The purpose of the study is to determine the prerequisites and conditions for the creation of consortia as an organizational form of collaboration of scientific organizations and universities to ensure their competitiveness in the global education and science market within the framework of the implementation of national projects. The national project in the field of education and science is aimed at ensuring the high quality of higher education and its accessibility, increasing the level of cooperation of higher education institutions and scientific institutions, which will make it possible to commercialize the results of scientific activities more productively and, ultimately, ensure Russia’s entry into the number of advanced countries in the world in terms of scientific research and their impact. Among the main tasks of the research is to identify problems associated with the need to improve approaches in the implementation of projects to create scientific and educational consortia.

 Materials and methods. The research is based on the materials obtained by the authors in the course of the implementation of a number of consulting and educational projects carried out jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to ensure the financial stability of universities. In the course of interviews and analysis of statistical and functional reports (on scientific activities, self-examination reports, performance monitoring, etc.), data were obtained and summarized to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of strategic planning programs, as well as the effectiveness of cooperation projects between universities, local authorities and business.

Research results. Analysis of trends in the development of scientific and educational communications showed that reliance on collaboration can serve as a factor in the sustainable development of scientific and educational organizations. In recent years, there has been an intensive search for the most effective organizational and financial instruments to ensure the promotion of Russian universities in the leading international rankings. It is shown that the most effective organizational mechanism for achieving the set goals is the integration of educational and scientific organizations in the form of consortia. It was revealed that for the formation of scientific and educational consortia, it is necessary to have not only the appropriate infrastructure for the work of scientific teams, but first of all to have projects, the implementation of which will make it possible to make a breakthrough in educational and scientific activities. An important factor influencing the formation and development of consortia is that their creation is a prerequisite for participation in the strategic academic leadership program. In this regard, the study focuses on the need to use assessment indicators by the project management from the side of the state, which would provide a full assessment of the effectiveness of the funds provided in the form of a grant.

Conclusion. The results of the research show that at the state level there is a search for new forms and mechanisms that would allow for the intensive development of Russian education and science. The main instrument for the implementation of state policy in this area is represented by national projects that set the main parameters for development. It is planned to increase the number of universities that will be able to receive grant support as members of scientific and educational consortia. Certain problems have been identified that may affect the effectiveness of the activities of educational and scientific organizations in collaborations.

The purpose of the article is to present the author’s approach to the study of information management when making managerial decisions by public administration bodies. In this paper, information management is consistently considered as an object, subject and method of information management. By the example of the content and correlation of such concepts as data and information, information and knowledge, the main obstacles to the transition of the state from the information economy to the digital economy are shown. The hypothesis is formulated that effective information management does not so much contribute to the formation of the added value of management processes, as it creates the potential for obtaining additional value of a management decision as an information product.

Materials and methods. The research is based on the analysis of the processes of informatization of society and the state, as well as the analysis of the possibilities of information management for building a digital infrastructure and effective interaction of the subjects of the digital economy. Various aspects of information management are disclosed in accordance with the “subject-object-subject” and “subject-object-object” models. The problems of determining the quantity and quality of information are revealed in comparison with the attributive, functional-cybernetic and semiotic concepts of information. The information base of the research was made up of the results of scientific research in the field of decision-making in public administration and methodological approaches to information management used in science.

Results. The main risks and problems of information management in decision-making by public administration bodies were identified. It is determined that knowledge becomes an economic resource not at the stage of its production, but at the stage of use. This resource allows you to create the added value of a management solution as an information product. It is proved that the role of the state in the dissemination and use of knowledge is provided by the unconditional desire of the individual to produce new knowledge. In addition, it is shown that for the transition to the digital economy, the state needs to create an information infrastructure in which openness and transparency of data are combined with equal opportunities for individuals in the economy (inclusive economy).

Conclusion. Information management is a significant factor in the transition of the state from an information economy to the digital one. The simple accumulation of information and knowledge cannot be a guide for the transition to the digital economy. Information management from the perspective of creating and using additional information value will avoid the risk of mechanical informatization and uncontrolled digitalization. The state activities in this direction should be responsible and consistent. The volume of information increases as a result of the individual’s desire to produce new knowledge, but the social value of knowledge increases as a result of the effective impact of the state on the development of information infrastructure and the diffusion of information technologies. Thus, the realization of the potential of the additional value of information and its scaling on the basis of state-supported platform tools will allow for the transition from the information economy to the digital economy.

Purpose of research. The paper deals with the analysis of the learning outcomes of non-degree students in the first online course in the Russian Federation on the development of accessible educational webcontent. Analysis of the problems of online education shows that open online courses are inaccessible for people with disabilities, education online platforms do not comply with the principles of accessibility, lecturers do not have experience in teaching methods of using distance learning technologies in e-learning for the people with disabilities, web developers have little knowledge of web accessibility guidelines and policies. Thus, the development of curricula and courses on the basics of web accessibility and universal design for e-learning stakeholders belongs to current didactic tasks.

Materials and methods. The study analyzed the learning outcomes in a free course “Web accessibility in e-learning” (Stepik platform) in the period from 10 February to 11 November 2020 (491 participants). Statistical data of Stepik used for analysis and included: date of enrollment in the course; the results of tasks’ passing and the content of the students’ answers; the results of each student’s progress in steps, modules and final testing; the number of views, correct and incorrect decisions for each step; indexes of complexity and discriminatory power (distinctiveness) of tasks for each step. Data processing (sorting, filtering and grouping by attributes, calculating weighing coefficients and mean values) and graphical presentation of the results are performed in Microsoft Excel®. The analysis of the starting survey results was carried out in the program IBM SPSS Statistics 23 by methods of descriptive statistics (construction of frequency tables and cross tables).

Results. Analysis of the course enrollment showed weak user activity. 212 (43.2%) enrolled students successfully completed the course. Most of the students missed the optional types of work. At the same time, on average, users have successfully completed the current and final testing. Difficulty value indexes (0.51 ± 0.18) and discriminatory power indexes (0.35 ± 0.17) of the tests indicate that the test tasks have a moderate level of complexity. A comparative analysis of the discriminative indexes for different types of tests showed that case-tests have a greater discriminative power (0.41 ± 0.15) than classical tests (0.26 ± 0.09) with similar difficulty value indexes. According to self-assessment data, students made significant progress in the formation of accessible educational web-content (by 55.2%), which is consistent with the data of an objective assessment of knowledge, skills and abilities during the final testing.

Conclusion. An analysis of the activity and learning outcomes in the course “Web accessibility in e-learning” showed that target category of students do not always realize the need for development of professional competencies to create accessible educational web-content. The biggest problems are associated with attracting the audience to the course and insufficient self-discipline due to the lack of motivation of students. Under these circumstances, an optional approach to learning the basics of web accessibility is not enough. Technologies for the development of accessible educational web-content should be taught as a compulsory subject at all stages of lifelong education for specialists involved in the organization of e-learning

Purpose of research. The purpose of research is to present proposals for the development and use of technologies for automatic checking of problem solutions in the process of forming professional competencies of students of IT-directions in the information educational environment. The article analyzes the authors’ experience gained during the development and operation of a distance learning workshop for IT students, which implements the functions of automatic checking of problem solutions in various specialized disciplines. This approach made it possible to increase the effectiveness of teaching both in the process of classroom studies and in the organization of independent work of students.

Methods and materials. The article presents the key points of the creation and development of the distance learning workshop, justifies its concept, according to which the learning workshop is an interdisciplinary resource, in which the function of automatic checking of problem solutions is subordinate to the main function of developing and consolidating the skills and abilities of an IT specialist. An approach to organizing automatic checking by testing the program code developed by a student in the process of solving an educational problem is presented, and an extension of this approach is proposed for organizing automatic checking in cases where the solution is not the program code, but, for example, a diagram, model or text document designed in accordance with the regulated rules. The architectural solution and some features of the implementation of the distance learning workshop are justified, its role in the educational process is determined.

 Results. The results of the use of the learning workshop in the process of teaching various courses are presented. The results of training in programming are the most significant, since this resource has been used for more than 15 years – during this time, extensive experience has been accumulated in its use, the results of training have been analyzed, and some problems have been identified and solved. An example of using the learning workshop in the course “Mathematical Logic and Theory of Algorithms” is presented, in which the implementation of automatic checking of problem solutions required non-standard solutions to refine the learning workshop. An additional useful function of the learning workshop as the means of developing English-language competence is presented.

Conclusion. The results of the study show that the technologies of automatic checking of problem solutions and software based on them are an effective way to develop the professional skills of students of IT areas. Surveys of employers of graduates of IT areas allow us to conclude that there is a relationship between the results of students’ work recorded in a distance learning workshop during training, and their success in professional activities after graduation. Many of the graduates continue to use the learning workshop to further develop and train their professional skills – the resource is open.

The purpose of the study. The purpose of research is to substantiate and develop a multifunctional training complex for preparing cadets to conduct emergency rescue operations and fire-fighting by the usage of virtual reality technology. The relevance and necessity of developing a training complex are due to the professional activities of fire-fighters, related to the protection and rescue of citizens and the state from fires and the peculiarities of the educational process being implemented. The problem of effective formation of professional competencies in the field of fire-fighting is caused by the limited training ground base of universities, which does not allow training at various residential, social, industrial, transport and other functional facilities, that requires their replacement with virtual analogues. In addition, the limited budget of training time and a large number of cadets studying at the university, who must have the skills and abilities to manage fire and rescue units, organize fire extinguishing and interact with other emergency services, require the introduction of digital technologies to increase the intensification of the educational process and expand its capabilities.

Materials and methods. To perform research tasks, methods of scientific and pedagogical study were used, which included the analysis and synthesis of information in the field of creating and applying digital virtual reality for educational purposes, the activities of fire and rescue units during fire-fighting and the requirements of regulatory legal acts for the performance of their professional tasks. Methods of modeling, contextual, game and reflexive training were used to form methods of preparing fire-fighters in virtual reality, recreating the professional environment.

Results. The research of the activities of professional fire-fighters, the peculiarities of the educational process implemented at the universities of EMERCOM of Russia has revealed deficiencies in the training of cadets for activities in the field of organizing and conducting rescue operations and fire-fighting. According to the investigation of the adaptation and usage of digital learning technologies to improve the professional competencies of graduates in the field of fire-fighting, the application of virtual reality technology was proposed that allows to simulate a professional environment and to organize it in both individual and group practical preparation of cadets to professional tasks on a variety of residential, social, industrial, transport and other functionalities in conditions of simulating various scenarios of the occurrence and development of fires. To organize the training of cadets, the requirements for the specification and technical characteristics of the equipment, the project of the training ground for the organization of virtual learning (which was physically implemented at the Ivanovo Fire and Rescue Academy of State Fire-Fighting Service of EMERCOM of Russia), system and applied software, basic objects, models and scenarios of fire spreading on them, a system for evaluating the tasks performed by the trainees were developed in common with closed joint-stock company “Institute of Telecommunications” (St. Petersburg, Russia).

 Conclusion. The result of the research is the first physical prototype of a multifunctional training complex to prepare cadets for emergency rescue operations and fire-fighting, where it is planned to conduct a pilot operation stage during 2021, expand the list of objects and scenarios for the development of fires and subsequently introduce it into the educational process. The technological and methodological experience gained in the process of designing, implementing and operating a multifunctional training complex is planned to be extended by scaling it to other universities of the EMERCOM of Russia, which will create and unify a single system of practical training of cadets in the field of fire-fighting, using virtual reality technology.