The main aspects of modernization of the higher education system in the perception of students and teachers: a sociological analysis
Authors:   The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Sagaidak Varvara A. , Duyunova Vladislava M. ,   The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Anufrieva Evgeniya V. ,   Volgograd State Technical University
Published: January 2022

Introduction. The Rome Conference of Ministers of Science and Higher Education set a new direction for the implementation of key commitments necessary for the full functioning of the European Higher Education Area. As a participant in the Bologna process, Russia is rapidly increasing the pace of modernization in the higher education system, which actualizes the need to analyze the results and consequences of the ongoing reforms. The research purpose is to identify the specifics of perception of the main aspects of the modernization process by students and teachers as key agents in the provision and consumption of educational services. Materials and methods. During the study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among first-to-fifth year students (N=300) and teachers (N=100) of the Volgograd Institute of Management, a branch of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Results. The research results demonstrate an ambiguous attitude towards the ongoing reforms. 39.3% of the surveyed students and 37.8% of the teachers support the transition to a two-tier higher education system, 28.6% of the students and 44.4% of the teachers do not approve of it. The main risk of the reform relates to the loss of the quality of education when changing the field of study and a student’s obligation to obtain a master’s degree in order to be in demand in the labor market. The transition to a modular-rating training system is perceived positively by more than a third of the surveyed students and teachers. Negative consequences of the reform affected teachers to a greater extent: an increase in time costs and the risk of error when completing modules with teaching materials. The transition to the credit system as a tool for the development of academic mobility is supported by 62% of the surveyed teachers and 39.9% of the students. The contradictory attitude to stimulating the change of universities is associated with the risks of student adaptation and stereotyped education as the consequences of reforms. Conclusions. Based on the research results, the authors come to the conclusion that to overcome the ambiguous attitude towards the ongoing reforms, it is important to develop and implement measures to highlight the current modernization directions, goals and results: at meetings of the Academic Council or through teaching and student exchanges at the regional and international level. Also, the identified problems can be compensated by the intensification of advanced training courses taken by teachers to use the tools of work against the backdrop of new tasks, the development of a regulatory framework that regulates the transition between levels of education and measures to prevent the risks of students’ adaptation when changing universities.