The article is devoted to the problem of forming the intellectual potential of society due to the system of higher education and its quality. The author considers the factors, mechanisms, levels and stages of formation of the intellectual potential of society, as well as the relationship between the concepts of intellectual potential of society and intellectual culture, intellectual capital and scientific capital. Particular attention is paid to the role of university education in the process of forming the intellectual potential of society and ensuring the quality of education. The author analyzes the effectiveness of teaching an integrated, interdisciplinary course “Educology” for the development of intellectual potential of future professionals in education, emphasizes its theoretical and practical importance for understanding education in its dynamic development and promoting knowledge about achievements and contradictions in theory and practice of modern educational systems. The contribution of studying the course “Educology” in the study of the concept of “intellectual potential” as the ability of the social
system to realize its potential, as well as the characteristics of its influence as a factor in creating a competitive society.
The term “intellectual culture” is directly related to the concept of “intellectual potential”. It begins to be considered from the personality (microlevel), and then pass to another level (mesolevel), where the interaction of a set of individuals, i.e. groups. At this mesolevel, the intellectual potential of the team, institution, region, industry is already being formed. Ascending to the macro level, we determine the intellectual potential of the state, nation and society. If we talk about the intellectual potential of society, firm, enterprise, educated person, then it can be considered as available to society, enterprises, organizations stock of knowledge and information and its implementation through all components of “self-growth of value” and income by owners of knowledge and information».
Intellectual potential is often understood as a set of opportunities to achieve certain goals through the systematic formation and use of intellectual resources for the analysis of economic and financial problems, development of creative ways to solve them, reasonable choice and implementation of management decisions.
In a broad sense, the intellectual potential (of man, society) is a set of intellectual qualities (intellectual resources) that can be used by the system to solve problems of self-preservation and development. In a narrow sense, intellectual potential is identified either with the intellectual potential of man and the conditions of its reproduction, or with intellectual capital, in particular with its structural (organizational) component, which includes organizational and managerial experience, knowledge, skills, intellectual capital, corporate culture and others.
Educating Higher Education Students for Innovative Economies: What International Data Tell Us