Design and Development of Information Content of an Open Online School for Foreign Citizens in Russian

Abstract

Relevance. The creation and support of open online-schools for teaching foreign citizens in Russian is part of the complex of measures of the state program “Development of Education” implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The popularization of Russian higher education and the possibility of subsequent employment in Russia attract an increasing number of foreign students to Russian universities, who strive to learn the Russian language as quickly as possible, but also to join the cultural and spiritual values of our country. The use of technologies for the development and implementation of mass open online-courses, as an effective mechanism for increasing the openness and accessibility of education, makes it possible to create conditions for the promotion of the Russian language based on the organization of open education courses in the Russian language and Russian culture.Purpose of this paper is to develop and scientifically and pedagogically substantiate the effectiveness of an open online school of additional education in Russian for foreign citizens living both in Russia and abroad, with the ability of self-registration for courses and choosing an individual training route.Materials and methods. The concepts of continuing education, the principles of adult education, approaches to the use of e-learning, distance learning technologies, principles and approaches to the development and implementation of mass online-courses are the theoretical basis of our paper. The relevance and practical significance of creating an online school were substantiated at the initial stage, the concept of this resource and its content component were developed, and an educational platform project was created. The design development of the technological platform was carried out at the second stage. The educational content of online-courses was created using the maximum variety of forms of presentation of educational material and taking into account the principles of ergonomics of the user’s work with electronic content. At the third stage, based on surveys and processing of statistical data, an assessment of the effectiveness of the created resource was determined in the context of the openness and accessibility of the educational content provided its relevance and demand by foreign citizens.Results. The results of the design, development and testing of the functionality of the open online school “Russia. Vector of possibilities” are presented in the article. The concept, principles and formats of the organization of this virtual space are considered. The results of testing the created package of online courses are presented. It is possible to judge the relevance of this resource on the basis of the statistical data obtained about the participants of online courses and the analysis of their reflexive reviews.Conclusion. The free and open nature of online school courses, the opportunity to study at a convenient time and receive a personally significant additional education in Russian, necessary for a comfortable stay in Russia, attracts foreign students receiving Russian education. The statistical data obtained by us as a result of testing the educational platform allow us to conclude that the developed resource is in demand. The specification of the structural and content of the online school and the description of the technological process of its creation can be useful to regional developers of such resources.