Models of organization of teaching students at the university: basic assumptions, advantages and limitations

Assessment of the quality of higher education and its management is not possible without answers to the following questions: what students should learn at the university; how the studying process at the university should be organized to achieve certain educational outcomes; what the role of students in the educational process is. Some researchers attempted to answer these questions through developing conceptual assumptions related to building student-university relationships. However, today there is no systematic analysis of such conceptual models, which makes it difficult to compare them and choose the optimal one for the university according to its external conditions and resources. The article aims to analyze the models of organization of learning at the university and building relations between teachers and students. There are presented models, conceptualizing students as consumers, active learners, and partners. We also suggest the classification of the models by two criteria: 1) students’ activity in the learning process and 2) students’ participation in decision-making and creating educational products. The paper provides understanding which principles foreign universities use to interact with students and teachers as well as to develop educational policy. The article might be practically useful for the executives of Russian universities to help them decide on the educational strategies; of no less use would it be for the teachers to make them deeper understand their relations with students.