INVOLVING STUDENTS IN ONLINE LEARNING

Abstract

Educational process in the period of pandemic has demonstrated not only professionalism of the teaching staff at MGIMO-University but also its flexibility, mobilization and assistance of colleagues in any emergency situation. Switching teaching/learning process into the online or distance format required a lot of efforts on the part of both professors and students to make it successful, and a lot of changes were brought about to this end. Still, students’ creativity caused by their involvement into the learning process is what the study at the university is about. That is why creativity should be at the core of educational process whether in-person, remote or any other format, and the following steps can be seen helpful:1) Adaptation of the programs to the online learning process with respect to the specifics of the Internet communication on the whole: as learning online these days is fraught with danger of poor or even the loss of connection caused by the network congestion, it’s better to transfer all audio and video assignments to homework, which could resolve listening problems and free time for creative assignments. 2) Creativity: when students are challenged by the assignments addressing their life at the university or at home, their interests or problems, they get willingly involved into different activities: from the story making/telling or participation in round-table talks to discussions and decision-making. Students enjoy this creative ‘flight’ and are ready to share it with their group mates. The online platform is the efficient and appropriate platform for spontaneous self-reflection with all the students participating in it. 3) Delegation of class management to the students can challenge the latter and give them an opportunity to switch the roles with the professor. Students enthusiastically perform the role of a tutor, which, however, enables a professor as well to learn more about his/her students and find an individual approach and methods working for them better. 4) Spontaneous interaction with a professor at the beginning or in any other part of a class enhances motivation and makes interaction real and purposeful, allows seeing students’ progress. It always enlivens the atmosphere, establishes contact between a professor and his/her students and brings interaction to the point, when students can freely speak their mind. Solve-problem questions and discussions elicit the greatest response.5) Adaptation of assignments is another good stimulus for students to study thoughtfully, when working on text assignments at home. Modification and deviation from the student-book assignments prepared at home and checked in class helps to see students’ progress in mastering the program at home and in class and their flexibility when knocked off the beaten track, which in the long run improve students’ academic performance. Although singled out as separate, these steps are often intertwined in classwork; they are aimed at a student’s personality and direct interaction, which yield only positive results.