Distance education in Russia and beyond

1. ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2011
ICDE Special Focus Session
Learning Cultures –
An International Panorama
The Case of Russia
Dr. Irina Smirnova
Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and
Informatics (MESI)
01.12.2011

2. BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India, China (Jim
O'Neill, 2001) + South Africa (2011) =
BRICS, Growing economics
BRIC: 26 % of the Earth territory,
42 % of the world population, and 14,6 % of the world GDP
(World Bank, 2010 )
-- GDP of China
-- GDP of India
-- GDP of Brazil
-- World GDP
-- GDP of Russia
-- GDP of the USA

3. Rate of Economic Growth
(the 3rd quarter of 2011)
9.1%
10.0% 8.1%
9.0%
8.0%
7.0%
6.0% 4.8%
5.0%
3.1%
4.0% 2.6% %
3.0% 1.6% 1.6%
2.0% 0.5%
1.0%
0.0%

4. Russia Today
Population (1 Oct. 2011): 142,9 million
Territory: 17 075 400 km² -- Russian GDP
-- World GDP

5. Education & Learning
Education as
Learning as an activity formalized, organized
and regulated learning
of getting information process leading to the
or capacities for doing recognition of a
something in different certain level of skills
settings: formal, non- and knowledge
(usually awarded with
formal & informal some certificate or
diploma)

6. Forms of Education
5. Self-
1. Full-time
education
education
4. 2. Distance
Externship education By
correspondence,
with the use of
3. Part- distance
time educational
education technologies
Forms 1+2
(evening classes)

7. Distance Education in Russia
•First steps (predominantly in Higher Education).
Part-time (evening classes) and distance education
1920s (by correspondence) delivered by traditional HEIs
• DE with the use of ITs (computer-
1990s based, multimedia, video- and audio records)
• DE & DL with the use of Internet in all spheres of
2000s social life and all forms of education

8. Internet-users (World Bank, 2009)
-- Internet-users in the world: 27,1% of population
-- Internet-users in Russia : 42,1% of population

9. Number of Internet-users
(ComScore Data, September 2011)
Number of individual Total number of individual
Internet-users above 15 years Internet-users above 15
old (in millions) years old (in millions)
51
50.8
50.6 373.4
50.4 Europe
50.2 50.8
50
49.8 50.1 Rest of the
49.6 world
1046.6
Germany Russia (first place
in Europe)

10. DE & DL in Russia
DE & DL users Technologies used DE market in Russia
Higher school Multimedia
technologies
Software developers
Secondary school (DVD, audio, animation
, video)
The Internet-based
Industries (in-service technologies
training and re- (corporate e-learning Content designers
training) systems, LMS, e-
Campus…)
People with special
needs Satellite broadcasting
DE providers
Individuals (self- (only one university)
training)

11. Russian Content Designers
Up to 20 companies only
According to the market experts this
number should be 10 TIMES HIGHER!

12. Corporate DE (e-Learning)
In-service training &
retraining
Industries Other organizations
• Russian Railways (RZhD)
• MMC Norilsk Nickel • State Duma
• United Company RUSAL • Federal Assembly
and others • Central Bank
• Saving bank and others
Course Designers

13. Corporate DE (2)
•DE market in corporate segment in Russia
increases significantly: 80% growth yearly (all
market: 20% growth yearly) (Ambient Insight and
Russian portal Smart Education)
Developments
Saving funds due to ICT (e.g. yearly retraining of
RUSAL staff with the use of DE reduces training
costs for 60%)
•Lack of content producers
Challenges •High prices of DE courses affordable
only for large companies but not for
SME
•Joining efforts of SME as well
Possible as Public Private Partnership
solutions •Increasing number of content
designers and DE providers

14. Russian Educational System
Post-graduate Professional
MBA programs
education re-training
Higher education (master programs)
Higher education
Higher education (bachelor) (specialist)
UNIFIED STATE EXAMINATIONS
Secondary school (specialized
Secondary school (upper
professional training school)
secondary education)
Secondary school (general education schools)
Pre-school education (kindergardens)

15. Secondary School
“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
•By 2010 computers and Internet-connection in every
school
Developments
•Distance Learning used for supporting education, access
to virtual libraries and museums as well as self-training
of teachers
•Distance Education is still prohibited in
Challenges secondary school and only Distance
Learning is possible as supportive
means
•Shift in legislation
Possible solutions
•Training teachers

16. DE in Other Sectors
With the Russian Without the Russian
Government support Government support
DL for secondary
schoolchildren
with special DE for TVET
needs (Moscow, (MESI College
Nizhny for Informatics &
Novgorod, Management)
Orenburg &
other regions)

17. Higher Professional School (1)
•Increased number of DL students (2,7 million)
•Raising interest in DE in conventional universities
Developments and their opening towards blended learning
• Decrease of secondary school
Challenges 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

18. Number of Distance Learning
Students in Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs)
Thousands Students Number
3000.0
2710.3
2500.0
2000.0
1761.8
1500.0
985.4
1000.0
500.0 892.3
0.0 128.0
1940/41 1970/71 1990/91 2000/01 2009/10

19. Higher Professional School (2)
•Good technical facilities and access to the
Internet
•From July, 1 2008 the National Standard on
Developments
requirements to the integrated automatized
management systems in HEIs is in forces
• Many students are more skilled in
Challenges
ICT than their teachers
• Lack of professionals in
pedagogical design shaped for DE
• Training teachers. Net-generation joining the
Possible solutions academic community.

20. Higher Professi0nal School (3)
•Sharing responsibilities in distance teaching practice
(content designers, facilitators, moderators, etc.)
Developments
• The Russian Classifier of Professions
doesn’t contain such words as
tutor, Pedagogical or Instructional
Challenges Designer, etc.
• There are no related degrees.
Possible solutions • Adjustment of the Classifier

21. Higher Professi0nal School (3)
•Regulatory framework for DE
Developments changes but very slowly
• 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
Challenges 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)

22. Global DE Development: Joint Work
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)

23. Come Together!
•UNESCO
Global level •ICDE
•IMS GLC…
•Regional associations
(e.g. in Europe
Regional level EUA, EADTU, EDEN, EFQ
UEL…)
•National associations
National level (e.g. International e-
University consortium)
•DE Users
Institutional Level •DE Designers
•DE Providers

24. Thank you for your attention!
Chief of the Department for International Projects
Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics
(MESI)
ISmirnova@mesi.ru