ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2011ICDE Special Focus Session

Learning Cultures – An International Panorama

The Case of RussiaDr. Irina Smirnova

Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI)

01.12.2011

BRIC: 26 % of the Earth territory, 42 % of the world population, and 14,6 % of the world GDP(World Bank, 2010 )

BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India, China (Jim O'Neill, 2001) +

South Africa (2011) = BRICS, Growing economics

-- GDP of China-- GDP of India-- GDP of Brazil-- World GDP -- GDP of Russia-- GDP of the USA

Rate of Economic Growth (the 3rd quarter of 2011)

UKUSA

Fran

ce

Ger

man

y

Brasil

Russia

Indi

a

China

0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%4.0%5.0%6.0%7.0%8.0%9.0%

10.0%

0.5%1.6% 1.6%

2.6%3.1%

4.8%

8.1%9.1%

%

Population (1 Oct. 2011): 142,9 million

Territory: 17 075 400 km²

Russia Today

-- Russian GDP-- World GDP

Education & Learning

Learning as an activity of getting

information or capacities for doing

something in different settings: formal, non-formal

& informal

Education as formalized,

organized and regulated learning process leading to the recognition of a certain level of

skills and knowledge (usually

awarded with some certificate or

diploma)

1. Full-time

education

2. Distanc

e educati

on3. Part-

time educati

on

4. Externs

hip

5. Self-educatio

n

Forms of Education

By correspondence,with the use of distance educational technologies

Forms 1+2 (evening classes)

Distance Education in Russia

1920s

• First steps (predominantly in Higher Education). Part-time (evening classes) and distance education (by correspondence) delivered by traditional HEIs

1990s

• DE with the use of ITs (computer-based, multimedia, video- and audio records)

2000s

• DE & DL with the use of Internet in all spheres of social life and all forms of education

Internet-users (World Bank, 2009)

-- Internet-users in the world: 27,1% of population-- Internet-users in Russia : 42,1% of population

Number of Internet-users (ComScore Data, September 2011)

49.5

50.5

50.150.8

Number of individual Internet-users above 15 years old (in mil-

lions)

373.4

1046.6

Total number of individual Inter-

net-users above 15 years old (in mil-

lions) EuropeRest of the world

DE & DL in Russia

DE & DL users Technologies

usedDE market in

Russia

Higher school Multimedia technologies (DVD, audio,

animation, video)

Software developersSecondary school

Industries (in-service training and re-training)

The Internet-based

technologies(corporate e-

learning systems, LMS, e-

Campus…)

Content designers

People with special needs

Satellite broadcasting

(only one university)

DE providersIndividuals (self-

training)

Up to 20 companies only

Russian Content Designers

According to the market experts this number should

be 10 TIMES HIGHER!

In-service training & retraining

Corporate DE (e-Learning)

IndustriesOther

organizations• Russian Railways (RZhD)

• MMC Norilsk Nickel

• United Company RUSAL and others

• State Duma• Federal Assembly • Central Bank • Saving bank and

others

Course Designers

Corporate DE (2)

Developments

•DE market in corporate segment in Russia increases significantly: 80% growth yearly (all market: 20% growth yearly) (Ambient Insight and Russian portal Smart Education) •Saving funds due to ICT (e.g. yearly retraining of RUSAL staff with the use of DE reduces training costs for 60%)

Challenges

• Lack of content producers• High prices of DE courses

affordable only for large companies but not for SME

Possible solutions

• Joining efforts of SME as well as Public Private Partnership

• Increasing number of content designers and DE providers

Russian Educational System

Pre-school education (kindergardens)

Secondary school (general education schools)

Secondary school (specialized professional

training school)

Secondary school (upper secondary

education)

Higher education (bachelor)

Higher education (master programs) Higher

education (specialist)

UNIFIED STATE EXAMINATIONS

Post-graduate education

Professional re-training

MBA programs

Secondary School

Developments

• By 2010 computers and Internet-connection in every school

• Distance Learning used for supporting education, access to virtual libraries and museums as well as self-training of teachers

Challenges

• Distance Education is still prohibited in secondary school and only Distance Learning is possible as supportive means

Possible solutions

• Shift in legislation

• Training teachers

“In post-soviet period 13 thousand small schools were closed in remote areas. New technologies allow to teach at a distance.

And this is a best alternative to the closing schools in small settlements as far such closing leads to the end of the

settlements themselves”

Oleg Smolin, Deputy Chair of the Committee for Education under the State Duma

With the Russian

Government support

DL for secondary

schoolchildren

with special needs

(Moscow, Nizhny

Novgorod, Orenburg &

other regions)

Without the Russian

Government support

DE for TVET (MESI

College for Informatics

& Management

)

DE in Other Sectors

Higher Professional School (1)

Developments

•Increased number of DL students (2,7 million)•Raising interest in DE in conventional universities and their opening towards blended learning

Challenges

• Decrease of secondary school graduates (1,3 million in 2006 and 0,7 million in 2012 expected) and saturation of DE HE market

Possible solutions

• Expansion of DE in HE to other target groups

Number of Distance Learning Students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

1940/41 1970/71 1990/91 2000/01 2009/10 0.0

500.0

1000.0

1500.0

2000.0

2500.0

3000.0

128.0

985.4

892.3

1761.8

2710.3

Students NumberThousands

Higher Professional School (2)

Developments

•Good technical facilities and access to the Internet•From July, 1 2008 the National Standard on requirements to the integrated automatized management systems in HEIs is in forces

Challenges

• Many students are more skilled in ICT than their teachers

• Lack of professionals in pedagogical design shaped for DE

Possible solutions

• Training teachers. Net-generation joining the academic community.

Higher Professi0nal School (3)

Developments

•Sharing responsibilities in distance teaching practice (content designers, facilitators, moderators, etc.)

Challenges

• The Russian Classifier of Professions doesn’t contain such words as tutor, Pedagogical or Instructional Designer, etc.

• There are no related degrees.

Possible solutions

• Adjustment of the Classifier

Higher Professi0nal School (3)

Developments

•Regulatory framework for DE changes but very slowly

Challenges

• Some old norms and regulations with which HEIs must comply (to be accredited) are contradictory to the reality of distance learning, e.g. ratio student/ teacher, square meters per student, number of volumes in a library (neglecting digital libraries), requirement for grading exams only in the premises owned by HEI, and others

Possible solutions

• Adjustment of the Law on Education (under the second reading in the Parliament)

Legislation (ICDE Regulatory Framework) Technological Standards (IMS GLC – SCORM) e-Learning standards (JTC1 ISO/IEC) Quality assurance systems for DE (e.g. EADTU’s

e-Xcellence benchmarking tool for e-learning – study program level; EFQUEL’s UNIQue – institutional level)

Sharing experience (ONLINE EDUCA, ICDE, EADTU, EDEN, EFQUEL and other conferences; bilateral and multilateral projects and activities)

Global DE Development: Joint Work

Global level

Regional level

National level

Institutional Level

• UNESCO• ICDE• IMS GLC…• Regional

associations (e.g. in Europe EUA, EADTU, EDEN, EFQUEL…)

• National associations (e.g. International e-University consortium)• DE Users

• DE Designers• DE Providers

Come Together!

Dr. Irina SmirnovaChief of the Department for International Projects Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics

and Informatics (MESI)ISmirnova@mesi.ru

Thank you for your attention!