Commentaries on the Report "An Avalanche Is Coming. Higher Education and the Revolution Ahead" by Michael Barber, Katelyn Donnelly, and Saad Rizvi

Abstract

Sergey Filonovich, Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics, Professor, Dean of the Graduate School of Economics, National Research University — Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: sfilon@dol.ru Address: 4 Maly Gnezdnikovsky Lane, Moscow, 125009, Russian Federation.

Lev Lyubimov, Ph.D. in Economics, Professor in the Subdepartment of Macroeconomic Analysis, Deputy Director of Research and Development at National Research University — Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: llubimov@hse.ru Address: 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.

Tatyana Klyachko, Ph.D. in Economics, Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning Economics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: Tklyachko@hse.ru Address: Bld. 1, 82 Vernadskogo Ave., Moscow, 119571, Russian Federation.

Viktor Bolotov, Ped.D., Vice President of the Russian Academy of Education, Director of Research and Development of the Center for Education Quality Monitoring, National Research University — Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: vikbolotov@yandex.ru Address: 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.

Isak Frumin, Ped.D., Professor, Director of Research and Development at the Education Institute, National Research University —Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: ifroumin@hse.ru Address: 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.

Andrey Volkov, Eng.D., Rector of Skolkovo — Moscow School of Management, Skolkovo, Russian Federation. Email: Andrei_Volkov@skolkovo.ru Address: 100 Novaya St., Skolkovo rural locality, Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast, 143025, Russian Federation.

Albert Gilmutdinov, Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics, Rector of Tupolev Kazan State Technical University, Kazan, Russian Federation. Email: Albert.Gilmutdinov@kstu-kai.ru Address: 10 K. Marksa St., Kazan, 420111, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation.

Pedro Teixeira, Director of the Center of Research on Higher Education Policy, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. Email: pedrotx@fep.up.pt Address: Praça Gomes Teixeira, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal.

Irina Abankina, Ph.D. in Economics, Professor, Director of the Education Development Institute, National Research University — Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation. Email: abankinaI@hse.ru Address: 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation.

The commentaries discuss the trends in higher education transformation caused by globalization and information progress and revealed by the report authors. Opinions on the global university education crisis issues raised by Barber and others are rather diverse and include both sympathetic summaries of the key authors’ ideas and opposing some disputable points and related arguments.

Factors identified by American researchers are analyzed in the context of affecting the modification of the university paradigm in Russian education. Apart from challenges posing external threats for the higher education system as an economic sector, there is one internal challenge specific of Russia. Higher education is largely simulated in Russia, as inefficient universities create accessible state-funded places but do not provide quality education services.

The authors find something that American researchers did not cover in their report but what is of great importance for Russian education — that is the need to perform a deep and radical transformation of the secondary education system in order to provide opportunities for high performance of universities.

Models of universities of the future suggested in the report are explored to see if they can be applied to the Russian educational system. It is concluded that American researchers have definitely made a big achievement by specifying the set of issues to be resolved in order to open broad prospects for higher education.