Study of distance education problems of foreign postgraduate students

Abstract

Among international postgraduate students studying in Russian universities, distance learning continues to dominate in the post-pandemic period. The low risk of infection and the flexibility of learning, as well as the reduced economic costs of transport costs are the main reasons why they continue to opt for online forms of learning. However, problems such as poor Russian language knowledge, insufficient internet speed and lack of contact with teachers have affected distance education. This paper presents the results of a pilot study to identify problems with distance learning for international postgraduate students from China. The total sample consisted of 103 respondents who were enrolled in different postgraduate courses at several Russian universities, and who had different online study time in different scientific fields. Based on the analysis of the survey data, this paper attempts to find out the problems and difficulties encountered by foreign postgraduate students in the process of distance learning, and to formulate methods to overcome these problems. The results can be used to help foreign postgraduate students solve problems and difficulties encountered in distance learning and to raise their satisfaction while receiving higher education in Russia in the form of distance learning.