Interim Activity Report
(March-August 2002)
January 2002
Upon request of IPF (with a group of higher education
policy IPF fellows of 2002 year) I participated in a scientific meeting
in Vienna. The initial seminar was devoted to defining ways of possible
incorporation of our research into the framework of the international research
project “The role of universities in social transformations” which is being
undertaken by the Center of Higher Education Research and Information (CHERI),
Open University, Great Britain.
February 2002
Vienna meeting follow up: I have revised my initial
project proposal and timetable in a way to fit into the framework of the
international project.
Contacts with mentors.
March 2002
Attended the
first IPF training seminar in Budapest.
March - June 2002
My research
timetable is March 2002 through March 2003.
Following the plan of my research I was involved in gathering and organising relevant information and literature about reforms in Russian education (especially in higher education) – that turned out to be so time consuming, analyzed both external and internal factors that help to initiate the reform. I have studied how international context affects educational reforms and what are the internal forces, influence of globalisation on educational processes, what is going to be unchanged.
The focus of my attention was on analysis of both the debates over the reforms and the contents of the reforms and evolution of official position as well.
The analysis of development of reforms has allowed to conduct comparative research of Russian education at different stages of its development and to find out some internal factors of its change. I have considered it to be of use to conduct the comparative analysis of university level education in USSR, in 90-s' and now, when a new step of reforms of education is declared.
I have analyzed some official documents, among them:
4. The Federal law " About education” 1992.
5. The Federal law " About higher and post-graduate
professional education " adopted in 1996.
6. "The National doctrine of education in Russian
Federation ", prepared by Ministry of Education, Russia. It is adopted
by Government of Russian Federation (October 4, 2000).
7. "The Recommendation of parliamentary hearings
about the concept of reforming of education in the project of the program
of Government of Russian Federation on a long-term perspective " (November
14, 2000).
8. “Modernization of Education” section, Strategy
for Development of Russian Federation till 2010.
9. "The Concept of Modernizing of Russian education
till 2010 ", which is adopted by Government of Russian Federation (December
29, 2001).
10. Sorbonne and Bologna Declaration, 1999.
11. Database of St.-Petersburg University about
international cooperation of Russian universities, 2002.
June 2002 - Attended the second IPF training seminar in Budapest.
After analysis of a course of Russian educational reforms I have moved to the analysis of influence of globalization on Russian education, identified positive and negative outcomes and tendencies (July-August).
August 2002
Preparation of a paper to be presented at the 24th
Annual EAIR (European Association for Institution Research) Forum “Crossing
National, Structural and Technological Borders: Development and Management
in Higher Education” to be held 8-11September 2002 Prague.
The policy paper cannot be developed at the moment.
The reason of it is the fact that the process of educational reform that
is found in almost all elements of my research is not completed. There
are several regions in Russia that are test spots for the process of reforming.
The heated debates are taking place among educators. At present time I
proceed to analyze all the available material, but I cannot outstrip the
dimensions of the on-going process.