Russian perspectives of online learning technologies in higher education: An empirical study of a MOOC

There has been a rapid growth of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the global education market in the last decade. Online learning technologies are becoming increasingly widespread in the non-formal education sector and in higher and supplementary vocational education. The use of MOOCs in Russia to support the delivery of educational programmes at university level opens opportunities in terms of expanding the educational choice for students, the development of virtual academic mobility, reduction in the cost of educational services, and improvement in the accessibility of education. However, the effectiveness of using different online learning technologies at university level, and the consequences of their widespread adoption, has not been sufficiently explored. In this research study, a comparative analysis is made of the effects of different online learning models on student educational outcomes in a university setting. A study was undertaken in which different groups of students at the Ural Federal University, Russia, were encouraged to study technical and humanities disciplines using a framework of blended learning, and online learning with tutoring support. The results of the study were compared with the results of a reference (control) group of students who studied the same disciplines in a traditionally taught model. It was found that both models (blended and online) of MOOC implementation demonstrated greater learning gains, in comparison with the traditional model. For engineering and technical disciplines, there was no statistically significant difference between blended or online learning technologies. For the humanities discipline, where the communicative component of the learning process was significant, the blended learning technology produced better results. Conclusions of this empirical research may be useful for heads of educational organizations and teachers in helping them to make strategic decisions about the modernization of university courses by increasing the effectiveness of the implementation of new educational technologies. The results of this research project will be used for implementing the State Priority Project, ‘The Modern Digital Educational Environment of the Russian Federation’

Engagement with virtual learning environments : a case study across faculties

Original article can be found at: www.herts.ac.uk/blip Copyright University of HertfordshireThe Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) at the University of Hertfordshire (UH) not only supports institutional and national strategies in learning and teaching, but represents a significant investment in capital. Studies show that VLEs offer a variety of pedagogical benefits and usage of such systems can be effectively measured through the analysis of a system’s log files. However, although the increase in engagement with the VLE at UH as a whole has been considerable over recent years, there appears to be a wide variation in engagement across faculties, suggesting that tutors of some faculties could benefit from increased support to improve engagement. For example, during each of the academic years under study, the range of student engagement between two particular faculties dif-fered by at least 290%. Having identified faculties that show consistently low VLE engage-ment, we need to ask why this is, and ask whether there needs to be further investigation into the reasons behind this disparity.Peer reviewe

EU–originated MOOCs, with focus on multi- and single-institution platforms

No abstract available

Students' perception of online courses

Technology is constantly evolving in more sophisticated forms giving new opportunities for educators to transfer learning into virtual space. New educational technology trends are associated today with blended learning where traditional methods of teaching merge with online sessions. Blended learning with its learner-centered approach has a potential to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Russian higher institutions embrace this technology as a strategy to engage and motivate students and thereby augment the learning process. The paper studies students' engagement and satisfaction with the online courses and their overall perception from learners' perspective. The findings could serve as a reference point to promote online courses and to achieve considerable educational benefits. Технологии постоянно эволюционируют в более совершенные формы, предоставляя преподавателям новые возможности по переносу обучения в виртуальное пространство. Новые образовательные тенденции, основанные на применении современных технологий, ассоциируются сегодня в первую очередь со смешанным обучением, когда традиционные формы обучения сочетаются с работой онлайн. Смешанное обучение, имеющее в основе личностный подход в обучении, обладает большим потенциалом для повышения качества преподавания и обучения. Высшие учебные заведения России выбирают данную технологию в качестве стратегии для привлечения интереса и повышения мотивации студентов, тем самым интенсифицируя образовательный процесс. Данная работа изучает вовлеченность и удовлетворенность студентов онлайн курсами, а также восприятие данных курсов в целом с точки зрения обучаемых. Данные исследования могут служить в качестве рекомендаций по продвижению онлайн курсов и достижению значительных образовательных результатов

Teaching and learning in virtual worlds: is it worth the effort?

Educators have been quick to spot the enormous potential afforded by virtual worlds for situated and authentic learning, practising tasks with potentially serious consequences in the real world and for bringing geographically dispersed faculty and students together in the same space (Gee, 2007; Johnson and Levine, 2008). Though this potential has largely been realised, it generally isn’t without cost in terms of lack of institutional buy-in, steep learning curves for all participants, and lack of a sound theoretical framework to support learning activities (Campbell, 2009; Cheal, 2007; Kluge & Riley, 2008). This symposium will explore the affordances and issues associated with teaching and learning in virtual worlds, all the time considering the question: is it worth the effort