The concentration of state resources in the leading universities poses the problem of reproduction of the scientific and pedagogical personnel in regional universities that do not participate in state-funded academic excellence programs. Based on the data from three focus group interviews with heads of doctoral studies offices at regional universities, the article analyzes problems arising in the implementation of the current model of training and certification of doctoral students. Four following groups of problems are identified: 1) the rigidity of requirements for the structure and content of the educational programs, 2) the imperfection of the system of attestation, gaps between attestation activities, 3) the problem of “retention” of doctoral students after the completion of the educational program, 4) the problems of conjugation of the processes of preparing a dissertation and its defense. The authors discuss possible ways to overcome the identified problems through providing universities with greater autonomy in designing the structure and content of the educational programs; synchronization of the procedures of the final state attestation and dissertation defense; creation of mechanisms for supporting successful doctoral graduates at the final stage of their preparation for the defense of a dissertation; development of network forms for implementation of doctoral programs with leading universities and research institutes.

This article presents research results of national research universities (NRU) and federal universities (FU) contribution to the Project of competitiveness enhancement of the leading Russian universities among global research and education centers (Project 5-100). The following indicators were analyzed: publications, indexed in Web of Science and Scopus databases, share of international students and faculty, share of young employees and staff with PhD, performance in international rankings, etc. The analysis was based on 41 quantitative and 11 qualitative indicators. In the analysis the following data sources were used: statistical forms 1-Monitoring, rankings agencies data, etc. It has been determined that the most influence on the Russian education competitiveness enhancement in the world belongs to the leading NRU – participants of Project 5-100. The article analyzes the contribution of federal universities in the implementation of the Project 5-100.

In this article, topics related to the urgent transition to distance education (DE), through decisive measures taken to protect Russian university community against consequences of COVID-19 epidemic are covered. Based on semi-structured interviews with administrators, faculty, IT specialists and students, it is argued that in the force majeure circumstances the university offers for DE a standard model of one-size-fits-all curriculum though modified through information and communication technologies. The use of the Internet in a localized online space is limited to delivering courses without considering needs of individual learners, their autonomy, preferences and prior knowledge of the subject. The observation method was used by both participant and non-participant. An experiment on the teachers’ self-assessment proves that many still view the university as a source of offline information for students. The article purports to discuss ways to promote DE by the concepts of postindustrial educational space connectivism, hyperconnectivity of social networks, teachers’ reflective practice, digital nativity of teachers and students in mastering information and communication technologies. It is claimed that real transition of a Russian university to DE cannot be achieved without internet-provided increased transactional distance in the dialogue between the teacher and students mediated by technology and reflective approach.

The article discusses the preliminary results of the forced transition to entire online learning in the higher education system in the context of the general growth trend of the corresponding form of education in various universities around the world. The ideology defining this trend is considered. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the reality of a sharp increase in the level of control of both teachers and students by the creators of training platforms, as well as the possible consequences of this situation. It is shown that universities in different countries are seeking suitable forms of supplementing regular education with remote ones. The overall trend is a steady growth in online learning with significant variations across countries (examples include the United States, Australia, Germany, and China). It is obvious that national education systems differ significantly from each other, and with certain general trend towards online learning, each educational system is looking for its own, most suitable for the national culture, forms of education. It is also necessary to understand how online learning can be integrated into existing system without harm. At the moment, this is not clear either on the content level or methodological one. The article analyzes the temporary and long-term problems associated with the transition to distant education. The problem of technical support is probably the easiest to be solved. More serious and requiring new technologies is the problem of changing the nature of communication, which requires quite different efforts of both teachers and students if compare with the usual ones. Working on the platforms that are intended to radically change the educational environment under the slogans of ensuring an individual educational trajectory, in fact leads to the opposite. The author dwells on the problem of possible widespread replacement of conventional courses with recorded ones and, especially, the ideology of transition to online learning in the format of virtual reality, which allows the creators to exercise full control over the individual. The problem of monitoring of educational activities is discussed, which already in the current conditions makes it possible to record any actions and states of all participants in the process. The article is a reaction to the beginning of the process of widespread introduction of online technologies, and this approach, according to the author, allows to observe vividly the most painful aspects of the new situation (like the first impression of a meeting with the unknown).

This article discusses the problems associated with the possible widespread introduction of distance learning in the practice of Russian higher education. The authors discuss and analyze in detail the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning in comparison with the traditional contact learning, involving “live” communication between teacher and trainees. The paper states that the disadvantages of learning generally prevail over the advantages. It is concluded that distance learning can become predominant only in completely unique situations, in which “live” communication between people in general and teachers and students in particular, for one reason or another, should be minimized or even eliminated altogether.

Academic writing is considered to be the most challenging and difficult skill in terms of English as a Second Language. This study critically explores the obstacles in academic writing faced by students at Tomsk Polytechnic University, Russia. To investigate, a comprehensive questionnaire has been floated among professional teachers to get their expert opinions (about students’ obstacles in writing) in order to identify some problems and form effective remedial strategies eventually. This paper focuses on the two significant aspects of academic writing, namely language skills (LS) (Grammar etc.) and writing skills (WS) (writing itself as a skill). Equally relevant to the issue are organization, coherence, and connectivity. The authors claim that Russian learners have poor learning background in writing skills due to the lack of balanced syllabus and teaching technologies. Aside from this, only determining problems is not sufficient to take students out of writing phobia. Furthermore, it is necessary to point out the fact that poor reading skills also lead to this kind of disappointment. Most of Russian learners do not know how to initiate their composition (essays). This paper will prove to be an academic contribution to improve the writing skills among ESL/EFL Russian learners in general and students of Tomsk Polytechnic University in particular. The presented analysis should also be of interest to researchers in other countries (universities) in which the field of academic writing is emerging.

The forced shift to remote learning in universities in March 2020 raised the complex issues of organizing lifelong learning for students, conducting academic assessments and maintaining the stability of the educational institution in general for educational systems of all countries of the world. This paper examines peculiarities and general problems of distance learning in the higher education system. It is based on the materials of the sociological survey “Opinions of Russian universities’ students on the forced distance learning”, conducted in May-June 2020. 31,423 university students in all federal subjects of Russia were interviewed. Analysis of research data covers the following areas: organizational problems of transition to distance learning; resources used, organization of lectures and seminars, assessment of the positive and negative aspects of distance learning; perspectives, limitations and trajectories of distance learning implementation in Russian universities.

The article also provides comparative data on the analysis of the issues of distant learning of Russian and foreign researchers. The authors propose future-oriented measures for organizing distance learning in universities in the case of the introduction of quarantine restrictions, consider possible forms of combining distance and full-time education, the prospects for the introduction of digital technologies in the organization of training in universities.

The relevance of the study is due to the contradiction between the mass transition of the Russian system of higher education to the distance learning format and the insufficient willingness of participants in the educational process to work under the new requirements caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. Teachers, students and administrators of higher educational institutions in Russia have encountered a number of difficulties. Their analysis will highlight the objective and subjective factors of their occurrence and develop recommendations for the further organization of distance learning in its combination with the traditional format. The purpose of the study was to analyze the modern work experience in the remote format of one of the leading Russian universities – Kazan Federal University. On this basis, the article analyzes successes and problems of this process, shows the contradictions between traditional and distance learning, considers the main models of educational organization that involve traditional and remote learning formats using distance educational technologies. It is concluded that in the system of basic formal education at all levels and areas of training, distance learning can be considered as a form that complements and strengthens the social, pedagogical, organizational, psychological, and didactic potential of the traditional (face-to-face) educational format.

The work comprehensively used the methods of theoretical (analysis, synthesis, systematization, comparison, etc.) and empirical (study of literature, conversation, questioning, observation) research.

The article is devoted to the use of social diagnostics based on structural and functional methodology to assess the quality of bachelor’s educational programs. The main components of this technology are situational analysis of programs, which more accurately determines the purpose of diagnostics and criteria for assessing, and a structural-functional model that allows to determine dysfunctional zones in the structure of education and their causes.

The approbation of this diagnosis was carried out on the educational program of bachelors in Social Management at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Focus groups and questionnaires of graduate students were the main methods of data collection.

The diagnostic results allowed us to determine that the vector of students’ needs in the field of education coincides with the competence model of the program. The decline in the quality of the program occurs due to the low level of development of practical skills and analytical competencies. The subjective perception of students about the structural factors of the decline in the quality of education was also determined. These are the factors of organization and the type of interaction between professors and students.

Structural and functional diagnostics showed the absence of uniform institutional requirements for the educational program and the problems of its organization.

The data obtained can be used in the management of the educational program. From a scientific point of view, the results are a contribution to the development of sociological diagnostic tools based on a situational approach and understanding of modern values of youth in the field of education.

The competence “teamwork and leadership” is one of the key and the most required in the modern professional environment. The article presents the experience of the Department of sociology, psychology and social management of Moscow Aviation Institute in the development of teamwork skills among students majoring in engineering.

Teamwork in the article is understood as an effective joint activity to achieve goals. Teamwork as a professional competence includes certain skills and abilities that are being formed gradually on the basis of interpersonal and intergroup communication. For the formation of team qualities, gamebased learning methods are used, which increase the effectiveness of pedagogical efforts. Game methods in comparison with traditional lectures and seminars involve more active communication, emotional colouring and visual demonstration of the results. The main task of a teacher is not to broadcast information and check its assimilation, but to stimulate the activity of students themselves. Game-based methods are both a diagnostic and corrective tool, they allow to identify already existing skills, activate the behaviour of students in the desired direction and consolidate the result. The article analyses the experience of using active training methods for the development of the competence “teamwork and leadership”. Trainings are conducted in several stages, on each of them certain tasks are being solved: the current level of competence development is evaluated, tasks are performed together, results are discussed, and an exercise is given to reinforce the skill. After the trainings, change in the participants’ attitude to teamwork and increase in the level of cohesion, trust, and involvement were revealed. The experience of organising of trainings turned out to be successful and useful not only for building competence, but also for identifying difficulties that prevent students from creating effective teams.

The materials of the article may be of interest to University teachers working on the development of students’ competence “teamwork” and using learning technologies.

Attracting applicants in modern conditions is quite an important and difficult task for higher education institutions. Non-core graduate departments of the University face the greatest difficulties in this process.

The article discusses the main directions of career guidance work of the Department of “Sociology, psychology and social management” of the Moscow Aviation Institute (NationalResearchUniversity) in the course of implementing cooperation agreements with educational institutions inMoscowand theMoscowregion. The authors present an experience of organizing and conducting research circles in sociology and social psychology for students of grades 8-11.

The activity of the sociological research circle “First steps in science” was aimed at forming students’ ideas about research, its methods and stages; developing skills of independent work with the received social information; obtaining skills for developing, conducting and presenting research results. The program of the circle “Social psychology” adapted for classes of humanitarian and socioeconomic orientation, included personal growth trainings and career guidance games aimed at developing professional self-determination in career planning.

Research circles allowed school students to develop their special skills, arouse interest in sociology and psychology, improve their understanding of the criteria for their own professional choice, as well as form students’ understanding of the Department’s profile.

During the implementation of career guidance measures in modern conditions, along with positive results, the authors have identified the factors that hinder the successful interaction of schools and universities such as the lack of involvement in this process of all subjects of the educational space, insufficient attention of the school administration to the social needs of graduating departments. To solve these problems, the authors have developed and proposed a model for organizing research circles based on schools, which can qualitatively improve the social partnership of all interested participants. The basic ideas and theses of the article may be of interest both for teachers of higher educational institutions and for pedagogical staff of secondary schools.

Historical memory is an object of informational conflict. This is why it is so important to study this phenomenon. Using the example of a survey of students in relation to important historical events in our country, including the Great Patriotic War, it is shown that while there is no radical transformation of the role of the past in the formation of personality, in the minds of most young people, historical memory is still a good form of patriotism education. The most effective mechanisms for preserving the memory of historical events are social institutions of education and family. At the same time, there is a “fading” of such a traditional and effective mechanism for preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War as personal meetings with war veterans, personal communication with relatives who passed the war. It can be replaced by a mechanism for preserving memory, such as memoir literature of war participants, which is not yet popular among students. However, there is a problem: personal historical memory sometimes goes against the official interpretation of historical events. It can also serve as a mirror image of the social divide in society. In addition to traditional social institutions, civil society institutions can play an important role in shaping shared historical memory. If the latter are supported by the state, it is possible to avoid a conflict between cultural memory, which is closely related to traditions, and communicative memory. If these channels operate separately, or if, say, ideology tries to suppress other channels, historical memory is devalued and distorted. If all these channels work synchronously, they provide a huge effect. Different types of memory perform an important function – education of a citizen who would be responsible to past generations and to descendants.

Academic3 space in its different manifestations has been taking an honorable position in social structure from the earliest stages of the history of human civilization by systematizing multitude experiences of both external and internal world of humankind. At the same time, educational landscape was formulating the different ways of how to theorize about and interact with the world. Simultaneously, there was always combating with the alternative systems and, what is more, this struggle wasn’t necessarily intellectual or polemical. Little has changed in how society perceives academy and its functions in the era of accomplished digital revolution, including its role as an instrument of surveillance and social sorting – these two important elements of power. In this article, an attempt is taken to comprehend University – and speaking broadly academic space as such – as a special kind of social and political field used to perform surveillance and social control. On the example of colonial colleges in the USA, this article examines how University may serve as a surveillance mechanism on the one hand and as a mean of cultural transformation on the other hand, and what conclusions can be made regarding the present and the future of University in the digital era.

A constantly growing demand for ensuring the competitiveness of countries in the international arena and improving the quality of higher education actualizes changes in universities. The author analyzes the scientific literature and strategic documents of universities, the leaders in the international ratings of Times Higher Education World University (THE) and QS World University Rankings (QS), as well as development strategies of the top Russian universities – participants of the 5-100 program. Based on the analysis, the author identifies ways to maintain the change of universities “from below” – the development of subjectivity, updating the socio and humanitarian agenda and design of collaborations. Besides, the author pays special attention to possible directions for the development of social innovations supporting university changes, such as institutional changes in interactions, associations of different university models and pedagogical bioethics.