"Digital Semester 2020" in Universities of Russia and Germany: Comparative Analysis

Abstract

In the spring of 2020, the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus forced institutions of higher education in almost all countries of the world to switch for some time exclusively to distance learning. In German-language scientific pedagogical literature, this period was called the "digital semester 2020." The purpose of the study is to study and compare the practices of providing distance learning with the electronic information and educational environment of institutions (hereinafter - EIOS) of higher education in Russia and Germany, updated during the "digital semester 2020." The study used methods of comparing and analyzing current practices of the forty largest educational organizations of higher education in Russia and Germany, understanding and interpreting extensive factual material, including internal regulations and regulations of German and Russian universities, as well as information from their official sites. During the study, 60 students of Kuban State University were online interviewed for their satisfaction with the quality of online education during the pandemic. The article identifies problematic aspects of the use of modern information and communication technologies and the transition of higher education institutions to online work. The need for a set of measures to transfer Russian universities to domestic information technology tools for online training is justified. The need to further improve the competencies of Russian teachers in the field of knowledge of didactics and e-learning tools is justified. The study's prospects are to explore in more detail the pros and cons of conducting certain courses digitally in the long term, either as a supplement or as a substitute for face-to-face training. The article may be interesting to university employees who ensure the functioning of the EIA, teachers who use a mixed form of training, organizers and teachers of online training, researchers of e-learning.

Keywords

• digital semester 2020
• electronic information and education system
• online learning
• mixed learning
• distance learning
• electronic library systems