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The authors present the results of a study of the relationship of the quality of the Internet connection and students’ attendance with the clarity and immediacy of the teacher’s communicative behavior in the process of online university education. The relevance of the problem is due to significant changes currently taking place in the Russian educational environment: the active use of the online training format affects both the content of education and its organization. The study involved 409 undergraduate students (females - 71%, mean age = 20, SD = 2.1). The students’ perceptions of the clarity and immediacy of the teacher’s communicative behaviors in the online training format were measured by tools based on their subjective assessments. In addition, the students evaluated the quality of Internet connection on a five-point scale and indicated how many classes they attended; since these factors are presumably associated with their perceptions of their teacher’s behavior. The results of the study showed a positive correlation between the teacher’s immediacy and the students’ attendance; however, no relationship was found between the clarity of the teacher’s communicative behavior and students’ attendance. It was also found that the quality of the Internet connection is directly related to the teacher’s clarity and immediacy. Moreover, the latter can be perceived both positively and negatively depending on the quality of the Internet connection. The obtained data indicate that the organizational and technical factors are very important for teacher - student interaction in the online training format.

The current study is set to test pedagogical communication scales, specifically the teacher clarity scale and the teacher immediacy scale as being the most significant for the educational online interaction.  The impact of teacher clarity and immediacy on cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning outcomes is shown. 409 undergraduate students (117 men and 286 women, average age - 20, SD = 2.1) completed survey instruments. Self-reported measures were used to evaluate their perceptions of teacher clarity and immediacy in the online learning process as well as students’ preparedness to use the behaviours recommended in the course. Furthermore, the relationships between instructor clarity and immediacy were investigated. The findings indicate that teacher clarity and immediacy had a direct correlation with cognitive, affective, and behavioural learning outcomes as well as with students’ intentions to use behavioral patterns recommended in the course.  The paper sheds new light on instructional practice. Teachers can be recommended to consider clarity and immediacy of their communication with students in the online learning environment, as these characteristics contribute to the effectiveness in online learning.

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The article focuses on developing an English language teaching course for the students of the digital generation in non-linguistic specialties. To develop the course, a theoretical analysis of the scholarly literature on the digital generation student characteristics and their attitude to online and blended learning environments was conducted. In addition, the empirical data obtained through pre/post-tests and a survey of the students who enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course was analysed. The experimental groups were offered an EAP course specially designed for digital generation students and the control groups were offered a traditional EAP course. The pre-instructional questionnaire was developed to identify the behaviour of the digital generation students in the context of foreign language learning. The end-course survey was used to analyse whether the participants’ perception of foreign language learning changed after completing the course. The pre-instructional and post-study language proficiency scores were compared across the experimental and control groups. The research findings indicated that the experimental groups showed a significant advantage over the control groups and expressed more positive attitudes to learning EAP. Practical implications suggest that tailoring foreign language teaching to the basic characteristics of digital generation learners can significantly improve its efficiency, resulting in a higher level of foreign language proficiency and leading to increased motivation to study a foreign language.