Improving the efficiency of university management : teacher’s performance monitoring as a tool to promote the quality of education

This study aims to examine the essence of education monitoring, its place in the higher education management system and the practical implementation of teacher’s performance monitoring as a tool to promote the quality of education. The article considers theoretical aspects of monitoring as a tool to promote the quality of education, assesses the performance of the university departments, research and teaching staff and discusses the results and suggestions on how to improve monitoring activities in higher education. Based on their research and findings, the authors claimed that the monitoring of the performance of the university research and teaching staff on the base of an indicator system in terms of education, methodology, research, organization and counselling services would lead to valid conclusions as to the effective performance of both individual researchers and teachers and university departments, in general.peer-reviewe

Innovative Methods in Management and Raising the Quality of Higher Professional Education in Russia

Economic and political changes in contemporary society lead to reforms of many social spheres. The system of education in general and higher professional education in particular is no exception. The issue of ensuring the quality of education has recently attracted great attention in all countries of the world. The key problem of reforming education is raising its quality. In this paper, the object of research was the quality of education provided by higher education institutions. The authors have conducted the analysis of models for raising the quality of education and qualimetry of the laboratory work quality based on a survey of teachers and students. The QFD method was described by the example of its application in five universities of the Russian Federation. It has been proved that this method can provide the university with a planning tool with which higher education institutions can provide services that fully meet the requirements of customers (students, parents, employers, the state and society as a whole), thereby ensuring the suitability of the system to meet external requirements – the Fitness-for-Purpose approach (building goals based on the external environment). In addition, it has also been substantiated that the application of this method in the system of higher professional education will ensure the suitability of the system to achieve its own goals - the Fitness-for-Purpose approach (development, improvement, effective management). Thus, the QFD method will make it possible to support of all types of coordinated activities for the leadership and management of higher education institutions in relation to quality, as well as a set of developed regulatory and methodological documents that determine the content, technologies, methods and means of work of all officials, teachers and students to further improve the quality of educational process, thereby ensuring the competitiveness of higher education institutions and effective development on the global market of educational service

Experimental Stand for Investigations of Insulator Degradation and Electrode Erosion in High-current Breaker

An experimental stand for studies of electric arc, electrode erosion and insulator degradation processes in high-current circuit breakers and some preliminary experimental data is described. The setup includes a discharge chamber, a capacitive energy storage with capacitance of 0.11 F, voltage up to 10 kV, and all necessary diagnostic techniques. The stand is designed for modeling current pulse with amplitude of 3–150 kA and duration of the first half period of 1.0–3.0  ms during the process of disconnecting the ring and the pin contacts. The arc is cooled by transverse gas blowing at pressure in the chamber of 0.5–3 MPa. Acquired experimental data can be used for verification of the modelling results of the heat transfer processes in the discharge chamber. At the stand, advanced composite materials based on carbon and iron-copper pseudoalloy are studied

Competing ideologies of Russia's civil society

Many analysts and public opinion makers in the West conflate the notions of Russia’s non-systemic liberal opposition and the country’s civil society. Indeed, despite garnering the support of a minority of Russia’s population, non-systemic liberal opposition represents a well-organized civic group with a clearly articulated agenda and the ability to take action. Yet, does Russia’s civil society end there? A closer look at the country’s politics shows that Russia has a substantial conservative-traditionalist faction that has also developed agenda for action and formulated opinions. This group is anti-liberal rather than illiberal ideologically and pro-strong state/pro a geopolitically independent Russia rather than pro-Kremlin politically. The interaction between liberal and conservative civic groups represents the battle of meanings, ideas, and ethics, and ultimately determines the future trajectory of Russia’s evolution. Thus, the analysis of Russia’s civil society must represent a rather more nuanced picture than a mere study of the liberal non-systemic opposition. This article will examine the complexity of Russia’s civil society scene with reference to the interplay between the liberal opposition and conservative majority factions. The paper will argue that such complexity stems from ideological value pluralism that falls far beyond the boundaries of the liberal consensus, often skewing our understanding of political practice in Russia