Information technologies and their importance in the institutionalization of higher education 

Lyudmila I. Naidenova, Doctor of sociological sciences, professor, professor of the sub-department of sociology and personnel management, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), E-mail: linajdenova@yandex.ru 

Background. One of the main directions in modern sociology remains the functioning and development of the social institution of education at the level of higher professional in the process of informatization of society. New sociological approaches are needed to study the features of the institutional essence of the modern system of higher education. The purpose of the research is to substantiate the methodological approach to the study of the modern social institution of higher professional education and to identify the features of the modern institutionalization of the higher education system with the leading role of the introduction of information, including digital technologies. Materials and methods. The research methodology is based on the theory and research approaches from the emerging digital sociology. The method is a classification of the content and functions of a number of information and digital technologies used in higher education to fulfill its social functions. The structure of digital sociology as a new branch of scientific sociological knowledge, new theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of social phenomena are proposed as well as new directions for interdisciplinary research. Results. Tendencies to the emergence of new institutional features, to the filling of institutional functions with new content in the system of higher education in the conditions of informatization of society are revealed. A predictive variant of replacing the models of social behavior used by students with behavior strategies is derived, and a classification of such strategies is pro-posed: pragmatic-target, traditional-value, informational-personal. Conclusions. The structure of the developing digital sociology as a new branch of knowledge is proposed: grounds for new theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of social phenomena; new directions of interdisciplinary research; methodological tools for indepth research and understanding of modern social processes, using digital technologies. 

information technologies, digital technologies, informatization of society, digital sociology, social institution of education, higher education, institutionalization 

Naidenova L.I. Information technologies and their importance in the institutionalization of higher education. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Obshchestvennye nauki = University proceedings. Volga region. Social sciences. 2022;(2):74–86. (In Russ.). doi:10.21685/2072-3016-2022-2-7