The relevance of the study is caused by the need of reflection and development of new forms of organization in the educational process within the cognitive rotation occurring today in the field of information and cognitive processes. The objective of the study is to identify the primary and the most important forms of educational activities in higher education which allow students and teachers to manage knowledge adequately. Methods: explication method of comparative analysis, the method of etymological analysis. Results: Considering the transformation of the purpose and content of higher education within the transition to a new information society the author made a conclusion on primacy of initiative and independence of students as the major factors of training in higher education system. It is assumed that the teacher must empathically put himself in student situation to develop necessary experience as an example for the students in organization of educational process and increase its efficiency.