Leading Russian Universities Research Articles

The International Conference «Transport Obligations in the context of Technological Development» Dedicated to the Memory of Professor A. G. Kalpin

The paper is a brief overview of the international conference «Transport Obligations in the context of Technological Development» held on June 18, 2024 at Department of Civil Law of Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL) and dedicated to the memory of Professor A.G. Kalpin. More than 30 speakers—representatives of leading Russian universities, business and government authorities—attended the conference. The conference was supported by the Digital Valleys Platform Foundation for the Support and Development of Information Technologies and Digitalization of the Economy, which is the general partner of the Technopravo project implemented within the framework of the Priority-2030 academic equality program. Four out of five Dr. Sci.— experts in transport law — attended the conference. The paper provides an overview of the main speeches and reports of leading Russian lawyers on transport law in the Russian Federation. Following the results of the conference, it was emphasized that many problems of transport law identified by Professor A. G. Kalpin have not yet been solved. This circumstance, as well as the rapid technological development of the Russian Federation, necessitates the continued modernization of domestic legislation in the field of transport law, including the formation of new legal regimes in the transport industry of the Russian Federation.

Some Positive Trends in the Development of University Science in Russia at the Present Time

The development of university science is one of the state policy priorities in Russia today. To determine this process prospects, it is important to identify positive trends and best practices of leading Russian universities scientific activity. For this purpose, the article considers the organizational features and sources of university science funding, analyzes the main indicators of research performance and practices of research policy implementation, summarizes the scientific achievements of leading Russian universities. The article uses the methods of universities monitoring activities statistical analysis and substantive analysis of information about the universities` scientific activities posted in open sources. The conclusions are drawn about the formation in Russia leading universities group with a stable priority of research activities, the core of which is formed by leading technical sectoral universities and regional polytechnic universities, the practices of science organization and the main scientific achievements of which can significantly influence the further development of domestic university science, as well as the world scientific knowledge expansion and Russian society socio-economic development issues solution.

Рейтинги как составляющая государственной политики по повышению конкурентоспособности вузов России

The work is devoted to ratings as components of state policy to increase the competitiveness of Russian universities. It is noted that in recent years ratings have become the most important instrument of public policy in Russia. The results of rating studies are used to regulate many socio-economic processes, including the development of regions and organizations. This is due to the fact that ratings help analyze the process based on the use of a large number of indicators, as well as manage this process. As a tool for regulating the development of higher education, rankings have been actively used in Russia since 2012, when the practical implementation of a program to increase the competitiveness of leading Russian universities among world research and educational centers began. However, focusing on the indicators of international rankings, which do not take into account the peculiarities of the organization of science and higher education in Russia, along with positive results, also had a negative impact on a number of processes in the development of higher education. University rankings developed in Russia, for example, the Moscow International University Ranking “Three University Missions,” contain indicators that take into account the quality of education, the volume of scientific research performed, and the participation of universities in the life of local communities. As a result, it was noted that the experience of developing university rankings in Russia can form the basis for the formation of a national ranking of universities. The effectiveness of the national ranking of universities, as an instrument of state policy of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, will depend on what indicators are included in the ranking. To determine the most effective indicators, it is necessary to assess the regulatory impact for each indicator, calculate the effects and risks of using indicators that evaluate Russian universities.

ANALYSING THE PROCESSES OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF A RUSSIAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the forced digitalisation of all spheres of society and exposed the political and economic prerequisites for its further development. The government motivates universities to develop digital educational products and create their own digital educational environment both independently and in cooperation with other universities and EdTech companies. The article discusses different tasks of the digital transformation of higher education in the European Union and Russia, focuses on the development of the market of commercial educational programmes presented by EdTech companies, and describes the benefits and risks of digitalisation. As an illustrative example, the authors take a detailed look at the digital educational environment of one of the leading Russian universities, the development and implementation of digital educational and administrative platforms to simplify the learning process. In order to assess the advantages and disadvantages of digitalisation of education, a survey of university students was conducted, which made it possible to identify their attitude to the innovations and give them an assessment.

Innovation management in higher education as a factor of regional economic growth

Innovation activity in higher education serves as a catalyst for economic growth at the regional level. Modern economic realities require active introduction of scientific and technological achievements in the educational process, which inevitably affects regional economic development. The increasing contribution of higher education institutions to regional economy is due to a number of factors such as education quality improvement, research activities development, and scientific developments commercialization. The Education Development State Program data, examples of the world’s leading universities and reports on the research activities of Russian universities for 2015–2022 have been analyzed, and a multi-parametric assessment of innovative projects effectiveness in higher education carried out. The study included a comparative analysis of investments in scientific research and their impact on the regional gross domestic product, as well as the analysis of scientific developments commercialization cases. Between 2015 and 2022 the amount of funding for scientific research in leading Russian universities increased by 37 %, which was accompanied by an increase in the number of patents by 24 % and commercially successful projects by 18 %. The examples of St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk universities show an increase in direct investment in the regions by 15 and 20 %, respectively, due to scientific developments commercialization. The study also shows that the average growth of regional gross domestic product in regions with active innovation activity in universities amounted to 5.6 % per year.

Образ государственной власти в Сибири в исследованиях иркутских историков. 1918–1920-е гг.

Questions of formation and development of historical researches by the Irkutsk scientists are considered from the moment of establishment of the university and till the boundary of 1920– 1930s. Features of a socio-political and economic situation of the initial stage of formation of research activity of professors and teachers of the Irkutsk higher education institutions are shown. It is proved that studying history of Siberia, first of all, of socio-political aspects of its development, since 17th century to modern to them the period became the priority direction of humanitarian researches. These problems were investigated by the historians who got professional education at the leading Russian universities and having experience of research work. It is noted that the research of the government was not a subject of special studying the Irkutsk scientists during this period. However, as a political situation of that period after deep revolutionary shocks and Civil war, and actually development and expansion of an object of historical researches, revealed need of consideration of problems of the government, its structure, functions and the main activities. Conclusions are drawn on how this problem in the context of researches of development of Siberia was studied: the organization of the public power of the autochthonic people to the Russian Siberia, evolution of the public power of administration of the Russian centralized state and empire. Many historical plots considered during the studied period gained further development in modern researches of the Irkutsk scientists. At the same time, studying problems had not especially regional value, and had certain impact on formation of the Soviet historiography of the 1920th.

Lifelong Learning in the System of Higher Education: the State of the Problem and the Strategy of Integrating Educational Activities and Research

The authors of this article consider the current situation of lifelong learning education in leading Russian universities and define some possible strategies for integrating scientific research with educational activities. The empirical bases were: 1) statistical data on the activities of educational institutions of higher education (N = 1180), 2) dataset of monitoring the activities of universities participating in the federal academic leadership programme “Priority-2030”, 3) dataset of a survey of heads of centers for further vocational education in Russian universities (N = 450) as part of the Project “Monitoring of education markets and organizations (MEMO)”. The authors identified strategies for combining scientific and educational activities for lifelong learning programs at universities in the interests of the development of individual consumers, enterprises and branches of the national economy. The authors also found that universities take into account the social needs of society and the preferences of employers, but to a very small extent focus on transforming their scientific results into a new educational product for mass consumers. The significant focus of universities on research activities to a certain extent hinders the development and launch of new education programs, however, it is a group of research universities that demonstrates a higher cost of programs sold. The authors consider, how universities can be focused on working with the population or industry enterprises, integrating the research results into the modules of education programs, and stimulating an increase in the number of teachers combining research and teaching activities, at realizing the third University’s mission and taking into account the research grant volume.

Disclosing SDGs achievement indicators in the reporting of Russian universities based on the ESG approach. Part 2

Subject. This article examines the issues of proactive engagement of universities in the implementation of international initiatives in the field of sustainable development, including through the disclosure of indicators on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement in their public reporting based on the ESG approach. Objectives. The article aims to systematize the existing frameworks in the field of preparing reports on sustainable development, as well as analyze the sample data of leading Russian universities on the implementation of the SDGs using the ESG approach. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of content and systems analyses, and information grouping. Results. The theoretical part of the article systematizes the existing regulatory context of sustainable development reporting, taking into account the analysis of the possibility of its use by higher education organizations. The empirical part of the article assesses the quality of reporting on sustainable development (the SDGs achievement) by a number of domestic universities. Conclusions and Relevance. The overwhelming majority of leading Russian universities report on the SDGs achievement, focusing on their guidelines and strategies in favor of sustainable development of the country and regions. The list of ESG indicators systematized in the article, adapted to the specifics of the higher education sector, can be used as a tool for assessing the changes in the results achieved by universities. The results of the study can be of interest to researchers in the field of university management, representatives of the administrative level, analysts and employees of accounting and analytical structural divisions of universities, which form the information base for generating public reports and making management decisions in the field of sustainable development.

Psychological well-being and the value-semantic component of the systemogenesis of the professional development of a psychologist as a subject of labor at the stage of pre-professional development

The article presents data from an empirical study of psychological well-being and the value-semantic component of the systemogenesis of the professional formation of a psychologist as a subject of work at the stage of pre-professional development. The stage of pre-professional development of the subject of labor includes two stages: the stage of preparation for professional choice and the stage of professional training. In the article, the author examines the stage of professional training, which plays an important role in the formation of a psychologist as a professional. The introduction presents the concepts of psychological well-being and the value-semantic aspect of professional development of the individual that are central to the study. The empirical study involved 817 1st–4th year students of psychological and psychological-pedagogical fields studying at leading Russian universities. To study the connection between psychological well-being and the value-semantic component of the systemogenesis of professional development, the following methods were used: «Psychological Well-Being Scale» by K. Riff (adapted by T.D. Shevelenkova, P.P. Fesenko) includes the scales: «Positive Relationships», «Autonomy», «Environmental Management», «Personal Growth», «Goals in Life», «Self-Acceptance», «Psychological Well-Being» (generalized indicator), «Affect Balance» and «Core Beliefs Questionnaire» R. Janoff-Bulman (in adaptation by O. Kravtsova) allows you to analyze the results according to general categories of beliefs: «The favor of the world», «The meaningfulness of the world», «The value of one’s own self». The study of the relationship between these variables was carried out on the basis of the correlation analysis procedure, which was used in the version of Spearman's rank correlation. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that the systemogenesis of the professional development of a psychologist at the stage of professional training assumes a relationship between psychological well-being and the value-semantic component. Psychological well-being contributes to the formation of positive values and meanings in professional activities, and the value-semantic component contributes to the achievement of psychological well-being.

Disclosing SDGs achievement indicators in the reporting of Russian universities based on the ESG approach. Part 1

Subject. This article examines the issues of proactive engagement of universities in the implementation of international initiatives in the field of sustainable development, including through the disclosure of indicators on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement in their public reporting based on the ESG approach. Objectives. The article aims to systematize the existing frameworks in the field of preparing reports on sustainable development, as well as analyze the sample data of leading Russian universities on the implementation of the SDGs using the ESG approach. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of content and systems analyses, and information grouping. Results. The theoretical part of the article systematizes the existing regulatory context of sustainable development reporting, taking into account the analysis of the possibility of its use by higher education organizations. The empirical part of the article assesses the quality of reporting on sustainable development (the SDGs achievement) by a number of domestic universities. Conclusions and Relevance. The overwhelming majority of leading Russian universities report on the SDGs achievement, focusing on their guidelines and strategies in favor of sustainable development of the country and regions. The list of ESG indicators systematized in the article, adapted to the specifics of the higher education sector, can be used as a tool for assessing the changes in the results achieved by universities. The results of the study can be of interest to researchers in the field of university management, representatives of the administrative level, analysts and employees of accounting and analytical structural divisions of universities, which form the information base for generating public reports and making management decisions in the field of sustainable development.

Hybrid Learning: Russian and International Practice

The paper delivers the results of the study analyzing the established advanced practices of combining distance and face-to-face forms of learning in higher education. The key criterion for hybrid learning is the ratio of synchronous and asynchronous online formats in the learning process, and its essential basis - the learner's agency. The praximetric analysis of the sources and cases of foreign and Russian universities resulted in peculiarities of hybrid learning models. In-depth interviews with representatives of 14 universities allowed us to specify organizational and didactic features of the hybrid learning as well as its advantages and its limitations. The geography of respondents from foreign universities (Harvard Business School, Stockholm School of Economics, University of Arizona) and leading Russian universities (St. Petersburg State University, ITMO University, Higher School of Economics, Tomsk State University, Moscow City University, Ural Federal University, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, University of Tyumen) makes the study representative. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the interviewees' answers, the authors consider the hybrid format not as a universal solution for higher education, but as an opportunity to solve specific educational goals, individualize learning and attract new target groups. The study focuses on the flexible hybrid format (HyFlex), which gives students the choice of attending the class on campus (face-to-face), participation of classes via videoconferencing, or studying the course completely asynchronously, i.e., from class recordings and other materials.

Academic entrepreneurship system in the Russian Federation

Aim. The presented study aims to investigate the features of the academic entrepreneurship system in the Russian Federation through the example of leading Russian universities and to determine the main prospects for its development.Tasks. The author defines the theoretical foundations of the academic entrepreneurship system; examines the legal and regulatory framework of academic entrepreneurship; comparatively analyzes the entrepreneurial activity of leading Russian universities; determines the prospects and trends of the development of the academic entrepreneurship system in Russia.Methods. This study uses general scientific methods, including comparison, generalization, benchmarking, abstraction, deduction, and induction.Results. The theoretical foundations of academic entrepreneurship are investigated, and the author’s original definition of the term is formulated. The regulatory and legal framework of university entrepreneurship through the regulation of small innovative enterprises established at universities is examined. The level of academic entrepreneurship in leading Russian universities at the level of desk research is analyzed. Major directions for the development of the academic entrepreneurship system in Russia are determined.Conclusions. The system of academic entrepreneurship is implemented through the combined efforts of educational organizations and representatives of the business community to simplify the commercialization of the results of innovative activity. The legal and regulatory framework of academic entrepreneurship in Russia is underdeveloped considering the needs of the modern economy. The main legal acts regulating the activities of small innovative enterprises are federal laws, regulations of the Government of the Russian Federation, and the decree of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. University entrepreneurship in domestic higher education institutions continues to develop. A peculiar feature of the existing system is the desire to create an innovative infrastructure within the university and to stimulate entrepreneurial activity among the teaching staff and students. The prospects for the development of academic entrepreneurship in Russia are associated with the development of innovative university infrastructure and increased interaction with manufacturing organizations.

СИСТЕМА НЕМАТЕРИАЛЬНОЙ МОТИВАЦИИ КАК СТРАТЕГИЧЕСКИЙ ВЕКТОР РАЗВИТИЯ ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКОГО ПОТЕНЦИАЛА НА ПРИМЕРЕ УНИВЕРСИТЕТОВ РОССИИ

The article deals with the qualitative research with special reference to leading Russian universities participating in the strategic academic leadership program ‘Priority 2030’. The paper presents key findings based on document study of the research universities development programs. The basic principles and solutions of how to execute transition from human resources to human capital management model have been examined using the sample of the bespoke universities. The article considers consistence patterns and discrepancies of human capital management models comparatively to the size and location of the universities.

The System of Sociocultural Adaptation of Foreign Students at Leading Russian Universities (On the Example of Azerbaijani and Chinese Students)

The number of foreign students educating in Russian universities is increasing every year. With the growing number of such students, the issue of their adaptation becomes more re levant, because that adaptation also determines the success of education. The substantial role in this process falls to the share of universities and their educational system, which in the initial stages is aimed at accelerating the adaptation of foreign students to everyday life in Russia, also to provide high-quality and promising education.The article presents the results of a study conducted in order to investigate the features of sociocultural adaptation, the difficulties, which are faced by students during their education period and their expectations, coverage of the place and role of universities, therefore, and scientific and pedagogical staff. To achieve an accurate result, we conducted a survey of international students from the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China studying at Russian universities. 107 students in total (45% Azerbaijani students and 55% Chinese students) from leading Moscow universities participated in the questionnaire-based survey, the age cohort of respondents ranged from 21 to 35 years. Analysis of the results of the survey made it possible to determine the main types of adaptation of students to identify objective and subjective factors of sociocultural adaptation, to compare the principal features of foreign students from Azerbaijan and China in order to understand the main problems of intercultural communication of students from different ethnic groups. The relevance and uniqueness of the study are based on cross-cultural differences between the studied groups, which made it possible to identify both principal and specific features, and their significant difference from Russian culture.The authors of the article concluded that the acceleration of the process of sociocultural adaptation is possible, first of all, through the study of the Russian language and pre-departure training in their homeland, which includes studying of Russian culture, history, traditions and specifics of intercultural communication. Based on the results of the study, the authors proposed recommendations for the formation of a system of measures aimed to optimize the processes of sociocultural adaptation, including well-organized training and teaching, as well as involvement of foreign students in the social activities of the university.

Management of Digital Communications with Target Groups by Leading Russian Universities

The article presents the results of an empirical study on the assessment of digital communications management with target groups of Russian universities in social media. A sample of universities is based on the «QS World University Ranking by Subjects 2021: Social Sciences and Management 2021». Among the cases of applied research: National Research University «Higher School of Economics», Russian University of Economics, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, MGIMO University, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. The results of a comparative analysis has been carried out using the method of graph with the use of a special software based on determining the structural links of the most significant digital communities of selected universities, as well as social media analysis aimed at determining the key parameters of user activity. The method proposed by the authors makes it possible to assess the scale and nature of communication between universities and selected target groups. Based on the data obtained, we have developed recommendations for improving the digital management of universities, increasing the density of connections and the integration of users within the online communities of universities as one of the conditions for effective management of a university brand in the modern network space.

Cross-disciplinary variation in metadiscourse: A corpus-based analysis of Russian-authored research article abstracts

The article deals with metadiscourse variation in academic texts across disciplinary boundaries. Its main focus is on the distribution of metadiscourse markers in Russian-authored academic prose in the field of applied linguistics and engineering. The study assumes that the distribution of metadiscourse devices is determined by disciplinary norms. The theoretical basis of the study is Hyland’s taxonomy of metadiscourse markers. With the aim of investigating metadiscourse in English-medium research article (RA) abstracts by Russian authors, the present study adopted a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The results revealed that RA abstracts feature four types of metadiscourse markers whose distribution varies across two disciplines representing the humanities and hard sciences. The study also investigated the degree of familiarity of linguistics and engineering scholars from leading Russian universities with metadiscourse devices and their awareness of the need to use them in research articles. To achieve this goal, a survey was conducted to obtain data on knowledge of metadiscourse as a discursive strategy. The findings carry therefore pedagogical implications for academic writing course designers and instructors and can enhance non-native English writers’ knowledge of academic writing conventions in the discipline.

БУДУЩЕЕ ДИСТАНЦИОННОГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ В ВЫСШЕЙ ШКОЛЕ: СОЦИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ МНЕНИЙ СУБЪЕКТОВ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОГО ПРОЦЕССА

The article examines the problems of distance learning development in higher education, as well as the prospects of introducing new distance learning technologies in Russian universities. The methodology used was content analysis of public speeches of rectors of leading Russian universities, secondary analysis of sociological research data and our own sociological research conducted by survey method.

Leaders in Science Communications through the Prism of the AKSON Communications Laboratory Award

The article considers the AKSON Communications Laboratory award as a platform for discussions and exchange of experience between scientific communicators. An expert interview with the organizer enables the author to understand the principles that underlie the award, and an analysis of the list of award winners over the years of its existence helps to characterize the organizations that have declared themselves the most competitive participants in this field of activity. The article outlines the structure of the award and gives an impression about the degree of involvement in its competition of leading Russian universities along with research institutes and other scientific and educational organizations. This makes it possible to assess the state of the scientific communication industry in Russia and to identify the best results of the application of communication methods. In general, the establishment of the AKSON Communications Laboratory award played a huge role in the formation of the professional community of communicators. It can be argued that the award has become an important aspect of institutionalization, forming the framework of the profession of “scientific communicator”, the information field for this area, and a system of knowledge about projects and practices that can be considered exemplary for this area.

Using Digital Tools to Teach Soft Skill-Oriented Subjects to University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Radical changes in education occurred in 2020 during the pandemic. The need to fully switch to a distance-learning mode required rethinking the approaches to the organization of the learning process. Despite the fact that Russian universities were already using digital learning tools quite extensively at the beginning of the pandemic—those were seen as auxiliary, supporting tools. Within a short period, online learning made it necessary to design educational programs from a digital-technologies viewpoint, as traditional teaching methods had lost some of their functionality in the distance-learning mode. First of all, the changes affected the disciplines focused on the formation of soft skills, such as communication skills, group interaction, and managing people. Another problem of digitalization of all aspects of our lives is the huge amount of readily available information. In this regard, developing the students’ systemic thinking and augmenting their ability to find and properly use information became an important alternative to acquisition of factual knowledge. This article summarizes the experience of the educational process at one of the leading Russian universities, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) “MISIS” during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the analysis of the degree of application of digital tools in online and hybrid learning. In this article, we present the description of methodology approaches to the use of digital tools for soft skill development, using the example of teaching specific disciplines “Systems Thinking and Theory of Constraints” and “Life Cycle of Corporations and Change Management” in the master’s program in Corporate Finance taught at NUST “MISIS”.

Network form of realization of universities’ educational programs: has a certainty appeared?

In the article, the authors consider the latest by-law regulation of the institute of the network form of the implementation of educational programs in the higher education system of Russia. Despite the emergence of normative certainty on several issues, there are still quite ambiguous provisions. Thanks to this study, key ones have been identified and commented on. The popularity of the network form among universities is still relatively low. The authors have systematized several topical reasons for the conclusion of agreements on the network form by universities. Qualitative changes in the popularity of the online form can occur both thanks to new state programs (Priority-2030) and the renewal of development programs for leading Russian universities (for example, St. Petersburg State University). A separate issue is proposed at the sub-legal level as an approximate form of an agreement on the network form. The authors see the legal nature of such an agreement as undoubtedly administrative. But the conclusion of the agreement is accompanied by many nuances discussed in the article, and which must be kept in mind by universities. After the study, the authors highlighted priority issues for continuing to give the network form the expected normative certainty.