One Quarter of Russian University Instructors Don’t Use Online Instruction Tools, HSE Data Show
The HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) has presented data about the current conditions in which Russia’s schools and universities must now transition to online learning. According to their data, only 11.4% of university instructors with a PhD (or Doctor of Sciences degree) used online tools in their teaching in the last year.
According to the 2019 data of the ISSEK Monitoring of Highly Qualified Research Personnel, over the last three years, one fourth (24.3%) of university teaching staff with a Candidate or Doctor of Sciences degree have not conducted and/or participated in any academic and educational events that are organized online or video recorded. 36% did so rarely, 28.2% did so occasionally, and only 11.4% did so regularly.
On average, when assessing themselves, university instructors gave their online work skills a score of 3.2 out of 5.
According to the latest available official statistics from 2017, only 12% of vocational and university students used the internet for online learning. This is comparable to the average share in the EU countries, where 13% of students aged 15 and older know how to use online tools. For comparison, this figure is over half (51%) in Finland, 9% in Germany and Bulgaria, and 7% in Italy.
Compared to those in the Russian workforce, Russian university students are largely more confident when it comes to basic online skills. But still, only 27% were able to communicate in the digital sphere using a wide range of tools, such as email, online phone tools, social media, file exchange systems, or cloud storage.
According to the latest available official statistics from 2017, 4.4% of adults were involved in online self-education, including online learning, and only less than one percent of Russians (0.9%) downloaded educational podcasts, courses, lectures and master classes via mobile apps. In general, 22% of Russians are ready to educate themselves, while in Cyprus, Croatia, and Serbia this is true of over 90% of the population.