The concept paper aims at defining the objectives associated by the administrators of higher educational institutions (HEIs) with massive open online course (MOOC) production and at revealing the progress achieved and the barriers faced. Ever increasing tempo of digitization and budget savings at educational institutions make rationality of this activity and elaboration of ideas for increasing it a hot topic for discussion – both for those HEIs that have already launched such projects and for those who, being able to start a project taking into account international and Russian experience, consider this perspective in the future. The paper covers the objectives that American and European HEIs, where the first MOOCs appeared, associate with MOOC production projects. It also presents the first attempt to bring the position of Russian university administrators into this context. English and Russian literature reviewed here reflects the experience of MOOC producers trying to accomplish these objectives. These research and non-research papers show that the objectives set have not been fully met yet, as they require additional mechanisms and tools which are as well limited. This leads to the suggestion that MOOC has not proved to be a stand-alone solution for the universities which produce them, but seems promising if introduced into the organization development strategy. An evident limitation of this paper is using non-research papers to describe the current situation in MOOC industry in Russia, since academic publications on the topic are scarce. Further research might clarify and extinguish the ideas presented in the paper. The conclusion contains some recommendations on measuring and increasing the effectiveness of MOOC production projects in accomplishing the HEIs’ objectives.

The paper is a case study of the experience of developing and using systems for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of scientific research within British, Dutch and Finnish universities and other fundamental scientific centers. The article aims at showing key organizational and methodical approaches for assessing the effectiveness of research in Western European countries against the background of the ensuing discussion about the role of quantitative and peer review methods in analyzing research results. Descriptive, historical and comparative methods are used. The assessments of quality and the state of research in the selected group of countries are found to be based mainly on the complexity and ambiguity of scientific pursuit and, consequently, on understanding that the evaluation of research effectiveness should be multidimensional and complex, that it should rest on expert quality assessment and quantitative (scientometric and bibliometric) indicators, the latter not to be dominant, but to serve as an advantage to expert judgment. The article gives new detailed and more complete (than the analogical works) analysis of the systems and criteria for assessing the quality of research together with the factors underlying their evolution in the three European countries with highly developed national scientific systems. There is shown the formation of modern evaluation systems in accordance with the needs for the development of scientific potential and with the need to strengthen its competitiveness on the international arena. This made it possible to draw valid conclusions about the essential general features of the assessment systems and about their adaptation to national characteristics, and to formulate recommendations on using the experience of Western European countries to improve the practice of evaluating research activities in Russian universities and research institutes. The results of the work may as well be of interest to researchers, university professors, postgraduates, students, and also to all those interested in topical issues of developing the science of science.

The research article analyzes the gradual achievement of target scientific activity indicators by members of dissertation councils and by the organizations wherein dissertation councils are based. The purpose of the article is to analyse the compliance of dissertation councils with the criterion requirements imposed by the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia both to the indicators of members of dissertation councils’ scientific and publishing activities effectiveness and to the indicators of universities and scientific organizations which are the basis for dissertation councils’ work. To achieve this goal, there were analysed performance indicators obtained within monitoring the dissertation councils’ network activities during 2015–2018. The target performance indicators of the state system of scientific certification were determined by the Roadmap Plan approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia on 23rd August 2016. The results of the analysis showed that the 4-year period of the «roadmap» measures implementation had seen a steady tendency to improving the indicators of the members of dissertation councils’ publication activity compliance with the criteria of the Higher Attestation Commission. However, the overall level of the entire network of councils’ compliance with these criteria in 2018 reached only 82.7 %, and the demanded 90 % benchmark was not achieved. As a result, the analysis showed that administrative measures aimed at achieving the benchmark are not enough, and it is necessary to amend the regulatory framework governing the activities of the state certification system. When preparing proposals for changing the regulatory framework, it is necessary to study the experience of the work of the dissertation councils created on the basis of the organizations, which have received the right to independently award academic degrees. The presented analysis of the indicators of the members of dissertation councils’ publication activity compliance with the criterion requirements presented in the road map is a basic guideline for the practice of university management in forming dissertation councils. The article is completely original and presents quantitative information on the dynamics of the performance indicators of the members of dissertation councils’ scientific and publication activities, as well as those of universities and scientific organizations which are the basis for dissertation councils’ work.

The article analyses the issue of regional higher education systems provision with public funding per students and the degree of the current system public funding distribution correspondence to demographic trends and to the forecast of the number of potential students. The forecast of the population at the age group of 17–21 years showed that starting from 2019 within the Russian higher education system, the applicants’ number will increase. The reason for this is coming out of the 1990s «demographic hole». The current guarantee of financial support for higher education at the expense of public funds (at least 800 students for every 10,000 people from the age group of 17–30 years old) can be carried out until 2024 without increasing the volume of public funding. However, the implementation of this standard is provided only by reducing the age cohort of 25–30 years. The ratio of the predicted values of the number of potential applicants and the value of demand for regional higher education systems allowed us to identify the donor regions, the deficit regions and the recipient regions. The analysis of the current distribution of public funded places between Russian regions made it possible to identify territorial imbalances that negatively affect the ability of school graduates to receive free higher education in their home region.

This article analyses students’ short-term academic mobility. One of the key conditions for a university’s entry into the global educational market is its implementing the programs and projects aimed at attracting foreign students. Today academic mobility is a source of «soft power» to promote the interests of any state in the international arena. For a case study there was chosen Ural Federal University, included into the 5-100-2020 program. Since 2014, on its basis there has been implemented the project «Summer University», with the aim to attract foreign students for short-term educational programs. The article is based on the 2019 survey, its object being students from the People’s Republic of China – participants of short-term international academic mobility program (n=31), and on the research interviews with teachers (n=5), whose activities are related to training foreign students. There is analyzed the motivational structure of the students’ arrival, as well as their expectations from participation in the educational program and the barriers to the effective implementation of short-term educational programs at the university. The results of the research show that foreign students, participants of the short-term international academic mobility programs, are primarily focused on the development of additional general cultural competencies. The motivational structure of educational migration is dominated by the need for obtaining information about Russia. As an educational result, students name the expansion of their knowledge, primarily on the culture, history, and traditions of the host community. Among the barriers to successful mastering a short-term educational program, students mentioned, above all, their own weak language competence. To improve the quality of the «Summer University» project implementation, foreign students indicated the need to reduce bureaucratic barriers in preparing documents, settlement etc., as well as the organization of leisure activities. For the university, the project opens the opportunities of further attracting students for undergraduate and postgraduate programs, whereas interacting with leading enterprises and organizations in the city and region might increase Chinese students’ familiarity with the territory and its attractiveness for their future academic mobility. It is particularly important to aim such projects at the development of general cultural competencies.

This research paper presents the results of a survey conducted by the authors and their interpretation of the identified factors influencing the students’ satisfaction of participating in international academic mobility. The investigation studies the issues of the education internationalization effectiveness in Russian universities, which is provided via students’ opportunity to participate in international mobility programs. The problems of internationalization are practical, since now this process is one of the prior directions in the development of education. Within this work, there has been conducted a study of Russian students’ views on the level and quality of education in the programs of international academic mobility, and the main result of the work is the identification of the most significant factors affecting the students’ choice of higher school for mobility. These factors are combined by the authors in a set of recommendations to the leading Russian universities when choosing partner universities. The practical part includes an expert interview of students (14 people) participating in mobility programs. It aims at identifying criteria for their satisfaction with this experience, which, together with the factors identified as a result of analyzing theoretical works, has provided the basis for making a questionnaire on academic mobility, then passed by 148 students. Thus, the following significant components of the effective program mastery have been identified: a high level of foreign students’ adaptation and awareness at the host university, high professionalism of the teachers, expenses moderation, scholarships availability, team projects for getting along with course mates. There have been found out the leading criteria for the students’ selection of foreign universities: established partnerships between sending and receiving universities, the attractiveness of the country of the program, the opportunity to practice rare foreign languages with their native speakers. As a research perspective, there can be suggested distinguishing the factors which influence the choice of Western or Eastern universities-partners. 

Within the modern educational space, in the conditions of transformation of the external environment, tough competition obliges universities to build their own development strategies and trajectories of internal changes using effective management approaches and technologies.

The purpose of the article is to describe a new managerial practice in the field of higher education, demonstrating the advantage of using project management when introducing changes to the university management system associated with the transition to the so-called «lean manufacturing» (which takes place, for example, in Belgorod State National Research University and in Belgorod State University). The article as well aims at suggesting practical recommendations on the development of a model for a lean design system project.

The author focuses on two managerial problems – the one of resisting changes in the implementation of lean manufacturing and the other of lacking consistency in implementing the corresponding changes. There are found out a number of constraints limiting the use of lean technologies in higher education organizations management. The article analyzes the experience of implementing lean technologies in the scientific, educational and managerial activities of higher education institutions on the example of several Russian and foreign universities. It also reveals the essence of the implemented approaches and technologies. There are used the methods of active comparative analysis and theoretical generalization of scientific and practical experience, content analysis of regulatory acts of the Belgorod Region on the lean management principles implementation in executive bodies, as well as strategic development documents of Belgorod State Research University through the interrelation of lean management and the strategy of university development.

Based on generalizing the experience of Belgorod State National Research University, a model of a lean system development project is suggested, recommendations are given on structuring the project architecture and on forming a team of changes and a project management system, which may be of interest to regional universities when introducing lean manufacturing and choosing change management methods.

The modern system of higher education involves the active implementation of the practice-oriented approach, which is based not only on the educational process, but also on the formation of a student’s personality. The introduction of a practice-oriented approach implies students’ acquiring both practical and social competencies, which will be necessary for them in their future professional activity. Project activity in Higher School of Economics (HSE) is presented as a separate type of students’ educational activity within an educational program, credit units for it corresponding to specific forms of organization and control. The project seminar is an educational form of organizational and educational support for project activities. The project seminar is not directly related to the forms of projects implementation. It aims at forming students’ project competencies, skills of project interaction, and project management. The practice of implementing a project seminar within undergraduate programs began in 2014, within graduate programs – in 2018. This paper analyzes the undergraduate students’ practice of project work in educational programs of economic profile. The study is based on the analysis of HSE – Perm. The survey involved 117 respondents, including 8 teachers, 5 customer representatives, and 104 students of different years (the sample corresponds to the confidence accuracy of 95 % with 10 % room for possible error and a total population of 983 students).

Research question. Since 2014, HSE has been introducing a special practice of project-oriented training in undergraduate programs, which is to implement projects and a project seminar and to involve students in practical programs (applied projects). This practice has methodological support in the form of local regulations, but, in fact, there are ample opportunities for educational programs, as far as the peculiar features of implementation are concerned. At the same time, a large number of participants have been included in the process of implementing this practice. It is this research that is supposed to identify common benefits and difficulties in implementing this approach. Accordingly, the purpose of the study is to evaluate the practice of introducing project-oriented education on the example of undergraduate economic programs at HSE – Perm, to find out corresponding problems, and to identify ways of improving this process.

The paper analyzes the case of organizing and conducting strategic sessions, their practice being realized over the past few years at the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo and in other projects on developing university strategies with the author’s participation. This case is important, as the strategic sessions today have a mass format, and their practice analysis often shows insufficient theoretical and methodological validity. The case presents the main elements of the methodology for conducting strategic sessions. There are shown a number of methods for providing the basic processes of such sessions – thinking and self-determination. The main element of such sessions is described in detail – that is, the formation of content. This case study is addressed to university leaders who are responsible for strategic planning, as well as to session leaders, to experts, and to consultants in this field.

The main idea of this case study paper is to introduce the practice of monitoring and analysis of the university professors’ resistance to changes, and to describe the possible solutions for the resistance management using the example of the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship of Lobachevsky University. The methodological background of the research was based on the basic understanding of the resistance to change, its negative role, its causes and circumstances. Different reasons for resistance were described based on the psychological approach. The idea of the questionnaire is the qualitative description of the dependence between the university teachers’ resistance to changes and the factors of their resistance. The basis of the questionnaire is the authors’ description of psychological reasons and organizational factors of resistance. The 170 members of the pedagogical staff of the Institute were questioned, which is more than 50 % of the personnel. The following conclusions were made: 1) the professors’ resistance to change has modest strength and, mainly, the passive form; 2) the main reasons of their resistance is the fear of negative results of changes and change of academic values; 3) the crucial factor of professors’ resistance is inefficient system of communication. The next step for the research is to improve the methodology of the measurement of the resistance to change and to extend that methodology for all the departments of the university. It is quite important to notice that the resistance is usually presented in the passive form, and it could create the illusion that there is no resistance at all. In order to have the real picture of the situation, it is essential to measure the quantitative characteristics of the resistance and to use different methods for different directions. The fear of the negative effect of changes is one of the problems to be solved by the explaining of the positive circumstances of changes. One possibility for that is to give the teachers the role of actors of the new policy, to describe the possible effects of changes. Another possible way is the substitution of the traditional academic university culture by the entrepreneurial culture; this can be achieved by the introduction of the new values. Also it is worth mentioning that one of the main organizational barriers for the resistance of change is the inefficient communication among the university staff, it slows down the distribution of the information about the changes. The results of the research are unique, as they lay in the suggested hierarchy of the causes and organizational factors of the resistance to change at the universities.