Quality of Education as a Factor of University Competitiveness

Abstract

The strategic orientation of any modern educational organization is to achieve competitive advantages in the market of educational services. The competitiveness of the university is directly dependent on the quality of its educational services. Evaluation of the quality of education, in turn, goes to such concepts as the rating of the university and its accreditation. Discussion of this area of higher education is actively conducted in the academic community, but its research, especially in the realities of the digital economy, is insufficient, which makes this publication relevant. The purpose of the study is to identify the actual features of achieving high competitiveness in the conditions of digital transformation by a domestic university. To do this, it is necessary to analyze the existing experience of Russian higher education in terms of responding to the challenges of digital transformation and develop recommendations for achieving high quality education in modern conditions. The research methodology is based on the theoretical foundations of professional education and the competitiveness of Russian universities. The article analyzes the domestic and international experience in assessing the quality of education, while proving that the main criterion for assessing the competitiveness of a university is the quality of learning outcomes. Methods of comparative analysis, observation and generalization are used. The study proves that modern Russian higher education does not always adequately respond to the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. A number of systemic problems hindering the achievement of high quality of modern higher education are identified. The necessity of combining the introduction of innovative technologies of the educational process with the preservation of the advantages of traditional education is confirmed. Promising directions of constructive interaction of the university with the most important stakeholders of higher education – employers are proposed.