Russian perspectives of online learning technologies in higher education: An empirical study of a MOOC

Abstract

With the advent and rapid growth of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the world education market in the last decade, online learning technologies are becoming increasingly widespread not only in the non-formal education sector but also in higher and supplementary vocational education. The use of MOOCs for implementing educational programs at the universities opens wide opportunities in terms of expanding the educational choice of students, the development of virtual academic mobility, reducing the cost of educational services, and improving the accessibility of education. However, the effectiveness of using different online learning technologies in the educational process of universities and the consequences of their widespread adoption has not been sufficiently explored.In this research a comparative analysis based on an empirical study of the application of different online-learning models in the educational process within a university was carried out. An experiment was undertaken in which different groups of students of the Ural Federal University were encouraged to master some disciplines in the framework of a blended learning model and an online learning model with tutoring support. The results of the pilot study were compared with the training results of a control group of students who mastered the same disciplines in a traditional taught format. It was shown that both models using MOOCs in the educational process demonstrated greater effectiveness in comparison with the traditional model; both in terms of educational outcomes of students and in terms of their satisfaction with the learning process. For engineering and technical disciplines, there is no statistically significant difference in using blended or online learning technologies, whereas for humanitarian disciplines, where the communicative component of the learning process is significant, the blended learning technology produced better results. Conclusions of the empirical research can be useful for heads of educational organizations and teachers in the modernization of the educational process, improving teaching methods, and increasing the effectiveness of new educational technologies. The results of the research will also be used for implementing the State Priority Project "The Modern Digital Educational Environment of the Russian Federation".

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