Technology in the service of education: universities and schools have appreciated the advantages of online

“Modern information technologies erase distances”

The development of distance learning formats has been one of the priorities for education providers for many years, but it was “forced digitalization” that helped many students appreciate all the advantages of online learning. MK told about it Professor, Doctor of Economics, Deputy Dean for Additional Education, Faculty of Economics, Lomonosov Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosova Olga Molchanova.

– Modern information technologies allow online learning to come as close as possible to face-to-face communications in terms of the effectiveness of educational interactions, but, unlike the latter, they “erasure” the distance, which means that education in the most prestigious schools or universities can be available to residents of different regions.

This contributes to the rapid dissemination of new knowledge, which in modern society is rightfully regarded as a key economic resource. In addition, online education allows you to personalize the learning process: since educational sites are available 365/24; You can independently choose not only a comfortable pace of learning, but also the depth of study of certain topics.

Modern Internet technologies have made it possible to improve the quality of interaction with the teacher so much that, for example, webinars are almost as good as face-to-face seminars (of course, with the teacher having the proper level of knowledge of these technologies). At the same time, listeners can save a lot of time and resources that would otherwise have been spent on travel and personal presence.

According to the professor, the advantages of online education are most pronounced in the field of additional higher or postgraduate business education (professional retraining and advanced training programs, additional courses and programs in management and economics).

– It is important to note that thanks to online education, people have the opportunity to continuously acquire new knowledge and improve their professional skills. Thus, with the help of the latest information and communication technologies, we are forming a new generation of workers for the digital economy,” Olga Molchanova noted.

“The possibilities of digital higher education are endless”

Yulia Remezova, Director of Online Learning at the National Research University Higher School of Economics notes that the digital challenges of the COVID-19 era have forced the educational system to reconsider institutional approaches. A third of registrations on the world’s leading online education platforms were in 2020: 180 million users listened to open courses and studied programs presented by 950 universities.

– The success of the first-ever HSE online session for 33,000 students and the 2020 online admissions campaign for more than 7,500 applicants have shown that not only education, but also technical support for all organizational processes is possible in digital format. After the lockdown was announced, we transferred 50,000 students from 4 HSE campuses online within a day,” says Yulia Remezova.

The Higher School of Economics was actively developing online education even before the covid shock, but as a result of the pandemic, both teachers and students had to quickly master distance learning technologies and restructure their usual processes. The academic staff of the universities was helped by the relevant specialists, while the students had to adjust on their own.

“I believe that one of the main challenges in connection with the expansion of online education is maintaining its quality,” says Yulia Remezova. – This is not only about content, it is also about developing an assessment system, increasing the level of feedback, monitoring the progress of the educational trajectory. The development of online education is inextricably linked with services for assessing acquired knowledge and increasing the level of student involvement.

According to Yulia Remezova, after the pandemic, the HSE continued to expand the university’s educational portfolio with the help of distance learning programs and this year accepted admissions to 16 online higher education programs – 4 bachelor’s and 12 master’s. More than 1,500 online students study at HSE. Online programs, especially at the master’s level, provide access to additional education and provide an opportunity for rapid updating of competencies in unison with the development of technology.

– The possibilities of “digital” higher education without reference to the campus are truly limitless, emphasizes the representative of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. – You can learn from leading industry experts from anywhere in the world, at any convenient time, without having to put your career on pause. Higher online education allows you to communicate with industry leaders in real time within the framework of business laboratories, seminars, project webinars. Interactive practical classes provide an opportunity to focus on solving business problems from prominent market players and quickly grow in the profession, building a career while still studying. With the development of HSE online programs, the proportion of teachers who see digital technologies as new opportunities to increase the accessibility of quality higher education has grown from 30 to 70%. Today we are confident that the future of education lies precisely in the development of digital technologies.

HSE students enter the labor market with high salary expectations, which are justified in the vast majority of cases. According to the HSE Center for Internal Monitoring, 83% of graduates feel competitive in the labor market, the same number of respondents work in their specialty, the level of employment of respondents at the time of graduation is 96%.

“There are a lot of myths and fears around distance learning and online schools”

The benefits of online adult learning formats seem to be obvious. But what about the students? Is it possible to learn to study outside of school? How do Russian teachers feel about online forms of education and what role do they play in the lives of today’s schoolchildren, we learned from one of the most progressive teachers in the country, winner of the competition “Teacher of the Year of Russia – 2018”, teacher of social science at the Mathematical School of Grozny Alikhan Dinaev:

– There are a lot of myths and big fears around distance learning, digitalization and online schools. Some see this as the end of the traditional education system and the traditional school, believing that the next step is the almost complete closure of schools and learning via the Internet. But just as there are no identical children, so in the education system there is not and cannot be a single method or form that would suit everyone and suit everyone. It’s great that today children and parents have the opportunity to choose different forms of education – in a regular public school, in a private school, home schooling, online schools, external studies … And the fact is that many children really like to study at the computer, they like to study at home, they like not going to school, where they often face bullying, inattention from teachers and other problems. Do not forget that many children are introverts, many experience great problems in communication or being in a large group of people. For some children, this format of learning becomes a real incentive – they begin to study better, become interested in new topics and subjects, and read more. Classmates no longer embarrass them, no one laughs at them anymore.

Of course, online learning has its drawbacks. But don’t they have studies in a regular school? Many parents are afraid of online education like fire also because they did not have it in childhood. “We somehow learned without it! We have become professionals even without your applications and programs.” And this is certainly true. It’s just that the world is changing rapidly. Hundreds of millions are already working remotely and freelancing. Without the latest technology, our world is no longer possible. The labor market is also changing rapidly. By the way, I know that many teachers leave regular schools and start working online. Why? Because there is no bureaucracy, no bosses, no commissions, but more independence and creativity. And the income is higher, as a rule.

It may seem to you that I am an ardent supporter of online learning and my only dream is not to see children and students live. No way. Nothing can replace the joy of live communication. In addition, raising children online is almost impossible. And this is perhaps the main problem. I can prepare children for the exam in social studies online, I can teach them how to solve equations via the Internet. But can I instill in children patriotism, respect for nature or respect for traditions? Doubtful.

It is clear to me that online education is not a replacement for traditional education. This is an alternative for those to whom it is more suitable for various reasons. This is an opportunity to try learning differently. And if it does not work out, any child can always return to his native and beloved school 300 meters from his home. In addition, online learning is also a useful competition for schools and teachers. If you don’t want everyone to run away to a tutor from VK, then work better and more efficiently, more original and more interesting.

Online learning, like the first looms, is not something that will kill the school and leave teachers out of work. This is something that can help a part (probably very small) of educators and children to teach and learn in more comfortable conditions. And just as looms have created a huge number of new jobs, online learning is creating, in fact, a new and booming industry.