Formation of educational ecosystems through the digital transformation of the educational environment

Cognitive and digital transformation stimulates both academic and applied interest in the concept of socio-economic ecosystems. Today, traditional interaction chains in education, cooperation forms, for example, network ones, should give way to new organizational-economic interaction mechanisms – educational ecosystems. Research purpose is development of theoretical approaches to the formation of cross-geographic educational ecosystems through the digital transformation of the educational environment. The study is based on general scientific methods of systematization, comparison and generalization of research in the field of formation and functioning of ecosystems. Structural-functional and integrated approaches were used to develop the concept of formation of educational ecosystems. A comparative analysis of three overlapping ecosystem concepts (business ecosystems, knowledge ecosystems and innovation ecosystems) was carried out. The type, approaches and strategies for the formation of cross-geographic educational ecosystems have been determined. It is noted that digital transformation forms a digital educational environment, which can serve as the basis for the formation of cross-geographic educational ecosystems. As a typical basis for the formation of an educational ecosystem, it is proposed to use a business ecosystem as a form of socio-economic interaction of actors. As a strategy for the formation of an ecosystem, a structural strategy is defined with the allocation of a core – a leading university or an association of universities, and as actors – universities, students, post-graduate students, teachers, employees, graduating students, employers and other stakeholders. It is noted that the core plays a key role in the formation of a cross-geographic educational ecosystem. An effective strategy of the educational business ecosystem depends on the ability of the core to place other participants in positions and endow them with roles, on the one hand, corresponding to the strategy of the ecosystem as a whole, on the other hand, ensuring the actors’ satisfaction