Public Legal Support for the Digital Transformation of Higher Education in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The article examines the digital transformation of higher education as a special legal phenomenon in the context of the national development goals of the Russian Federation and the project “Data Economics and Digital Transformation of the State”. Based on the doctrinal approaches of information law, the author distinguishes the concepts of “digitalization” and “digital transformation” in relation to higher education. The article analyzes the public legal mechanisms implemented by federal authorities and subjects of the Russian Federation, including the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District. The impact of digital transformation on educational legal relations, the legal status of universities, students and research and teaching staff , as well as on the regime of IT assets and the assessment of digital maturity is revealed. The problems of fragmented legal regulation, the lack of a unifi ed regime of the electronic information and educational environment, the use of artifi cial intelligence, ensuring technological sovereignty and regional asymmetry are revealed. Promising areas for improving legislation have been identifi ed, including the systematization of information legislation, experimental legal regimes and digital platforms in education.