Isak Froumin

Flexibility and personalization are universally recognized as the key hallmarks of 21^st century learning, but how do we go about implementing these principles in practice? At Arizona State University (ASU), which ranks among top U.S. institutions by technology and innovation, it is an advanced AI framework of adaptive learning that reigns supreme, enabling student-centric strategies that are best tailored to one’s personality traits, aptitudes and educational needs. IOE Head Isak Froumin has talked to Dale Johnson, EdPlus Manager at ASU, about what makes this adaptive learning system tick and how it contributes to effective learning.

Can basic income help even out inequality by empowering the less privileged? How should education be overhauled and what skills will become central to the human capital of tomorrow? Is Life-long Learning in fact set to spark a greater momentum for social mobility? Dr. Isak Froumin, Head of the HSE Institute of Education, and Dr. Philippe Van Parijs, a co-founder of the Basic Income European Network, addressed these and other topics of building a sustainable, better future for everyone during a special session held as part of this year’s ‘OSTROV 10–21’ international foresight forum in Vladivostok, Russia.

An international research team led by IOE has completed a large-scale study that analyzes how higher education systems have been evolving in federal countries. The resulting volume has recently come off the press at SAGE.

145 researchers from 30 countries discussed how higher education systems work on global and national levels, and how they are influenced by the processes of differentiation and integration.

As the 2018 CHER International Higher Education Conference was underway at HSE Moscow during August 30 – September 1, we approached several IOE experts in between the forum sessions to ask about the most interesting topics and areas on the Conference agenda.

The HSE Institute of Education has been authorised to nominate projects for the largest annual award in the field of education, the 2019 Yidan Prize. The amount of the prize is nearly four times that of the Nobel Prize, with $3.87 million being awarded in two categories – education research and education development.

On August 3–5, South Africa’s Cape Town welcomed over 500 leading academics from 62 countries for the 2018 Global Congress of World Education Research Association (WERA), the largest international venue for multidisciplinary educational scholarship and networking. IOE researchers Pavel Sorokin, Sergey Kosaretsky and Roman Zvyagintsev were also presenting at this year’s WERA event.

The HSE Institute of Education has been authorised to nominate projects for the largest annual prize awarded in the field of education, the 2019 Yidan Prize. The size of the prize is nearly four times that of the Nobel Prize, with $3.87 million being awarded in two categories – education research and education development.

On August 8–12, the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk hosted this year’s Finals of the WorldSkills Russia national competition of young professionals. As part of the event, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the HSE Institute of Education and WorldSkills Russia, marking an important new alliance for further advancing the national system of vocational education & training.

The Higher School of Economics and WorldSkills Russia have agreed to join forces to develop professional competencies and implement international best practices into the vocational education system.

This July, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between IOE and Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University (KazNPU). In accordance with the agreement, the parties will jointly embark on a multifaceted, high-scope agenda in R&D areas central to IOE’s academic profile.

On June 9–15, the town of Pushkin near St. Petersburg, Russia hosted the Sixth International Summer School on Multidisciplinary Higher Education Research organized by the HSE Institute of Education (IOE). Bringing together a premier cohort of accomplished international academics and bright early-career scholars, the 2018 School aimed to explore new and deeper perspectives on how higher education can contribute to positive socio-economic change at all levels.   

A European round-up in the May 26 issue of The Economist spotlights what Vladimir Putin’s fourth presidential term will likely bring for Russian education and how the country’s academic progressives, led by the HSE Institute of Education, conceive of L&D policy priorities and reforms.

The HSE Academic Honors Award acknowledges contribution to high-impact scholarship and the advancement of multifaceted cooperation in global science and education.

The Contribution to Science and Education Award, established by the HSE, recognises outstanding contributions to academic development and international academic cooperation.

On April 11, the educational portion of the XIX April International Academic Conference featured a presentation and discussion of the paper ‘12 Solutions for New Education,’ which was prepared by the Higher School of Economics and the Centre for Strategic Development.

Russian Educational Research Association (RERA), where the HSE Institute of Education (IOE) is one of the founding members, has recently completed formalities to join European Educational Research Association (EERA).

IOE doctoral student Irina Shcheglova has recently completed her internship with the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California Berkeley (the USA). Immediately after she returned to Moscow, Irina was thrilled to finally share with IOE fellows about the academic experiences she has gained and her overall impressions of this trip.

A team of IOE researchers has recently visited the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California Berkeley, the U.S. to take part in the international conference New Nationalism and Universities.

On November 27, the HSE Academic Council held an awards ceremony dedicated to the university’s 25th anniversary. The meeting saw the participation of representatives of the Russian President, members of government, and members of the Russian Federal Assembly. Governmental awards were given to a number of HSE employees for their tremendous accomplishments.

On November 6–8, 2017, China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University welcomed the 7th International Conference on World-Class Universities (WCU-7). The forum’s special topic was “World-Class Universities: Towards a Global Common Good and Seeking National and Institutional Contributions." IOE experts Isak Froumin and Mikhail Lisyutkin took part in WCU-7 to present about a leading global university’s multi-mission development model. During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between IOE and Zhejiang University’s College of Education.

September 26^th marked 40 days since the tragic death of Dmitry Semyonov, the Head of the IOE Laboratory for University Development and Aide to the HSE Rector. Below, the Academic Supervisor of the HSE Institute of Education, Isak Froumin, discusses the impact Dmitry (Dima) had on his colleagues, as well as his contribution to education research.

On September 15–16, 2017, the University of Helsinki, Finland, welcomed the second seminar by the International Academic Consortium working as part of the Key Competencies and New Literacy project, a joint initiative between IOE and Sberbank’s Investment in Future foundation.

Russian and Chinese researchers will join forces to study the two countries’ education systems and develop possible strategies for their further modernisation over the period to 2030, in a new joint project set to run for a decade.

In July 2017, the HSE Institute of Education welcomed its first international summer school Inequality of Educational Opportunities. Organized by the IOE International Laboratory for Education Policy Analysis, this venue aimed to promote best-practice approaches to inequality research through multi-dimensional academic debate and learning about today’s advanced methodology in social data analysis.

IOE experts Isak Froumin and Farida Zagirova have recently contributed a chapter on the modern system of higher education in Russia to Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions, edited by Jung Cheol Shin and Pedro Teixeira.

On April 12, IOE representatives held a meeting with a delegation from China’s National Institute of Education Sciences (NIES). The parties have shared their overall vision of cooperation prospects and made a series of specific project commitments.

At ‘Crossroads and Prospects for the Development of Russian Education’, a special session held as part of the XVIII April Conference, experts discussed the section related to education from a recent report on the strategy of Russia’s development by the Centre for Strategic Research. Since investments in education have an effect after 15-20 years, participants analyzed development prospects up to 2035.

The International Symposium on Economics and Sociology of Education is being held on April 11-14 as part of the XVIII April Conference on Economic and Social Development. On April 11, experts discussed the dynamics of educational outcomes in Russia and beyond (based on data culled from international projects to monitor the quality of education) at a roundtable session organized by the World Bank.

The XVIII April International Academic Conference has kicked off at Higher School of Economics (HSE). This major event includes expert discussions on the strategic problems facing Russia’s economic and social development. Representatives of the Russian Government will take part in the debates.

On March 5–9, 2017, the U.S. city of Atlanta, Georgia hosted the 2017 Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Seeking the most diverse engagement in the venue’s multiple opportunities for expertise exchange, debate, and academic networking, a representative team of experts with IOE’s leading research & advisory centres took part in this year’s CIES event. Presentations were given by Isak Froumin, Oleg Leshukov, Elena Minina, Pavel Sorokin, Zumrad Kataeva, Martin Carnoy, Tatiana Khavenson, and Andrey Zakharov.

An article by IOE Academic Supervisor Isak Froumin and Junior Researcher Daria Platonova has been published in Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions.

The meeting of International Advisory Committee starts December 6. Three newly appointed members of IAC have shared with HSE News Service their views on the role of external consultants in the development of universities, described their reasons for joining the committee and spoke about HSE’s academic reputation and the challenges the university faces.

The Annual Conference of the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers, CHER, is a key event in higher education research in Europe. Traditionally, CHER has attracted the best researchers and experts with a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge studies in the field, as well as to present their own research to the global community. This year’s conference took place from September 4 to 7, 2016, in Cambridge, England. A group of staff from the HSE Institute of Education took part in the event, including Isak Froumin, Igor Chirikov, Mikhail Lisyutkin, Dmitry Semyonov, Daria Platonova, Ksenia Romanenko, and Tatiana Semenova.

The summer session of the Competition for Innovators in Education (KIvO), organized by the Higher School of Economics, was recently held in Moscow. Over a four-day period and under the careful watch of respected experts, KIvO participants worked on and developed projects, which will be presented to potential investors at the International Conference on New Educational Technologies EdCruch, slated for September 12-14, 2016 in Moscow. 

The second issue of Voprosy obrazovaniya/Educational Studies.Moscow has been recently released. The current issue features the following thematic section – Recruitment, Education and Retention of Teachers: Issues and Challenges in the Eastern/Central Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Mongolia.

The first International Conference on Excellence Initiatives took place in St. Petersburg from June 30 to July 2. It was organized by 5-100 Russian Academic Excellence project, and its participants came from 11 countries. Academic advisor of the HSE Institute of Education Isak Froumin and Institute’s junior research fellow Mikhail Lisyutkin were among the speakers at the conference.

On June 17–18, Deans of Schools of Education from leading research universities gathered in the town of Pushkin, near St. Petersburg, Russia. The Summit entitled “Schools of Education at Research Universities: Challenges, Opportunities, Collaboration” was organized by the Institute of Education, Higher School of Economics, and the Graduate School of Education, Peking University.

The IV International Summer School on Higher Education Research, which was devoted to ‘Higher Education, Society and State’, was held June 4-10 in St. Petersburg. Organized jointly with the China Institute for Educational Finance Research at Peking University, the Summer School brings together senior and junior scholars in the field of higher education research; it aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, enhance research quality, and foster the integration of early-career researchers into the international academic community.

On April 29, 2016 at the Academic Council meeting 25 HSE Professors were conferred the status of Tenured Professor.

The plenary session of the XVII International Academic Conference ‘From the Broad Educational Opportunities Towards Social Mobility Through Education’, held on April 20, 2016, was dedicated to the ways of overcoming inequality in education.

On December 7, the sixth meeting of the HSE International Advisory Committee opened with leading experts from around the world in the field of science and education coming together to discuss the university’s achievements and the challenges it faces, as well as its objectives for the coming years. Following two days of discussions, the committee members will form recommendations on changes to the primary areas of development.

On 4th - 7th November the annual conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, ASHE took place in Denver, Colorado. Incorporated in 1976 ASHE is the oldest professional association in higher education studies and has more than 2,000 members, mostly Americans.

On September 7-9 The Annual Conference of The Consortium of higher education Researchers / CHER 28th Annual Conference took place in Lisbon, Portugal. This year’s theme was ‘Global Challenges, National Initiatives, and Institutional Responses – The Transformation of Higher Education’. The participants discussed recent transformations in higher education: what global challenges the universities face and how to cope with these challenges.

On July 23, 2015 HSE hosted the delegation from University of Central Asia, represented by Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Executive Chairman, Board Executive Committee and Dr Ariff Kachra, Dean of Academic Affairs.

The Boston College Center for International Higher Education has published its Worldwide Inventory of Research Centers, Academic Programmes and Journals in Higher Education. Four Russian research centers are included, all of them are part of HSE.

For the first time, students and post-grads are invited to listen in on plenary sessions of the International April Conference. They will be able to find out ‘from the horse’s mouth’ what the world’s top academics, economists, government and public figures think about the current state of Russia’s economy and society.

On December 3, HSE marked ‘Russian Universities’ Day’ – an event held during the BRICS University summit organized by Times Higher Education and the 5/100 Project for Raising the Competitiveness of Russia’s Leading Universities among the top global higher education institutions.

On October 16-18, the 5th International Conference of the Russian Association of Higher Education Researchers took place at the Higher School of Economics. The theme of this year's conference was 'Managing Differentiation in Rapidly Changing Higher Education Systems: Challenges and Opportunities.'

A HSE Institute of Education seminar on September 16, saw the launch of the Russian-language book Mass higher education – BRIC triumph?  by HSE publishing house (the English original, University Expansion in a Changing Global Economy, Triumph of the BRICs? was published last year by Stanford University Press). Attendees discussed development trends in higher education.

The new makeup of the Expert Council to the Russian government has been confirmed. It includes 366 members, 23 of whom are HSE staff.

is how many first-years will be admitted to Chinese universities in 2020. These and other interesting facts are presented in the book University Expansion in a Changing Global Economy. Triumph of the BRICs?,which has been released in Russian by the publishing house of the Higher School of Economics. The English version of the book was published a year ago by Stanford University’s publishing house.

‘Factors Affecting the Quality of Engineering Education in the Four Largest Emerging Economies’, an article co-authored by Isak Froumin,Martin Carnoy and Prashant Loyalka, was published in the academic journal Higher Education. The article focuses on assessing the evolving capacity of higher education systems in BRIC countries with respect to producing qualified engineering graduates.

On May 15-17, the 2nd SERU Consortium (Student experience in the research university) conference took place at the HSE. It was devoted to problems concerning the educational milieu of contemporary research universities.

On February 17-18, 2014, the HSE will host the Fifth Annual Saburov Readings Conference. Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, internationally renowned and the most widely cited authority in educational science for the past two decades, will present a seminar at the HSE Institute of Education.

On June 29^th 2012, the latest regular session of the Higher School of Economics Academic Council took place at the HSE. The agenda included information on the launch of new faculties and departments, approval of certain regulatory documents, as well as the results of the voting process for the teaching staff competition.

The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, has awarded honours to some researchers from the Higher School of Economics for their work on the Strategy 2020 expert groups, including organization of the groups, the preparation of suggestions on topical issues for Russian socio-economic strategy up to 2020 and their personal input into the expert and analytical work

On October 28^th and 29^th the 2nd International Conference of Higher Education Researchers ‘Universities and State’ took place at the Higher School of Economics. The event was organized by the Russian Association for Tertiary Education Research with the support of the HSE.

The World Bank in Washington has launched a new book, ‘The Road to Academic Excellence’, which presents eleven case studies of young research universities from all over the world. The only Russian example included in the book is the Higher School of Economics.

On September 13^th 2011 a seminar by the HSE Institute for Educational Studies took place. Martin Carnoy, Professor at the University of Stanford and Academic Supervisor at the HSE International Laboratory for Educational Policy Research, spoke on ‘The Low Achievement Trap: Comparing Schools in Botswana and South Africa’.

Martin Carnoy, Professor at the Stanford University (USA) and Academic Supervisor of the HSE International Laboratory for Educational Policy Research, told us about some of the tasks and plans for the Laboratory.