The article examines the connection of the optimal organization of educational activities of students in a higher educational institution with the development of attention qualities from a theoretical and empirical point of view. The purpose of the study is to identify the main intellectual properties of students' attention with a theoretical analysis of the psychological properties of attention and, on the basis of this, cognitive development. As the main properties of attention, its long-term stability, the ability to concentrate on one problem, the speed and volume of switching were analyzed and studied.

Initially, the definition of the concept of attention was given, the problem of developing attention in modern students was considered, and the relevance was determined. In the theoretical part, in order to study and systematize scientific approaches and concepts related to attention, an analysis of the scientific literature was carried out. A schematic classification of attention properties was shown. Also, the features of such an important psychological cognitive process as attention in university students were analyzed in detail.

The empirical study was conducted for students of 3-4 courses in two universities in Almaty. The sample group, consisting of a total of 240 people, was divided into control and experimental groups. The Diagnostic study used the Bourdon-Anisimov test, Schulte tables, as well as the Ruffe test. A set of intellectual tasks and exercises, psychological trainings aimed at developing the properties of attention were carried out only to the subjects of the experimental group. The results of the formative experiment showed a significant increase in a number of properties of attention in the experimental group. This contributed to improving the quality of completing educational tasks.

At the end of the study, the conclusion was made about the need for targeted development of students' attention in order to make educational activities more effective in the system of Higher Education.