Higher education reform: New realities in the context of digitalization

Introduction. The article identifies the main problems of legal support for the introduction of digital technologies into educational activities. The degree of influence of digital technologies on transformations in the education system has been determined. The authors consider the content of digital transformation which affects not only the system of educational organizations and the content of the educational process, but also the system of governing bodies in the field of education. Empirical analysis. The legal analysis of the Strategy for Digital Transformation of Science and Higher Education, developed by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia in 2021, was conducted. The interpretation of digitalization of education only through the expansion of online learning opportunities is becoming outdated (although this element retains its significant importance). The purpose of a higher education institution is changing, as digital technologies are transforming key communication links. The impact of new technologies on improving the efficiency of the education system and promoting personalization of knowledge acquisition was highlighted. The authors demonstrate that accelerated digitalization contributes to the construction of a seamless educational process, optimization of management in educational organizations, as well as their integration with high-tech companies. Theoretical analysis. The article substantiates a strict administrative approach to the introduction of digital technologies into educational activities based on monitoring the entire system and identifying the compliance of individual elements with digital maturity indicators. Digitalization causes structural changes in the organization of educational activities in higher education. In many ways, it carries a useful universalism that will reduce the administrative burden on the teacher, switching his / her eff orts to human interaction with students. Transformational processes should be based on platform solutions that have proven their effectiveness in the modern economy. A new challenge has been identified – the restructuring of the labor market, which will also affect the educational system of Russia. Results. In the context of strict approaches to saving public resources, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia will have to be guided by administrative methods when building indicators for transforming a university into a "digital university" and assessing compliance with them when analyzing the current state of an educational organization.

reform, higher education, digitalization, platformization, digital university, online courses