In a world of complex processes in both the business community and socio-political debates, models of 'competencies of the future' are being actively created and discussed. The popularity of this topic and the speed of technological progress generate many challenging questions. To what extent are the new world and new values changing models of competencies? How important is it to start developing the competencies required for a future profession from the schoolbench? How is it possible to effectively use competency matrices for university entrants and graduates in the development of educational programmes? How often should they be updated?

Practicing professionals involved in innovative developments in this sector took part in the discussion on this topic: A.V. Kuzmina, Deputy Director of Gorchakov Lyceum of MGIMO; L.S. Pritchina, Deputy Director of Odintsovo branch of MGIMO; S.V. Krasko, co-founder of IBLS digital education platform; O.I. Glazunova, PhD in Psychology, head of department, ANO Schiffers Institute; A.V. Chikov, project manager, ANO Schiffers Institute; A.Yu. Gromyko, Advisor on International and Educational Projects at the Schiffers Institute; Project Coordinator at the Center for Systems Design at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.  

The session was moderated by Natalia Plotnikova, editor-in-chief of the FederalPress publishing group.

Anastasia V. Kuzmina opened the session with a presentation on "Approaches to Competence Diagnostics in the Practice of the Lyceum at MGIMO", focusing on the practical application and effectiveness of one or another model. Initiatives to implement competency models should not remain "on paper" - only through practice is it possible to adjust the declared principles and guidelines, adapting them to the specific task and situation. At the Gorchakov Lyceum of MGIMO this is the case with the tutor model, which replaced the traditional classroom management. Each teacher at the Lyceum has one or more tutors. There is no classroom management in principle, the personal issues of the child are dealt with by the tutor assigned to him/her. This approach makes the child a co-author of the learning process, a subject-subject relationship is built. The tutor refrains from evaluations and advice, but shows the child at what point he/she is at the moment, what tasks are faced, what resources are available to solve them. The school in this model fulfils not only an educational function - transfer of knowledge, but also an educational one - formation of a personality, on the basis of regular setting of educational goals and implementation of ways to solve them. In this way, the child's active participation in the educational process is formed.  

“We see the children as conscious people, who are ready to share responsibility for the results of their learning activity, - says A.V. Kuzmina. - We teach them the most difficult thing: conscious reflection, the ability to give an adequate assessment of their results - what they have achieved, what they need to work on, and how. This is what will help a child not only at the next level of higher education, but also in life”.

“The kids who come from the MGIMO Lyceum to us, to the Odintsovo branch of MGIMO, already have goals and know what kind of result they want to achieve. It is easier for us to work with them!” - Larisa Pritchina shared her observation. 

Ms Pritchina presented at the session the MGIMO 2030 Digital Graduate Competencies project, which solves the problem of a mismatch between education and employer requirements, when there is a danger that in the rapidly developing IT landscape the university will teach skills that may become irrelevant in the output and remain “analogue”. The project has developed a system of supra-professional, end-to-end digital competencies to “lay the groundwork for future”. Educational programmes created using this system thus provide the knowledge and skills that graduates will need "tomorrow". A level gradation of mastering digital competencies makes it possible to offer a more effective curriculum for each specific area of training and level of education. "For example, lawyers or linguists and business informaticians have different levels of mastery of the same digital competence, so the first, more “humanitarian”, can master this competence at the basic level, while the second category is suitable for advanced or professional level indicators," explains L.S. Pritchina. The seven competences presented in the Passport of Digital Competences are ranked according to this principle and described in detail with the help of development indicators.  

“It is also important to consider the levels of development of graduates' digital competences in close relation to soft skills and general knowledge. In addition to purely technical skills of working with digital devices, cognitive and social-behavioural competencies are included, aimed at ensuring comfortable existence, effective communication and self-development of a person in a digital environment”, - says L.S. Pritchina.

Mr Sergey Krasko made a presentation on “The Role of Digital Technologies, Tools and Digital Environment in Solving the Problem of Competency Assessment of Schoolchildren, Applicants and Students”, in which he touched upon the issues of applying artificial intelligence to solve educational tasks. The emergence of AI greatly facilitated the fulfilment of some of them, and the goals of using AI in education were defined as the following: saving resources, a new level of educational analytics, personalising the educational path, increasing transparency and impartiality, creating new types of educational materials.  

Following S.V. Krasko's presentation, L.S. Pritchina, instead of asking the speaker questions, proposed a joint project aimed at using AI to create a kind of "educational graduate portrait". To work out criteria, evaluate what kind of programme is suitable for an applicant, what programme can be offered to him/her, taking into account his/her USE results - such a project is seen by the speakers as very popular and could be a logical continuation of the existing groundwork. 

O.I. Glazunova, A.V. Chikurov and A.Yu. Gromyko are members of the team working on a large-scale research project of the model of alternative admission test based on the actual competence matrix using "digital educational footprint" for the strategic project "Russian Schools Abroad" of the Priority 2030 state programme to support Russian universities. 

The researchers presented the first results - a matrix of competencies of a high school student - a potential MGIMO applicant, which is based on the think-tank approach. “It is not enough to throw a child into a problematic situation, it is important to get him out of there - to ask him questions: what did you do, what means did you use, what will you use to achieve the best result”, said Aleksandr Vladimirovich Chikurov.

The model assesses three types of competences: intellectual, communicative and action competences. Four particular competences are distinguished within each group, and two levels of competence are conditionally defined for each of them. Specific indicators are assigned for each level which can be used to assess competences by a teacher, a psychologist or another expert.

Now, the team is working on an alternative model for the entrance test based on the developed matrix of high school competencies, which will be used to collect and systematize a digital trace of the applicant's academic performance and professional orientation for each indicator in the matrix. "We are solving an educational problem: we are developing a diagnostic model, which will give the student a visual picture of what to work on, which particular competencies," says Antonina Gromyko. Researchers suppose that together with the traditional GIA tools which mainly test knowledge, the alternative model will help identify the qualities and skills of applicants, strengths and growth areas of each, thus enabling schools to recruit students more accurately and efficiently. Experimental testing of the model will begin at the MGIMO Lyceum next year.

It is noteworthy that the main conclusions of the session's speakers are relevant to all levels of education, and the projects presented logically complement each other, making it possible to draw a more complete picture of the possibilities of applying competence models. Furthermore, the transfer of theory into practice and the joint projects discussed during the session enable all participants to move forward effectively to meet the challenges of the times.

The “Russian Schools Abroad” Project  

Reference Information:

The “Russian Schools Abroad” Project (RSA) - is one of the five strategic projects implemented by MGIMO under the "Priority 2030" state programme to support Russian universities. The project meets the urgent need of Russian-speaking citizens and foreigners for qualified secondary and additional education outside the Russian Federation. In 2022, the first two schools were opened - in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). By 2030 at least 15 RSA schools will be opened abroad.