Student Educational Experience and Its Place in the Modern Educational Paradigm: FEFU Case

The development of the project on creating world-class campuses in Russia heated debates on the topic of the university campus and the educational experience of students. Although it has become extremely relevant, but it remains understudied. This research is aimed at the formation of an understanding of the educational paradigm of modern Russian universities as well as the investigation of the relationship between the university space and the educational experience of students using the example of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), which is a unique case among Russian universities due to its exceptional location and infrastructure. Building on the concept of Beckers and his colleagues’ theory “Purpose — Process — Place,” a deductive analysis of 39 semi-structured interviews with FEFU students collected in 2022 was carried out. The study showed that higher education is undergoing a transition from a traditional behavioristic approach to social constructivism, which is manifested in the request for greater freedom in choosing not only what students should study, but when and how. The results of the study show that the educational process has moved beyond the classroom, and the educational environment has become an integral part of the educational experience of students. The results suggest that students have a need not only for learning spaces, but also for places where they can restore their resources. Thus, green spaces on the campus and an embankment with access to the water area have a favorable effect on the emotional state of students. At the same time co-workings and coffee shops can foster more productive learning. However, the location of the campus, its isolation from the mainland and its own rules of behavior and communication, forms in some students the perception of the campus as a “luxury prison” with a comfortable infrastructure but difficult to escape from. This is especially felt during the exams, when the emotional overload of students reaches peak points. The results can be useful for Russian universities participating in the project on creating world-class campuses and for researchers who study the educational environment.