Tools for Analyzing the Impact of Cooperative Education Programs on the Development of Schoolchildren’s Meta-Disciplinary Outcomes and Soft Skills

The article presents the results of a research project on the Tomsk State University’s implementation of various forms of cooperation with the Region’s general education institutions. The authors focused on substantiating issues in cooperation monitoring and, in particular, on analyzing the effectiveness of cooperative education programs. The authors put forward the hypothesis that educational programs implemented in universities and schools in the cooperation format influence not only the intensification of discipline-related educational outcomes, but also the development of high school students’ meta-disciplinary results and soft skills. The methodology for analyzing the educational potential of inter-institutional cooperation, developed by the Tomsk State University, allows conclusions to be drawn on the impact of cooperative education programs on the quality of education. However, data illustrating the evolution of educational outcomes are needed to take managerial decisions related to the support and development of these or those programs. For this purpose, the authors used specialized computer-based programs. The program’s testing results show that interaction between higher education and general education institutions in carrying out joint projects and programs has the potential to improve the quality of education. The authors conclude that the application of the above-mentioned methodology could enhance the quality and effectiveness of cooperation in education and take network partnerships from precedent-setting relations to a new level, namely, the setup of a cooperative education community.