Problem Of Welfare Of Society And Challenges For Modern University

Openness and accessibility as principles of modern education system creation

The term “openness” is present in numerous pedagogical concepts aimed at humanizing education, bringing its content closer to real life, improving the flexibility of educational programs, overcoming the closed nature of the educational institution as a social institution. Openness acquires special significance in the sphere of education in connection with the development of the information society (Hylen, 2006). New global needs arise in modern society. They are the need for continuous education throughout life and for creating a high-quality informational and educational environment (Stonier, 1983; McLuhan, 1962; Masuda, 1981).

The informational and educational environment fundamentally modernizes the technological basis of the education system and allows it to move towards open informational and pedagogical teaching technologies (Yuan & Powell, 2013). For modern education system, the use of such technologies as network information technologies, distance learning in its various forms and other information and pedagogical teaching technologies is intrinsic (Khan, 2001; Blumberg, 2009). One of the fruitful experiences of the practical realization of the idea of openness that is realized in three main levels: openness of the education system; openness of the educational institution; openness of the educational process. The formation of an open modern education system is connected both with its orientation towards various social institutions in addressing the issues of the development of education and with the revision of the role of educational institutions and the students themselves in organizing and maintaining the education process (Blumberg, 2009; Burgstahler, 2008). One of the acute problems that arise in connection with the tendency of creating a competitive educational environment is the saturation of education market.

Let us review the challenges facing the open education system. Firstly, the education system must meet the educational needs of people in the 21st century, primarily those related to the availability of education for people from early childhood throughout the life of a person. Secondly, the modern education system faces the problem of ensuring equal access to education for all people at all levels of education. Thirdly, there is a problem of improving the quality of education requires the dynamic development of the education system itself, since the quality of education tends to meet the demands of the developing society. Fourthly, there is a problem of increasing the efficiency and productivity of the educational system.

In the practical field of the educational process, the ideas of openness are implemented by providing educational institutions with certain independence, giving them the ability to determine the basic characteristics of the educational process, in particular methods and technologies, the structure of human resources, sources of funding, and the contingent of students. One of the distinguishing features of truly open education is the change in the role of its participants. The role of the student in organizing their education becomes more significant (Luo, Zhang, Qi, 2017). The open learning process assumes that self-teaching plays a major role in the learning process. So the student chooses their educational trajectory in a detailed educational environment; at high levels of education, the trainee participates in the financial decisions around the learning process.

The UrFU experience shows that a student can develop in any direction, even if it is unrelated to their future profession but meets their personal interests, through implemented scientific programs, grants and opportunities for study abroad. In UrFU the project «Open Education» is being implemented. Additionally, UrFU implements open educational programs, minors and online courses in a wider range of specialities.

Open educational programs are an innovation for UrFU. They offer the students wide opportunities, including the implementation of a completely individual trajectory of mastering the program in accordance with their interests, preferences and needs and taking the results of online learning into account in the main educational program. The catalogue of e-courses is located on the online learning platform of the UrFU. Minors are additional modules of bachelor's education programs. Minors are developed by leading university teachers, are of interest to a wide range of students and are available for mastering by all comers.

Implementation of the new educational policy by UrFU allows the university to ensure a high level of professional training of students in the educational program. What is, perhaps, even more important for the graduates to successfully compete in the information society is the fact that the new educational policy makes it possible to acquire knowledge from other areas that will be useful for a future career and interesting life.

Academic mobility and the problem of integrating Russian universities into the international educational space

Academic mobility is one of the most important aspects of the integration process that brings Russian universities into the international educational space. The development of academic mobility is necessary for the growth of university competitiveness (Bezrukov, Ziyatdinova, Sanger, Ivanov & Zoltareva, 2018). In 2003, Russia joined the Bologna declaration, but the desire for synergy with European educational systems faced problems of legal, socio-cultural and economic nature. The development of the legal framework necessary for the support of academic mobility takes time and effort of qualified personnel. It should be noted that the right to apply for academic mobility programs is supported by Russian laws but only on a case-by-case basis rather than en masse.

The academic exchange of students, teachers and administrative personnel in Russian universities have become more important in recent years. By getting involved in the processes of academic mobility, the student obtains the opportunities to get a better education in the chosen area of training, to develop their knowledge in scientific and liberal arts and to gain access to recognized centres of knowledge where the leading scientific schools are formed.

Academic mobility relies on a university cooperating with both Russian and foreign universities, which by itself is a necessary part of its activity. Indicators of academic mobility are present in the reports of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and are treated as important indicators of the effectiveness of higher education institutions.

There is a number of problems affecting the development of academic mobility in Russia: the concept itself is being treated as an afterthought, insufficiency of material and financial support, lack of expert and financial advice, insufficient level of knowledge of a foreign language and many others.

One of the serious problems of modern Russian education is scepticism towards the diplomas issued by most Russian universities in the international labour market. Russia's accession to the Bologna Process was the reason for the harmonization of Russian educational standards with the European standards. Russian Federation has signed a number of international conventions on the equivalence of Russian and European education. In 2000, Russia ratified the Lisbon Convention of 1997 on the mutual recognition of educational documents by European countries. However, Russian graduates routinely face the fact that their diploma is not treated as equivalent to local educational documents.

Experience of the Ural Federal University shows that the development of academic mobility is an essential component for the development of a university as a scientific, educational and innovation centre aspiring for international recognition. Annually, students and employees of UrFU go abroad for internships and conferences on academic mobility programs. Students of foreign universities come to UrFU under the programs of academic exchange and international schools.

In 2013, a roadmap of measures aimed at “improving the competitive ability of the Ural State University in 2013-2020” had been developed and published with the participation of QS Intelligence Unit and Thomson Reuters Russia. This roadmap postulates the implementation of an integrated approach aimed at achieving its goals. The steps aimed at increasing academic mobility play an important role in the roadmap. The Ural Federal University participates in international networking projects such as BRICS University League, BRICS Network University, CIS University, SCO University, Arctic University, Association of Technical Universities of Russia and China. The total number of its foreign partner universities have recently reached 400.

The roadmap also includes the development of English versions of masters and post-graduate education programs that are popular with foreign students. This proposal led to the creation of a number of English-language masters programs and disciplines in post-graduate education that conform to the international standards of education.

Students who study at UrFU can enter the dual degree program or get an opportunity to acquire a European Diploma Supplement, a document developed according to the standards of the Council of Europe and UNESCO. The Supplement is filled out in Russian and English and contains a description of the nature, level, content and status of the education received, with additional information on the systems used to evaluate the student. The European Diploma Supplement is recognized by all countries participating in the Bologna process. This appendix to the diploma gives a student an opportunity to continue their education abroad and simplifies the recognition of their educational achievements when applying for jobs with foreign companies in Russia and abroad.

Academic mobility is a way of developing and reinventing the educational process in general as well as programs of higher professional education in Russia. Academic mobility enables the Russian education system to overcome its isolation and increases the competitiveness of Russian educational programs on the international market.

Multicultural discourse in the modern educational environment.

College years are one of the most important stages in a person's life and the most important stage of preparation for future professional activity. This stage, among other things, encourages a certain mobility, in particular, the preparedness for professional education in foreign colleges and universities. In the modern world, educational contacts between countries are undergoing intensive development and the number of young people wishing to get an education outside their own country is increasing.

In turn, modern universities that hope for global recognition should always strive to foster more international connections. Russian universities are laying the vector of internationalization in their roadmaps of development; the share of foreign students is constantly increasing. This is due to the implementation of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the fields of training specialists of foreign countries and of ensuring the sustainable growth of the contingent of foreign citizens applying to receive education in Russian universities. Foreign students are viewed as “conduits” of Russian culture, educational and scientific technologies to the outside world (Penionzhek, Ivanova, Inkizhekova, Mikheyeva & Rasulova, 2017; Gibadullina, Silayeva, 2016; Baklashova, Kazakov, 2016). They help form positive opinions not only about Russian culture but also about the Russian state as a reliable and serious partner

However, the formal admission of a foreign student to an educational institution is only the first step in receiving a Russian education. The intercultural communications arising in the course of educational process are influenced by factors that need to be taken into account. Let us enumerate and briefly describe these factors. First, the cultural factor. Adaptation of foreign citizens to new socio-cultural conditions begins after their admission to a university or college and becomes a fundamental condition that determines in many cases the effectiveness of the educational process as a whole. Traditions and customs, the rhythm of life, local holidays are special factors that may leave problems of misunderstanding between representatives of different cultures, especially if this is supplemented by the religious identity of the foreign learner (Penionzhek, Ivanova, Inkizhekova, Mikheyeva & Rasulova, 2017; Gabdrakhmanova, Sagdieva, & Korableva, 2017; Gibadullina, Silayeva, 2016; Baklashova & Kazakov, 2016). The possibility of dialogue, understanding, tolerance among representatives of various faiths among students is an important educational aspect, given the multi-confessional nature of Russian culture on the one hand, and its secular nature on the other. The problem of interreligious discourse is especially relevant when the visiting students are deeply religious people coming from Muslim countries.

The second factor is an understanding of the political and legal processes that are taking place in Russia. The cultural approach in the legal education of foreign students is focused on the education of the legal culture, the fundamental elements of which are: legal consciousness, lawful behaviour, not violating legislative regulations and an active civic position.

The third factor is psychological, and in assessing this factor, it is worth taking into account the harsh Russian climate, especially if it concerns the education of foreign students from African countries in the Ural and Siberian universities.

The fourth factor is personal. New housing conditions require special adaptation, given that young people live far from their parents, most often in dormitories. To eliminate the risk of this factor making a negative impact, it is necessary to interact with parents (or other relatives) of foreign students, embassies of foreign countries in the Russian Federation on issues of learning and behaviour.

The fifth factor is educational. In many countries, there is a different school curriculum and general education, and adapting to a new set of requirements and rules would require a huge cognitive effort from a foreign student.

How to mitigate the possible negative impact of these factors? To ensure conflict-free interaction between foreign students, teachers and native students, a special coaching or “buddying” system can be instituted. A native student would be able to volunteer as a “buddy” and help ease foreign students into the new learning environment. The “buddying” system is based on informal mentorship and friendly coaching free of “younger/older”, “teacher/student”, “supervisor/intern” and other rigid binary roles. “Buddy” is a special friend, companion and partner that inspires trust (Penionzhek, Ivanova, Inkizhekova, Mikheyeva & Rasulova, 2017, p. 20). Through constant feedback from their buddies, foreign students are getting psychological, social and emotional support; they are also gently encouraged both to adapt to their new environments and to achieve their educational goals, becoming better at coping with their new cultural context. The “buddies” play a pretty important role in this process and should be properly instructed in their responsibilities through standalone training sessions, seminars or even full-blown training courses. To summarize, we must note that in order to mitigate the negative influence of the above-mentioned six factors, it is necessary to create certain conditions of an adaptive nature, the most important of which are the “buddying” system and the use of inclusive educational methods.