Digitalisation is penetrating higher education (HE) in Russia. The study explores how three Russian universities have been integrating the Skyes digital learning platform to transform English as a foreign language (EFL) educational practices. The article outlines the main characteristics of the platform, recounts the steps in adopting the technology and addresses the emerging changes to learning and teaching. Students’ and teachers’ perceptions are examined to review the implementation process. The research is designed as a case study; the methods used are semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires. The study framework combines the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model and the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model for a holistic approach to investigating innovation integration in a university setting. TPACK is used to analyse the changes associated with teachers’ knowledge of technology, pedagogy and content. SAMR helps to reflect on the current use of the platform showcasing technology integration along substitution, augmentation and modification levels. Based on the findings, the paper discusses the factors influencing the implementation of the Skyes platform and proposes recommendations for its successful integration; they highlight the importance of motivation, feedback both from teachers and students, clear assessment of the learning outcomes, TPACK transformation plan and alignment between the innovation and educational regulations.

Motivation, undoubtedly, plays a very crucial role in any learning process including second and foreign language learning. Such cruciality positions the maintaining and motivation raising in the integral part of learning and more so in the currently growing and more technologically advanced learning environments. This paper conceptually discussed the motivation raising strategies which have been employed toward English as second language (ESL) learners in two different dimensions, which are those strategies which depend on the role of an ESL teacher (i.e. pedagogical and material selection) and those which do not (i.e. parents, school institutions, media, and gender difference). Despite the existence of other external factors, we argue that teacher plays the decisive role on ESL learners’ motivation. From the critical review and more extended discussion, it is found that teacher’s awareness toward the cruciality of students’ motivation influences the strategies used by the teachers in order to raise motivation. The paper also re-emphasises the urgent needs for a more learner-centred learning as it is believed to have positive impact for learners’ motivation. This paper concludes by highlighting the significant contributions of the insights discussed within this study, especially for ESL teaching practitioners.

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The concept of “blended learning” has been widely discussed in Russian higher education. However, there are different interpretations of the concept and its status is not completely clear in the Russian regulatory environment. Although the effectiveness of this mode of education has been repeatedly recognised, systematic measures for the introduction of blended learning by universities are not being implemented. One of the factors for the success of such an implementation is the high-quality instructional design for blended learning. Difficulties in instructional design use can lead to the abandonment of blended learning or the adoption of less efficient practices. This paper explores the challenges faced by representatives of Russian universities involved in designing and teaching courses in a blended mode during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used in the study is an online survey which was conducted in 2020-2021. The respondents were participants in the professional development program “School of Instructional Design for Blended Learning”. The results of the study showed that the respondents’ professional deficits in the design of blended courses were associated with the development of new ways of designing and teaching, growth of the course quality and student-centeredness, and more efficient allocation of time resources and use of online tools. The development stage, which involves the creation or updating of digital learning resources, turned out to be the most challenging for designing. Most respondents used LMS but were not satisfied with the quality of its application; also, the majority faced the problem of retaining student engagement in blended learning. The respondents would like to improve their formative and summative assessment practices and strengthen the course quality assessment practices. Commitment to overcome the identified difficulties can contribute to the creation of more effective practice-oriented professional development programs on teaching the blended learning design for educators, instructional designers and academic advisors in Russian higher education, leading to an increase in its quality.