Modern institutional practices in the field of higher education in the context of its transformation: a sociological approach

Introduction. In the context of modern globalization, the higher education institution worldwide is undergoing significant transformations. The aim of the study is to examine the changes in the consciousness and behavior of students and teachers in specific university educational practices. Methodology and Methods. The empirical study was conducted at the Novosibirsk State Technical University (Russian Federation) in two stages. In the first stage, semi-structured interviews with university teachers (8 people) were organized. In the second stage, a survey was conducted among students (200 people). Results. The study results showed that students in most cases accept the status and role of the consumer of educational services, which manifests as: Status Dominance. The desire to dictate terms in choosing the method of communication with teachers was shown in the responses of 85.5% of students, who also expect an immediate response from the teacher to their message – 75.5%. Almost all students are confident in their right to independently evaluate themselves and defend their position before the teachers – 93%. KEYWORDS Expertise. Students believe that they can assess the educational process and express their opinions to the teacher – 82.5%, and it is also important for them to evaluate the applicability of the knowledge obtained for their future profession – 84%. Expectations of comfort. Students hope for the creation of comfortable learning conditions for them, as well as care and attention from teachers – 84%. Passivity. The passive behavior of students is reflected in their desire to place responsibility on teachers for, for example, difficult assignments – 37%, for excessive demands – 23%, for their interest in studying – 21%, and on the university for the lack of assistance in job searching – 19.5%. As a result of the study, it was found that within the educational process, the behavior of students and teachers simultaneously exhibits various institutional models: consumerist (economic) for students, while teachers predominantly adhere to a traditional (educational) model with elements of an economic one. Conclusion. Thus, it is established that far from all the norms that students are ready to follow in the specific educational process are shared by the teachers, which significantly complicates it and indicates the practical necessity to respond to this problem