Features of electronic (virtual) internationalisation of higher education in Russia and Kazakhstan

Abstract

Introduction. The use of information and communications technologies in the sphere of higher education has received its new embodiment in promoting universities into the global educational space. The aim of the study was to find out how electronic internationalisation is implemented in some universities in Russia and Kazakhstan and what the prospects for its development are. Materials and methods. The survey was implemented on the basis of the methodology for scrutinising Englishlanguage pages of university websites, developed by the Russian Council on International Affairs in 2015. Materials from 5 English-language versions of websites of state universities in Russia and 5 websites of state universities in Kazakhstan were used. The used methods involved induction of empirical material collection; comparative method of studying the results; analysis and generalisation. Results. The most stuffed website sections of all selected five Russian universities are “About the University” (100%), “Contacts” (96%), “University History” (90%), “Admission” (96%), “University Mission and Strategic Goals” (93%), “Science and Research” (90%), “Units and Departments” (80%), “Foreign Partners” (80%). In 80% of the universities, all or most (2/3 of the total number) curricula in the English language have no news blocks in English or additional materials about the programmes (presentations, videos, booklets, etc.). The section “Career” in English is the most problematic in almost all of the surveyed universities. It is singled out as a special section only in 60% of the explored Russian universities. The most stuffed website sections of all selected five Kazakhstani universities are “Contacts” (84%), “About the University” (60%), “Admission” (60%) and “Science and Research” (50%). The other sections are less than 50% complete. Moreover, the section “Career” (28%) is the most problematic in terms of data content. The study showed that the Russian state universities which are in the top 5 in terms of student numbers are striving to improve the English-language versions of their websites and translate website sections into other popular languages. The survey of the Kazakhstan universities showed the opportunities for the development of electronic internationalisation in the country. Conclusion. Electronic internationalisation is a new promising form of international communication for universities in Russia and Kazakhstan. Some recommendations were formulated to develop electronic (virtual) internationalisation for both countries: translation of websites into other foreign languages; regular updating of information along with the development of strategic and marketing plans; promoting international identification of universities; use of digital marketing; due account of the immersive nature of internationalisation.