The purpose of the study is to examine the theory and practice of using neural networks in education, to develop the concept of a neural network adaptive learning environment, and to implement a neural network model of one of the subsystems of this environment (using a model example of creating an adaptive educational trajectory).
Materials and methods. The study includes a review of bibliographic sources on the application of neural networks in the field of education. It also includes modeling the structure of a neural network adaptive learning environment. The PyTorch library was used to programmatically implement the neural network.
Results. The prospects for the use of neural networks in the field of education are considered, including various tasks of recognition, diagnostics, classification, clustering, forecasting, optimization, etc. A structural model of an adaptive learning NeuroSmart environment is created. This environment includes a number of subsystems for solving the following tasks: biometric identification of the student; determining starting level; choosing an adaptive learning path; determining the current level of competency development; automated verification of students’ work using recognition technology; analysis of the final result of training; monitoring information security incidents in an electronic course, etc. In order to study the possibilities and problems of applying neural network models to the tasks of constructing student adaptive learning trajectories, a model example of a neural network was created. This example illustrates the possibility of using a neural network to select further nodes of the educational trajectory based on the available data on the current learning parameters in an electronic course. To implement the neural network, the PyTorch deep learning library and Pandas library modules were used. SGD, Adam, Rprop were used as an optimizer to perform gradient descent steps. For each of the optimizers, a computer study of the stability of the neural network was carried out by varying the following parameters: the learning rate coefficient, the number of neurons in the hidden layer, and the number of training epochs.
Conclusion. It can be assumed that the next stage in the evolution of the use of neural network technologies in the field of education will be their integration into complex multi-component Smart systems capable of automatically supporting student learning at all stages of the implementation of their personal educational trajectory. Obviously, the practical implementation of complex neural network systems of this level is a very difficult task and can be solved so far only at the level of individual subsystems. There are a number of problems associated with computer simulation of the educational environment based on neural network models: the question of the optimal structure of the neural network (for example, the number of neurons and layers in the network) has not been studied enough, there are no clear criteria for the optimality of the adaptive educational trajectory. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the task of developing new forms and technologies of personalized e-learning is in great demand, which makes modeling based on neural networks especially relevant.

In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of students worldwide choosing to study abroad. In 2014, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, about five million students studied abroad. The development of distance learning technologies contributes to the growth of mobility.
Russia is an attractive destination for students’ mobility, both shortterm and long-term, and Russian universities compete for students in global markets. The internationalization of education, the increase in the number of international students at degree programs set new requirements for host universities, which should be taken into account in their strategies. This is the presence of a developed infrastructure at the university (laboratory equipment, well-equipped classrooms, modern dormitories, a library with access to a large number of electronic resources, etc.), high quality of teaching, accessible and friendly living environment at the university. In addition, various external factors that characterize the accessibility and attractiveness of the city and the country are important.
The goal of our research is to identify the factors that are important for foreign students to choose Russian universities for master’s studies. The master’s level assumes that students themselves make an informed decision about studying abroad, as well as about the choice of country and direction of study, and also better understand what advantages foreign learning experience gives.
The study was conducted by interviewing foreign students enrolled in Master’s programs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg. The choice of this particular educational institution is due to the high proportion of foreign students enrolled in Master’s programs (on English-language programs their share reaches 40%, and on average is about 13%); the presence of several programs of prestigious international accreditations, network programs (double diplomas, consortiums) and, in general, high positions of the university in international rankings; as well as the wide range of master programs for different areas of study. The survey involved foreign students enrolled in master’s programs (excluding short-term mobility programs). As a result, it was revealed that the reputation of the university, the availability of scholarship programs and grants, employment prospects in Russia or abroad after graduation, simplicity and transparency of the enrollment procedure are crucial for master’s students intending to study in Russia.
The results obtained on the basis of a survey of students make it possible to clarify the set of factors identified from the analysis of the literature that affect students’ decision-making about their training in the Master’s programs in Russia. Their practical significance lies in the fact that they can be taken into account when developing university strategies and programs, as well as marketing campaigns aimed at attracting foreign graduate students.

The purpose of the study. The legislation of the Russian Federation describes education as a single purposeful process of education and training. At the same time, education rightly stands before learning, in the first place, at all levels of education. The importance of personal development in educational institutions of higher education is spelled out in various regulatory documents of the federal level. The legislator defines education as a systemic process that is one for understanding by teaching staff in the field of education; therefore, the active development of the educational environment has become one of the primary tasks for universities, regardless of their departmental affiliation. The effectiveness of modern education depends on the educational environment in which the holistic educational process is carried out. Moreover, according to the federal state educational standards of higher education, not professional, but universal competencies come to the fore, providing opportunities for flexible human strategies (education, profession, personal and social strategies) in a competitive environment that accelerates changes in the labor market. It is the environment that is the basis for the formation of universal competencies of students. However, in the practice of Russian educational institutions of higher education, the potential of the educational process is not included in the formation of universal graduate competencies. The purpose of the presented paper is to analyze the current state of the personal development environment of educational institutions of higher education as the basis for the formation of universal competencies of students.
Materials and methods of research. The research was based on scientific and methodological literature that reveals the essence of the educational space in higher educational institutions, studies the issues of personal development in educational institutions of higher education and the components of the personal development environment in the formation of universal competencies of students. When studying these sources on the problem under consideration, methods of theoretical analysis and synthesis, their abstraction and concretization were used. The methodological basis of the research was complex and technological approaches as the most important components of the educational environment, systemic and environmental approaches as the basis of the educational function of the university in modeling the educational environment with the expectation of profiling training, as well as an activity approach associated with the activity nature of the formation of universal competencies of students.
Results. As a result of the research, the historical aspect of the formation of the concept of “educational environment” has been studied and its formulation has been clarified, the differences between this concept and the concept of “nurturing environment” have been identified and the possibilities of the educational environment in the formation of universal competencies of students have been characterized.
Conclusion. The theoretical analysis carried out and the conclusions of the study on the problem under consideration can be used in scientific and pedagogical activities when considering the issues of regulating the personal development process in educational institutions of higher education, thereby improving the quality of the holistic educational process. It is important to analyze the possibilities of the personal development environment of educational institutions of higher education in the practical formation of universal competencies of students.

The purpose of the study. The article is devoted to the existing system of training of the adult population in the field of civil defense and protection from emergency situations in the Achinsk branch of the regional state educational institution of additional professional education “Institute of Regional Security”. It identifies the main shortcomings of the organization and functioning of this system of training adult learners, suggests ways to eliminate them, and offers suggestions for its improvement. The purpose of the study: to improve the quality of training of adult learners by 40%.
Materials and methods. In the course of conducting this research and writing the article, such methods as empirical data analysis, synthesis, questionnaire survey methods, logical and contextual analysis, bibliographic search, SWOT analysis, methods of working with specialized software products and web services, methods of comparison and matching, monographic research, analysis of documents was widely used, testing method, etc. The methodological apparatus of the study is a synthesis of such approaches that allow us to consider the provision of civil protection of the population, its training and education as an interdependent and interrelated system, in the functioning of which both state structures and local self-government bodies participate.
The results of the study can be presented in the form of new business processes that will provide an opportunity to increase the percentage of students’ academic performance. The introduction into the educational process of entrance testing, innovative dictation with the inclusion of questions of entrance testing and the material passed, diagnostic and final testing, has clear advantages. The level of motivation of adult learners increases, the possibility of designing and forecasting the educational process at the modern level of education is realized, the possibility of organizing more effective forms of interaction between the lecturer and students, which ultimately leads to the effectiveness of training students in the field of civil defense and protection from emergencies.
Conclusion. The system being created in the Achinsk branch of the “Institute of Regional Security” for the introduction of new business processes in the education of adult learners is based on a significant number of arguments, the main of which we present in our paper. We believe that a significant difference between tests and traditional methods of training adult learners is that they make it possible to determine the level of knowledge at the initial stage of training in the field of civil defense and protection from emergency situations, put all trainees on an equal footing. Tests are used as a measuring tool; make it possible to determine the level of assimilation of key concepts. Training students using tests makes it possible to cover several topics and sections of the curriculum at the same time. Further expansion of the range of tools used to assess and ensure the quality of education within the electronic information and educational environment allows you to organize a relatively painless transition for outlying towns and districts to a remote learning format using distance-learning technologies.

The article is devoted to the organization of distance education for students of architectural specialties of universities. Designing a distance-learning model, which consists in the scientific substantiation of the structure and content of the distance-learning model for preparing students of architectural specialties. The article also presents an analysis of scientific literature, the purpose of which is to generalize knowledge in the field of distance learning and professional training in relation to architectural education. A historiographic analysis of the problem was carried out, the categorical apparatus of the study and the terminological base were specified, criteria and indexes of the formation of students’ preparation - architects for professional activities in the process of distance learning were identified.
The problem lies in the scientific substantiation of the structure and content of the distance-learning model for students of architectural specialties of universities.
The purpose of this paper is to develop and scientifically and pedagogically justify a distance-learning model for preparing students of architectural specialties.
Research methods. To test the initial provisions and achieve the goals set at different stages of the study, the following theoretical methods were used: analysis of regulatory documents and psychological and pedagogical literature, historical and pedagogical analysis.
The main part of the article reveals a distance-learning model for preparing students of architectural specialties. The distance-learning model includes the following blocks: target, which includes the goal of organizing distance learning to train students of architectural specialties; methodological, including system-activity, personality-oriented, axiological, competence-based approaches and their corresponding principles; meaningful, including readiness components: (motivational, cognitive, activity-practical, creative, evaluative-reflective), as well as pedagogical conditions: creating positive motivation for learning, the presence of educational communication, improving the student’s readiness to use distance learning technologies, providing stages training: information-theoretical, practice-oriented, integration; organizational and procedural, including organizational forms of distance learning for the preparation of students of architectural specialties of universities: synchronous, asynchronous; distance learning methods; means; learning technologies; diagnostic, including criteria and indexes: motivational, cognitive, activity-practical, creative, evaluative-reflective, as well as levels: receptive, receptive-reproductive, reproductive-productive, productive, creative; effective - including the results of the organization of distance learning for the preparation of students of architectural specialties.
Conclusion. The concept of training students of architectural specialties of universities has been clarified. Preparation of students - architects for professional activities in the process of distance learning is a pedagogical process aimed at organizing the work of students - architects, contributing to the development of motivational, cognitive, activity-practical, creative, evaluative-reflexive components. A model of distance learning for students of architectural specialties has been developed, characterized by consistency, stability and integrativity of its constituent components: target; methodological; substantive, organizational and procedural, diagnostic and productive. The concept of distance learning model is disclosed. The ideas about distance learning have been expanded; the results and conclusions make a certain contribution to the theory of distance learning in terms of using the possibilities of distance learning to organize the educational process in an architectural university. The model of distance learning for students of architectural specialties is described.