vocational education the authors come to a conclusion of insufficient methodological support of competence-based approach in educational practice. The main objective of the competence-based approach lies in a personal development of a student, which means the formation of stable systematic knowledge, skills and then, on this basis, the formation of competences. However, in the educational practice, this main purpose is usually not achieved for the reasons of insufficiency of training time and the lack of methodological support, and faculty unpreparedness. The types of graduates' professional activity and the main options of training activities are discussed. Within the framework of standardization of higher education the creative possibilities of competence-based approach in the development of student personality are limited with the education level of trainers and do not match the essence of research activities, which master degree graduates and postgraduate students are prepared to. The boundaries of the applicability of the competences and competence-based approach in higher education today are not clearly defined, since the competences and the competence approach are not defined themselves.

The article addresses a question of sociological provision of university ranking problems and procedures. The data of university rankings of 2015-2017 is provided, the sociological interpretation of their dynamic is given and the conditions of the Russian universities assessment are discussed. The authors characterize the provision of the accelerated promotion in rankings of National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI", the university that has the leading position in the Russian ranking systems and now is raising its position in the international ranking systems. The authors give recommendations for more sociologically consistent provision of ranking criteria, discuss the prospect of creation and status securing of the Russian university ranking system.

Basing on their hypothesis and an analysis of foreign studies, the authors determine how the information and motivational functions of rankings impact on Russian universities students' choice. The results of students' awareness of university rankings and student choices survey coincide with the global trends. The analysis of the ranking position of Russian universities and some of their key performance indicators (the foreign student number, the exam average score) showed that there is not any direct correlation between them. The authors believe that in order to maximize the effectiveness of rankings, it is necessary to improve the ranking methodology, to develop university decision making process based on the ranking results and to form the customer culture using the rankings results.

The paper substantiates the necessity of the presence of Russian and Belarusian universities in the world webometrics rankings. The author analyzes the changes in methodology of Webometrics Ranking (WRWU) in 2016. The new one of ranking parameters is transparent ranking: top universities by Google Scholar Citations. It is shown that only 2.7% of the Russian Federation universities have set up the profiles in Google Scholar, which will undoubtedly impede an integration ofthe Russian-speaking researchers into the world scientific community and, consequently, affect on reputation and the number of citations. General recommendations for advancement in webometrics rating is given. The article also touches upon the technique and the results of repositories rankings, which involved only 2% of Russian universities.

In order to estimate the demand for graduates of the programme «Public administration» and find out what their professional self-fulfilment depends on, the authors have conducted an anonymous opinion survey of prestigious economic universities students (bachelor's and master's degree courses) and graduates specialized in this sphere. The questions were about the correspondence of the gained academic qualification and actual occupation, the importance of degree certificate, satisfaction with the education quality, attitude to different aspects of studying etc. Having organized the data and compared it with the previous surveys' results the authors came to a conclusion that such interdependent factors as forethought of career choice, students' vision of academic planning, approach to teaching, practice-oriented type of education are essential to professional success and application of knowledge and skills. Informants' answers helped to count out the percentage of graduates whose occupation is connected with public administration, to understand the reasons of choosing the relevant master course, to assess the significance of acquired competences and qualification for job placement at governmental organizations. The main scientific result of the survey is working out of a system of recommendations aimed at increasing demand for graduates specialized in the sphere of civil service, and, consequently, improving the efficiency of investment in management training. The presented measures could be used for the further modernization of the process of educational planning and could be taken into notice while developing academic programs.

The paper focuses on the problems concerning training of research engineers, summarizes the experience in implementation of new institutional forms of teaching STEM graduate and post-graduate students (STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Modern higher technical education focuses on the needs of industry. Implementation of practice-oriented bachelor programmes allows to bridge the social gap between the aspirations of graduates towards high social status and needs of the labour market for workers who can operate high-tech equipment. Skill training for modern industry actualizes the problem of training engineers for the future, for growth of the regional industry. There is a contradiction between the traditions of mass engineering education and innovative, elite training of engineers. Postgraduate and master's courses are institutional channels of recruitment and the further formation of the future engineering elite. The purpose of the article is to study the opinions, motives and career plans of the respondents who have already got basic education in engineering and make a choice for advanced engineering training, as well as to present the estimation of the training quality by the practicing engineers and employers. The findings are based on an analysis of a survey of engineers and employers of the large industrial enterprises, teachers of engineering disciplines of universities of the Ural region, masters and post-graduate students of technical institutes of the Ural Federal University.

The article discusses the negative trends in higher education recruitment. The author proposes a set of measures aimed at recruitment and retaining of young teachers at university taking into account the structure of their needs. The universities are not able or do not consider it necessary to meet adequately the current needs of young lecturers, which leads to «aging » of university teaching staff. The analysis of the situation and the proposed set of measures allows to make a conclusion about the strengthening of negative trends in attracting and retaining young teachers at university.

The paper describes international academic cooperation in networking format. The paper is focused on the development of a networking model that is to facilitate international relations in education. The authors demonstrate effectiveness of the model and describe the steps of establishing the representative office of the Russian engineering university in Vietnam.

The paper considers the problem of development of innovative competences for teaching staff required in the professional field of training international students as supported by the sustained frameworks of teaching service export in the Russian Federation for the period of 2011-2020; the state policy of the Russian Federation within training national labour for foreign countries in Russian education establishments and a range of publications on the topic. A block of unique competences for teaching staff: competences of tolerance, convergence, polymedia, individualization and international standardization is presented as well as their qualitative characteristics. The authors highlight the necessity of holding a corporate interacademic discussion of unique competence functional contents and ways of their development in the system of enhanced training of teaching staff.

In his interview the Rector of Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health highlights the milestones of 120-year history of this renowned higher education institution. The year ofUniversity foundation is the year of the start of the first modern Olympic games, and this fact accentuates the University contribution to the Olympic movement. The founder of the University is Petr Lesgaft - the famous scientist, physician and pedagogue, whose system of physical education became the basis for physical culture development in Russia. Today Lesgaft University is the world acknowledged centre of sports science. Special attention in interview is paid to the investigation areas.

The article highlights the stages of formation, traditions and achievements of the research and pedagogical schools at Lesgaft University. The principle of teaching and research unity laid by the University founder Petr Lesgaft remains the base for modern scientific research and pedagogical activity at the University. The paper dwells on the perspectives of research within the cluster «Translational Medicine ».

The paper focuses on the analysis of educational programmes in the sphere of physical training and sport implemented at Lesgaft University The authors present the enrolment data and show the University role in training personnel for the region needs. Special attention is paid to the system of advanced education and personnel retraining in the sphere of physical education, sport and health.

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of coaches are the essential indicators of possibilities for preparing highly qualified gymnasts in the country. Our country is proud of a great number of outstanding coaches, who glorified rhythmic gymnastics as a sport. Many National Federations invite Russian coaches and this promotes developing rhythmic gymnastics in the world, testifies the effectiveness of the training system, and enhances coaches' qualification in rhythmic gymnastics in Russia. The high quality of gymnastics coaching is provided by education in special educational establishments and also qualification development by means of assimilating and mastering of the previous experience of the leading coaches in the country and all over the world. Coach preparation should be led by paying special attention to the demands of the contemporary sports practice with the consideration of the future.

This article discusses the creation and development of the TRP sports complex, views the basic differences between the old and the new complex put into operation in September 1, 2014, considers its goals, objectives and principles of implementation. Special attention is paid to the role of the collective staff of Lesgaft University to the development of scientific, methodological, organizational, and pedagogical issues related to the creation and implementation in practice of the country's sports movement TRP sports complex at all stages of its formation and development.

The article highlights the features of the University Electronic Information Environment, its organizational structure and its components, the law papers of all levels essential for its functioning and development. The main components of the Electronic Information Environment are electronic information resources, apparatus equipment, organizational component, action schedule (local acts), and educational technologies. The authors dwell on the role of the University Library in the University Electronic Information Environment. Today it is the centre of global informatization of educational and research processes.

This article is about the problematic research regarding integration of military preparation into the basic professional higher education programs. The author puts the main emphasis on reproduction of soldiers', sailors', sergeants' and reserve officers' personnel potential in higher education institutions. The major goal of such preparation is to ensure accumulation of highly qualified military-trained staff reserve. The concept of military training integration into bachelor and specialist courses is considered in several aspects: military training contents, military training arrangement, military training implementation, results' receipt. It is shown, that the system of military training integration into higher education programs is effective, incentive and allowing to prepare quality specialists for Military Forces of the Russian Federation.

The article addresses the issues of implementing productive foreign language education in higher school. The authors have developed the system of productive linguodidactic technologies based on the conception of pedagogical constructivism. This approach provides the full-fledged implementation of productive foreign language education. The offered linguodidactic technology of autonomous productive modular for studying foreign languages is a form of professionally oriented foreign language education. Linguodidactic technology under analysis provides special educating conditions for students' self-operation with the purpose of creating a foreign-language textual product as the means of professional and personal growth. The implementation of this technology is shown by the example of the Class of Linguistic Aid organized with an aim to develop supplementary humanitarian education at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.