MOOCs Usage in Russian Higher Educational Institutions: Why Is Not There Any Increasing Demand for MOOCs During Emergency Distance Learning
https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2023-32-2-125-148
Abstract
The abrupt transition to distance learning during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an urgent need for online resources at higher education institutes (HIEs). Creating analogues of traditional full-time courses demanded for competencies and time resources. In this case ready-made massive open online courses (MOOCs) were supposed to be the most obvious and fastest solution for HIEs. However, analytics demonstrated that educational institutions did not consider MOOC a promising option. This contradiction served as an incentive to conduct this research, which includes the analysis of both non-reactive (MOOCs platform analytics) and reactive (online survey and interviews with instructors) data. Based on our research, we can conclude that the reasons for not integrating MOOCs at Russian HIEs during the COVID-19 pandemic are the following: the peculiarities of MOOCs format, low motivation of instructors, administrative risks, and the uncertainty of HIEs’ and national policies on MOOCs integration. This article will be useful for those who determine educational policy in Russia, university administrators, methodologists responsible for the development of digital educational technologies in HIEs, as well as researchers of higher education.
Keywords
digitization in higher education,
COVID-19,
massive open online courses,
distance learning,
teaching practices
Supporting agencies: The study was carried out within framework of HSE Fundamental Research Program. Authors are grateful to their colleagues E.A. Terentiev and I.A. Gruzdiev for the paper conception discussion.
About the Authors
U. S. Zakharova
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ulyana S. Zakharova – Cand. of Sci. (Philology), Research Fellow, Center of Higher Education Sociology, Institute of Education
Researcher ID: H-8105-2012
K. A. Vilkova
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Kseniia A. Vilkova – Cand. of Sci (Educational Science), Junior Research Fellow, Center of Higher Education Sociology
Researcher ID: Y-5455-2018
16, bldg. 10, Potapovsky alley, Moscow, 101000
R. N. Abramov
HSE University; Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Roman N. Abramov – Dr of Sci. (Sociological Science), Professor of the Department of Sociology, Leading Research Fellow at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research; Leading Research Fellow at Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Researcher ID: H-4728-2015
20 Myasnitskaya Str., 101000 Moscow
24/35, bldg. 5 Krzyzanovskogo Str., 17218, Moscow
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