Project activity as a required part of the educational process of students in the area of preparation 43.03.03 «Hotel business»

The article deals with the organization of project activities as a mandatory part of the educational process of university students in the direction of preparation "Hotel business". The author analyzes the existing practices of introducing project activities in various universities of Russia, considers a set of elements of project activities, the relationship of project and research activities. Special attention is paid to the activities of student laboratories and centers imple-menting projects at different levels. In the article, the author considers project activity as a necessary condition for the formation of professional competencies, as well as improving the quality of the modern educational process. The theoretical justification of the study was the definitions of the project and project activity in the works of modern authors, the empirical jus-tification of the study was the existing scientific laboratories and centers in Russian universities, as well as the existing educational and professional standards of higher education in the Rus-sian Federation. Opportunities for students' self-realization in project activities are aimed at developing general cultural, professional and professional competencies, involving students in the educational process, understanding the correctness of their choice of a future profession. In the article, the author concludes that project activities are integrated into the curricula of prac-tical areas of training. The stages of the project implementation and criteria for its evaluation and effectiveness are considered. As an example, the author cites the work of a specific scien-tific and student laboratory "Club of the Young Hotelier of the Russian State Humanitarian Uni-versity", operating on the basis of the Department of Public Relations, Tourism and Hospitality of the Russian State University for the Humanities (Moscow). The author identifies the need for stu-dent design skills in the process of training specialists for the hospitality and tourism industry.