Quality of education from the point of view of different stakeholders is considered taking into account the ongoing digital transformation revolution with the unprecedented speed and scale of changes. A quality of a student’s life added by an academic program is believed to be the most comprehensive characteristic of the quality of the program. A short list of key requirements for higher education academic programs to keep their high quality under digital transformation is proposed. It is noted that academic programs need to maintain a relatively slow-changing crossdisciplinary fundamental theoretical core in the relevant field of knowledge, and develop project and research competencies. In order to adapt to technological changes in the professional sphere, a need for continuous design of courses to meet anticipatory professional competence packages is pointed out. These courses may form a rapidly changing part of the program for individual educational trajectories. The necessity to develop universal competencies in the field of information and communication technologies, as well as skills for using methods of pattern recognition theory, which is fundamental for deep machine learning, is noted. Possibilities of using both Mass Open Online Courses (MOOC) and Online Program Management (OPM) services in academic programs are considered.

The article considers theoretical aspects for the study and understanding of contemporary educational policies with the application of the concepts of bureaucracy. It also presents the results of an interregional study of information flows in the Russian education system. The redundancy, intensity and formalization of these flows constitute one of the painful aspects of work in this sphere, along with unfairly low wages. The article analyzes the materials of extensive sample surveys and the timing of the loads of the main job groups in the education system, data on document flow in institutions of various types and levels, and expert assessments in the three regions of the country. The amount and structure of information flows and paper work lead to institutional dysfunctions, they serve as a means for administrative pressure and imitation of manageability in education system. The article considers their impact on the social and professional well-being of educators. The author concludes that the main source of paper pressure and paper genocide in the education system is a management strategy that ignores the public mission of education and its multifaceted social effectiveness. This strategy expresses distrust of educators, contains ignorance towards public-state governance and has become a dead end for the Russian education system, a major obstacle to maintaining its potential, development and progress in view of growing global competition.

The paper considers an approach to assess the attractiveness of education in post-Soviet Russia. The authors present the findings of an analysis of the dynamics of population’s attitude to education in terms of verbal behavior indicators, such as opinions about purposes of saving and spending money on education depending on per capita income. The paper shows the evolution of education place in personal consumption expenditures and in payments for personal services. It also presents the results of comparative study on education characteristics of the population in Russia and in some major economies. A conclusion is made about high attractiveness of education in our country as well as about an obvious trend to its decline in the XXI century.

The article was prepared on the basis of a field study implemented at Udmurt State University as a part of the research project “Transitive University in the Face of Global, National, and Regional Challenges”. The article considers the results of a survey related to the assessment by the teaching staff of the ways of interacting with regional subjects of the social order. 75% of respondents acknowledge the risks associated with educational and labor migration of young people from the Udmurt Republic. Professors mainly form competencies within the framework of the regular educational process: they select the topics of students’ term papers and graduate work in accordance with the needs of the region, take into account the needs of the labor market in the content of classes, participate in the organization of practices and help students to find employment in the regional labor market. According to professors, the most important role of the university is to participate in the development of the region along with large organizations and branches of government. A cooperative approach prevails, in which the university plays the role of a partner, not a driver. Professors rated the interaction of the university administration with state authorities of the Udmurt Republic as satisfactory – the average score was 3.1 points out of 5. Prospects for the development of the university are seen by the professors in four directions: orientation to the regional labor market, interaction with employers; scientific and innovative activities; digitalization and informatization of educational and administrative processes; development of international cooperation. Pessimism prevails in the responses of professors about the hopes for cooperation with authorities and business in the region, which requires a separate study, since it can be caused by a number of factors. As suggestions to the leadership of the university, the professors indicated: the need for more active interaction between the university administration and the leadership of the region and business, involving the university in regional projects, identifying the needs of the region and stimulating the leadership of institutions to form new directions in the scientific and educational sector, taking into account the prospects for the development of the republic. The study revealed two obvious facts. Firstly, professors are aware of the important role of the university and even support this idea as a strategic one. In other words, they show willingness. Secondly, professors, most likely, expect the initiative of active interaction with the labor market and regional authorities from the leadership of the university. In other words, they do not translate preparedness into action, awaiting action on the part of management.

On April 17 2020 National University of Oil and Gas “Gubkin University” celebrates 90th anniversary. The article shows that all these years the University has been strictly following the principles formulated by the founder of the university, academician Ivan Gubkin. The most important of them are the following. The University is the leader of domestic higher oil and gas education, carrying out the advanced training of oil and gas engineering personnel on the basis of innovations in the content and teaching technology. The University is a polytechnic university that combines the entire technological chain of the hydrocarbon industry with its specialties and directions – from finding them to supplying to the market. The University is the driver of the scientific and technological progress of hydrocarbon energy.

The general digitalization of contemporary society leads to a change in the use of learning technology in engineering education. The aim of this article is to present the advantages of the corporate online course for faculty members’ advanced training developed at Tomsk Polytechnic University. The general goal of this course is to supply engineering teachers with the new tools for their professional activities. Based on the analysis the different types of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), the authors dwell on the pedagogical aspects of the new course, such as openness, transparency, internal communication, and external deposition of the educational products obtained by participants in the courses. The proposed model of online course is distinguished by a distributed and problem-based character coupled with high level of the transparency and internal openness. Within the framework of the course the participants share Google Documents and Blogs with each other and with the tutor performing peer-to-peer communication. It is shown that proposed model of educator training leads to more effective results than other commonly used MOOCs. After the course is finished, all educational products achieved by participants are archived and become accessible for external users. Their rights are provided by Creative Commons Attribution. As a result of the implementation of the course, the University’s resource of open access educational and didactic materials is being maintained and developed.

The present paper analyzes and discusses of the best practices offered by the Russian universities in the field of organization of practice-based training in engineering specializations. Based on the integrated approach to forming professional competences and generic skills in university engineering graduates, the professional portfolio of a university engineering graduate is viewed as the three in one set of competences including those in research, engineering and development entrepreneurship. Based on the review of documentation, reports, information databases, including the analysis of the statistical findings, the authors discuss the main global trends in the development of engineering education and training and offer the solutions to tackle the priority objectives in organizational field of university performance, teaching and learning processes organization and teaching aids development. The article discusses the educational practices of the six leading Russian engineering universities from the standpoint of the implemented teaching and learning formats, correspondent teaching aids development and the organizational solutions. The authors dwell on the example of Tomsk polytechnic university (TPU) in providing practice-based training to university students in physics, the critical organizational solutions in teaching and learning as well as approaches to teaching aids development that enable to shape the professional portfolio of a future engineer from the viewpoint of professional competences and generic skills enhancement. The discussed TPU experience in the field of practice-based training in physics is realized in compliance with the complex, integrative approach to forming the trinity of research, engineering, and entrepreneurship competences in a university engineering graduate. The designed system of practice-based engineering training implemented at TPU can be successfully extrapolated to the bachelor, master and PhD degree training of engineering students.

Among the problems of mathematical education, the article highlights: (1) insufficient attention paid to the fundamental, structure-forming role of mathematics; (2) speculative learning, its isolation from practice. The concept of theoretical-empirical dualism in teaching is formulated as the unity of the abstract-theoretical and experimental-empirical cognitive activity of students. According to the author, a priori and a posteriori mathematical knowledge should be distinguished. A priori knowledge either seems to an individual to be completely obvious, indisputable, or he assimilates it uncritically, “on faith”. A posteriori mathematical knowledge subjectively arises in the process of student’s intense theoretical and practical activity, and is being actively and comprehensively verified experimentally – either using mathematical applications, or through mathematical experiments. The empirical component of teaching mathematics implies a variety of forms and methods of active (including computer) and professionally oriented learning, giving experience in independent formulation of problems, joint search for ways to solve them, interaction and teamwork. Particular attention is paid to the use of mathematical experiments in those frequent cases when it is necessary to replace or supplement complex evidence, illustrate new knowledge, and give research skills. Monte Carlo mathematical experiments are demonstrated, which serve, in particular, as a bright, figurative, and convincing form of reinforcing theoretical knowledge in the field of stochastic branches of mathematics. The research work of students is considered as the highest stage of the students’ theoretical-empirical activity. The article proposes subjects of research activities of students in the process or upon completion of the study of probabilistic and statistical disciplines.

The article is devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Volgograd State Technical University (VSTU). The author views the components of the success formula of the University as a flagship University of the Volgograd region, and dwells on the historical facts of the creation of the Stalingrad tractor-building Institute at the beginning of the country’s industrialization and its development to a flagship University, which is a modern multi-campus University with a promising educational, scientific and industrial infrastructure. The article also presents the scientific schools of well-known scientists of the University that carry out fundamental and applied scientific research as well as the international activities of the University, including international cooperation in research, creation and modernization of educational programs, and export of educational services. In its multi-faceted activities, the flagship University focuses on solving urgent problems of socio-economic development of the region. The hybrid model of the flagship University is focused mainly on two typical models: «multi-disciplinary regional University» and «technology leader in the region». The article considers a number of systemic and structural transformations of the University in the framework of a hybrid model: an effective management system for supporting innovation, including socio-psychological attitudes and infrastructure changes; the development of additional education and the creation of conditions for business development.

The article is devoted to faculty staff and students of the Stalingrad mechanical Institute who were the participants of the Great Patriotic war and home front workers, considers the destiny of the city and the University as one for two. The authors describe the activities of scientists, teachers and students of the Stalingrad Mechanical Institute during the Great Patriotic War, both during the Battle of Stalingrad and in evacuation in Chelyabinsk. The subject of scientific and applied work devoted to solving a number of technical problems on the creation, improvement and repair of military equipment, mainly the most massive tank of the Great Patriotic War T-34, rocket launchers «Katyusha» and several others. The results of a sociological survey of Volgograd students about their attitude to the Battle of Stalingrad are given. More than 70% of respondents are aware of the names of the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, the historic places, streets, squares associated with this event. The young generation carries the historic memory conveyed by the elder generation. The authors believe that it is necessary to develop the historical memory in University students using historic materials, mass media, Internet-resources, family archives, museum expositions.

Breakthrough development of the Russian economy is the global goal which is continuously mentioned by the President in his speeches. Personnel potential of specialists of real sector of the economy has the determinant value for the successful realization of this goal. Specialists with great experience and knowledge in their field of work are of great value. There are a lot of people of pre-retirement age among them. A large number of aged specialists need support to keep in line with the modern trends in work skills improvement in conditions of total automation and digitization because of age and other limitations. VSTU actively takes part in the realization of the Federal project for advanced vocational education of pre-retirement age people and advanced training of companies’ personnel within the Federal project aimed at improvement of work efficiency and employment. To reach the goal the University has developed and implemented several dozen of advanced training programs especially oriented on the most effective and innovative solutions of professional problems by personnel thus contributing to meeting the challenges of the development of the modern economy.

The attractiveness of the University in the world market of educational services is an indicator of its success, which is estimated by a set of criteria including the number of foreign students studying there. For Russian universities, the number of international students is one of the key indicators of internationalization. The authors pay special attention to the criterion of internationalization of higher education in the world ranking of universities. The article provides data related to measures to attract young foreigners to study in higher education institutions of the Russian Federation, including the Volgograd State Technical University. Today, an interest in engineering professions among foreign applicants has increased markedly. The effectiveness of the learning process among foreign students, their achievement levels strongly depend on the success of their adaptation to the new socio-cultural environment. The article addresses the problems of language adaptation of foreign students who came from the former Soviet republics, mainly on the example of students from Turkmenistan.

The purpose of the article is to give a comparative analysis of the problems and achievements of the implementation of Bologna principles in higher education systems of the republics of Armenia and Belarus. Based on data from 2017–2019, a comparative study of the modernization of higher education systems of the two countries based on expert survey methods (experts are the administration and the teaching staff of universities), focus groups, content analysis of national media, statistics, and student surveys (only in Belarus), the authors identify the achieved successes and reveal unresolved problems in the process of implementing Bologna principles. It is shown that both countries formally ensured an equal access to higher education for their citizens, employment opportunities for graduates, participation of students and teachers in mobility processes; in both countries, a two-stage system of education and a system of transfer points, as well as a new pedagogical paradigm and competency-based approach have been introduced. At the same time, both countries are experiencing significant objective difficulties, associated primarily with insufficient state funding for higher education systems, inconsistencies between different levels of government, bureaucratization and inertia in the practical implementation of new approaches. Therefore, even with the formal implementation of the Bologna principles in Armenia, the national higher education system did not become a full-fledged participant in the European Higher Education Area. As for Belarus, its priorities remain the national principles of education, which define the boundaries of any educational reforms, including Bologna.

The aim of the article is to show the ways of the UK students’ personal development as one of the higher school answers to the challenges of the complex world of today, whose only certainty is constant change. The programme of personal development is aimed at preparing students for their future life and profession, ensuring their adaptation to the constantly changing conditions. On the basis of the analysis and comparison of the experience of three different British universities, three main implementation models of students’ personal development plans are defined. They are characterized by the type of the dominant orientation: professional, employment or academic. The professional model type was strongly influenced by the requirements of professional bodies such as health care professional bodies, and statutory bodies. The second model type, which is focused on employment, included a general orientation to graduate employment as well as specific work placement during the process of study. This model was associated with such areas as: management and business, sport and leisure, as well as those areas of applied science and engineering where the course focus was mainly towards employment rather than the discipline itself. The third – academic – model was focused on the student’s academic development. Its realization facilitated the development of metacognitive skills and the skills related to the specific subject discipline. The models presented in the article may serve as an instrument for the analysis of higher education individualization practices, and for the designing of flexible learning programmes, which take into account students’ individual abilities and learning needs.

During the last few years, higher education has been the subject of constant transformation, innovations and reforms. In response to the new demands of the society, universities increase academic mobility, attract international students, introduce information technologies and new approaches to learning: personalized learning, problem-based learning, flipped classroom, distance learning, blended learning and so on. The role of a teacher in introducing new educational technologies and preparing the future generation is of great importance, so the main priority all over the world is to improve the quality of teacher education.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the current state of initial teacher training in Canada, a country where a larger proportion of students performed at the highest levels of proficiency according to the most recent PISA study, which indicates the quality of teacher training. The paper discusses the main features of Canadian teacher education programs: the teacher education models, the program structure and duration, the program content as well as different methods for assessing student learning outcomes with particular attention paid to modern approaches to assessing the student professional competencies at Quebec teacher faculties. Based on a literature review, the results of comparative studies of Canadian researches as well as universities regulations and official websites information, we analyze the main trends in the teacher education in Canada.