What was discussed at education conferences in October

The Moscow International Education Fair (MIEF), held from October 6th to 8th, was the key event of October in the educational sphere. The event was held in a hybrid format and covered all levels of education, from preschool to additional vocational education. We have already presented detailed reports on some sessions (links at the end of the article), and now we offer you several more interesting discussions that attracted the attention of participants.

How modern schoolchildren choose a profession

The MIEF held a specialized track of events dedicated to the professional self-determination of schoolchildren. It featured fascinating discussions that touched on important aspects of choosing a profession and career growth for young people. Participants discussed modern approaches to career guidance and the impact of educational programs on the development of professional interests and skills in schoolchildren. These discussions contributed to a deeper understanding of student needs and current trends in the labor market.

"The Boundaries of Career Guidance: A View from the School Principal's Office." The principals of the New School, the Mir School (Dobrograd), the Moscow State University Gymnasium, and the European Gymnasium shared how career guidance is integrated into their educational processes. The discussion focused on finding a balance between parents' desires, children's interests, and the various goals of career guidance. Should every student choose a lifelong profession by 11th grade, or is the most important thing to develop career guidance skills?
"Career Guidance or Professional Self-Determination?" This session featured representatives of companies and organizations that produce educational products for career guidance. Answers were provided to many important questions, including the title one. Experts discussed what to do if teenagers don't believe they can achieve anything in life, when to begin exploring the world of professions, and how digital portfolios can become a barrier rather than a help in choosing a career. "Who, How, and Why Chooses Higher Education? The Rector's Office's Experience." An important (but increasingly not final) stage in professional self-determination is admission to a university or college. In this discussion, admissions officers at major universities discussed what determines applicants' choices, how to increase competition for unpopular but socially and economically important programs, and whether Unified State Exam (USE) scores are sufficient to select suitable students. It turned out that university representatives consider free access to higher education to be the main problem.

Reading is an important part of our lives. It not only develops thinking but also enriches our vocabulary. Regular reading of books, articles and other materials helps improve concentration and attention. Reading also promotes critical thinking and creativity. In the information age, when access to knowledge has become easier, it's important to find time to read. The selection of literature can be varied: from fiction to scientific publications. This allows everyone to find something interesting and useful. Don't forget to share your impressions of what you've read; this can enrich the opinions of others and spark discussions on important topics.

A school career center plays a vital role in preparing students for their future professional lives. It should not simply exist as a formality; it should be an effective tool that helps students understand their interests and opportunities. The primary goal of a career center is to provide students with essential knowledge about professions, the labor market, and career path selection.

For a career center to function successfully, it is important to carefully consider its structure and content. A program should be created that includes consultations, workshops, meetings with professionals, and internships. These activities will help students better understand their interests and develop the skills necessary for a successful career.

It is also important to establish partnerships with local businesses and organizations to provide students with practical experience and insight into labor market requirements. This approach will not only increase student motivation but also make the career center an important part of the educational process.

Thus, a career center at school can become an effective tool for promoting successful career guidance and training future specialists.

How a Hybrid School Works

Digital formats in education became one of the key topics at the Moscow International School of Education. Issues related to the organization of education in a blended format proved particularly important. We recommend paying attention to the sessions dedicated to "hybrid" models of education at the school level. These discussions will help better understand how to effectively integrate digital technologies and traditional teaching methods to achieve better results.

"Hybrid School as an Educational Reality." Real hybrid schools look very different, and this session provides examples. These include a large private school, online school platforms for entire regions, and a network of small rural schools in one district. Some of these practices were a necessary response to the teacher shortage and are unlikely to be useful in more favorable conditions. But they are at least interesting to learn about.
"New Practices for Managing a Hybrid School." The main question of the session was whether technology will change schools as much as other areas of life, whether education will undergo the "uberization" of education. Young principals of public and private schools discussed what a hybrid school is, the problems that gave rise to it, and how digital platforms help manage staff.
"Digital Transformation of Schools: What? How? Why?" During the discussion, researchers from the HSE Institute of Education presented the results of monitoring the digital transformation of schools: how, according to repeated surveys, teachers and students use gadgets and the internet for educational purposes, and how they evaluate their interaction with digital technologies. Principals and teachers from different schools explained from their own experience what lies behind the statistics.

What and How Will Schools Teach Tomorrow?

Digital technologies are having a significant impact on school management, but changes in the content of education are also important. The question arises whether this is changing due to new formats or scientific discoveries. Is there an evidence base in the educational sphere that allows us to determine where changes are needed? We have selected three sessions to discuss these complex issues. The title of each session contains a question highlighting the relevance of the topic.

"Can Digital Change the Content of School Education?" Teachers discussed how the ability to Google anything is changing education, what should be covered in history and geography lessons, and whether we should be afraid that a student will never read the fourth volume of War and Peace.
"What Can Be Proven in Education, and What Can't?" HSE Academic Director Yaroslav Kuzminov and Yandex Head of Educational Services Ilya Zalessky answer questions about how digital footprint tracking and other measurements can identify curriculum bottlenecks where children struggle to understand subjects. The main topic is whether it's even possible to make evidence-based pedagogy within the classroom-lesson system. "How to Bring Science Closer to School?" Another session moderated by Alexander Yezdov, Principal of School No. 1788. Teachers and representatives of educational publishing houses debated the wisdom of integrating the school curriculum with the latest scientific information and how to organize additional education, competitions, and Olympiads for schoolchildren so that the audience for such events is not limited to groups of the same top students.

At the XII International Russian Conference of Higher Education Researchers (IVO-2021), held at the Higher School of Economics from October 14 to 16, key recommendations on the quality of education in universities were presented. The conference brought together specialists and researchers who discussed current issues and challenges in higher education and proposed effective solutions for raising educational standards. Participants focused on innovative approaches and methods that can improve the quality of educational services and prepare students for the modern labor market requirements.

How to measure and improve the quality of higher education

The theme of the IVO conference was most fully revealed through the presentations of three keynote speakers - international experts in the field of higher education. Their presentations provided a deep understanding of the current trends and challenges facing universities and educational institutions around the world. The experts shared practical examples and innovative approaches that can be applied to improve the quality of the educational process and adapt to modern requirements.

Pedro Nuno Teixeira, Director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Research CIPES and Professor of Economics at the University of Porto (Portugal), in his report demonstrated various metrics of the quality of education in universities and explained the growing need for its assessment. The key question is whether it is possible to address multiple metrics simultaneously, or whether quality improvement measures in different areas of a university's work contradict each other.
Jeroen van Merienboer, Professor of Learning and Teaching at Maastricht University (the Netherlands), presented practical experience in designing educational programs using the 4C/ID model and discussed how to continuously improve programs using learning analytics. The most interesting examples relate to the study of multi-stage diagnostic procedures in medical programs.
Bjørn Stensaker, Professor of Higher Education and Vice-Rector for Education at the University of Oslo (Norway), raised the question of what is happening with the management structure of universities and whether collecting large amounts of data on various aspects of the university's work helps to assess the real quality of education.

What happened to the quality of education during the pandemic

An analysis of the global findings of foreign researchers in the context of modern Russian education became possible thanks to reports and sessions dedicated to the impact of the pandemic on the quality of the educational process. These events highlight key aspects of the changes that have occurred in the education system and allow us to draw conclusions about the new challenges and opportunities facing the Russian education system in the post-pandemic environment.

At the opening of the conference, an analytical report entitled "Quality of Education in Russian Universities: What We Learned During the Pandemic" was presented. It was prepared by several universities at the request of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. We have already written about the main findings of this study.
At the roundtable discussion "Educational Success of Russian University Students During the Pandemic," researchers discussed in detail the report's findings related to the student experience.
The methodological seminar "Data-Driven Higher Education Management" reveals new possibilities for analyzing student experiences. Researchers from Tomsk State University and other universities are developing a methodology that will allow them to predict academic problems based on open publications on social media. At the seminar, they discussed not only the method but also the results of its application during the pandemic.
The roundtable discussion "Quality of Teaching at the University: Challenges, Attempts at Measurement, and Best Practices" focused on the methods and systems that universities have developed for themselves during the pandemic. Many of these—for example, new approaches to the division of teaching labor and ways of collecting information on the quality of teaching—will continue to be applied.

Bonus: A Peek into the "Black Box" of Education Research

The IVO conference featured not only discussions of general topics but also sections with papers devoted to smaller studies. Some of the speakers are in the early stages of their research, which provides a glimpse into the "laboratory" of the humanities. We recommend paying attention to three recordings with particularly striking presentations.

The session "Universities in Search of Meaning" is interesting due to the clash of opposing views on the mission of the university - as a public institution that preserves the cultural and historical heritage of its country, and as a platform for global progress.
The section "Academic Profession" presented still raw, but very relevant research on the factors that influence the success of university teachers and the extent to which experience working abroad contributes to this.
The session "Educational Trajectories of Applicants" is devoted to how high school graduates choose a university and how universities choose them. In particular, one of the presentations provides an answer to the question of what guarantees success in university - a high Unified State Exam score or victory in a subject Olympiad.

Reading is an important part of our lives, contributing to the development of thinking and broadening horizons. It helps to gain new knowledge, develops imagination, and contributes to improving communication skills. Whether you prefer fiction, scientific articles, or textbooks, reading enriches our inner world and helps us better understand the world around us. Regular reading also helps reduce stress and improve concentration. It is important to set aside time for reading every day to get the most out of this rewarding activity.

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