Transformation processes in the sphere of European higher education as a response to global challenges.

Abstract

The problems of the functioning and development of European higher education in the modern global environment are considered. It is studied the main transformational processes taking place in the European higher education system, which proved that at the current stage of development, no country without high-quality training of specialists or the development of scientific research is able to ensure the level of progress and sustainable development. It is shown that under these conditions, higher education, having a direct impact on the life of society, becomes a key factor in providing resources for social transformations and economic development. It was established that the reaction of European countries to the world’s dynamic changes caused by global challenges was the formation of the European space of higher education and the creation of systems for ensuring and guaranteeing its quality. This is primarily related to the search for mechanisms to improve the quality of higher education and scientific research in European universities, the need to form high-quality human capital and the achievement of the strategic goal of creating a «Europe of knowledge», which sets high requirements for the level of qualifications of employees. It was established that the creation of the European higher education zone and the structures that ensure its quality have become an important component of the modernization of the European education system and the most successful project of the EU. It is shown that the key role in the formation of a common educational space belonged to the decisions that were made within the framework of the Bologna process, which determined the main trends in the further development of higher education in European countries. The importance of studying the progressive experience of European countries in the development of the educational system for Ukraine has been proven. It is emphasized that the system of higher education of Ukraine must follow the path of mutual approximation of its own achievements and the latest European experience in matters of the future development of higher education. It is important on this path to realize that the development of the national educational space according to European standards should be combined with the heritage and traditions of the Ukrainian higher school and be the result of gradual integration in order to prevent the conflict of European innovations and national features of the Ukrainian educational system.