Product Portfolio: Ryazan Region Higher Education System. Is There an Alternative to Academic Program Director? (Case of Perm State University). Development and Testing of an Intra-university Model for Analyzing Master’s Programs

1. Ryazan Region Higher Education System. The product is a study of the higher education system in the Ryazan Region. The research was conducted at the request of Ryazan State University (RSU) for presentation at the Council of Rectors of the Ryazan Region. The goal of the project is to propose approaches and tools to enhance the competitiveness of the higher education system in the Ryazan Region. A general concept for the development of the regional higher education system and the interaction of universities in the Ryazan Region has been developed, taking into account the "Strategy for Socio-Economic Development of the Ryazan Region until 2030," the sectoral specifics of the universities, and the geographical location of the region. A distinctive feature of the project is the use of marketing analysis methods (analysis of search queries as a tool to assess the aspirations of applicants before submitting documents). 2. Is There an Alternative to Academic Program Director? (Case of Perm State University). The presented case study was developed as an educational product for Perm State University (PSU). The goal of this problem-oriented case is to immerse the university's leadership, individual structural units (and talent pool) into the issues of managing educational program models. The case has several distinctive features: a retrospective presentation of a problematic situation within one university, an artistic narrative style, and visualization tools. The development team piloted and tested the case within the educational process, proposing a toolkit for solving the case, which includes mapping the roles of participants in the educational process in the context of managing an educational product (based on a RACI matrix). 3. Development and Testing of an Intra-university Model for Analyzing Master’s Programs. The research focuses on developing a model for analyzing master's programs within the context of project and product management approaches in management theory. The goal of the work is to create an intra-university model for analyzing master's programs (management process and educational outcomes) and assess the completeness of data for making managerial decisions. Based on stakeholder theory and a RACI matrix, a model for analyzing data on the management process and outcomes of a master's program has been formulated. Using the example of a master's program analysis model for the Faculty of Economics at Perm State University, the toolkit demonstrates the ability to: assess the completeness of data for management (including identifying "missing" data on the stages of implementing the educational program); identify conflict zones (overlapping areas of responsibility and/or lack of responsible parties); determine excessive workload on one individual and the need for team expansion or redistribution of functions; formulate an approach to aligning the roles and functions of participants and stakeholders (internal and external). The proposed master's program analysis model is an effective tool for systematizing the management of educational programs in universities. It helps identify key problems and areas for improvement, as well as promotes more efficient allocation of resources and responsibilities among process participants.