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Learn moreThe pandemic has significantly changed the digitalization process of Russian universities, which was discussed during the discussion "Digital Universities: One Year Later, Five Years Ahead," held on May 18 as part of Education Week. Participants shared their experiences and opinions on the role of consortia in this process. The transition to digital technologies has become not only a necessity but also an opportunity for universities to adapt to new educational conditions. This discussion emphasizes the importance of cooperation between educational institutions for the successful integration of digital solutions into the educational process, which contributes to improving the quality of education and increasing the availability of educational resources.
Experts unanimously note that the main challenge for the higher education market in Russia is the coordination of efforts and standardization of the digitalization process. Discussions on this topic began even before the pandemic, and involved not only government officials but also regional university leaders. It is important to create unified approaches to the implementation of digital technologies, which will improve the quality of education and adapt to modern requirements. Standardizing digitalization processes will facilitate a more effective exchange of experience and resources between educational institutions and improve access to education for students across the country.
The pandemic has taught us important lessons regarding the use and development of the digital environment. Effective and rapid solutions to such issues are impossible without cooperation between universities and the combined efforts of their efforts. A key factor in this process is the initiative of the universities themselves—their projects and specialists. Government support is certainly important, but it is secondary to the activity of educational institutions. Mikhail Myagkov, Advisor to the Rector of North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosova, Scientific Director of the University Consortium of Big Data Researchers, emphasizes the importance of university initiatives in the context of rapid change.
How Universities Join Forces — From Charter to Consortium
In the summer of 2019, 32 higher education institutions signed the Charter on the Digitalization of the Educational Space. The initiators of this document were Togliatti State University, Omsk State Technical University, and the National Research University "Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology". The signing of the Charter was an important step towards the implementation of digital technologies in the educational process, which will improve the quality of education and prepare students for the modern demands of the labor market.
In 2019, it became clear that it was necessary to combine efforts in the field of digital solutions and services. This is due to the lack of a clearly structured market where organizations, universities, and industrial partners could offer solutions to achieve common goals, and where users had the opportunity to choose and integrate these solutions. Standards for integrating simple and understandable solutions are critical to the emergence of such a market. As Mikhail Krishtal, Rector of Togliatti State University, noted, only through standards can a civilized space for interaction between all participants be created.
The Charter represents the first step toward unifying the digital space in higher education. It formulates key principles for creating a Russian market for IT solutions for educational institutions and establishes rules facilitating active interaction between educational organizations. This is important for improving the quality of education and optimizing educational processes at universities.
At the end of 2020, the Digital Universities Consortium was established to develop standardized and interoperable digital products. It will establish uniform criteria for assessing the digital maturity of educational institutions. The main outcome of the consortium's work is the creation of a digital solutions marketplace, which will significantly simplify the search for new educational technologies. Participants will be able to save time and money by avoiding the development of tools already created by others. Furthermore, the consortium will facilitate the exchange of experience in implementing various technologies in educational institutions.
Currently, the consortium includes 33 organizations, seven of which are industrial partners. The University Consortium, which researches big data, has also joined. This association promotes the exchange of knowledge and resources in the field of big data analysis and processing, which is an important step towards the development of innovative technologies.
Ekaterina Tselikova, Rector of Cherepovets State University, noted that various solutions, often local in nature, are being developed at each level of the educational process. Colleagues often reinvent existing ideas. Joining the consortium allows us to better understand the solutions used at other universities and identify what is already available at our own institution. This opens up opportunities to share effective practices and adapt existing solutions. In this way, we strive to achieve our original goal of developing a unified digital university standard. This idea formed the basis for the formation of the consortium and further collaboration. As universities transition from a traditional to a digital education model and implement unified standards, they face many new challenges. Experts share their experiences, describing cases and problems they have encountered. These challenges require adapting educational processes, implementing modern technologies, and improving the effectiveness of interactions between students and faculty. The expertise of specialists can be a valuable resource for universities striving for successful digital transformation.
Digitalization is not just about good services, but about much more.
Experts unanimously agree that digitalization is not only about the development of technological solutions but also about significant changes in business processes. This is a transformation that affects all aspects of a company's work, including organizational structures, customer interactions, and internal operations. The implementation of digital technologies allows for the optimization of processes, increased efficiency, and adaptation to rapidly changing market conditions. Thus, successful digitalization requires a comprehensive approach that includes not only technology but also strategic changes in business management.
Digitalization is not an end in itself. It acquires significance only in the context of changes in the business model and approaches. It is important to understand that the transformation of business processes requires the search for and implementation of appropriate digital tools. This opinion was expressed by Taisiya Pogodaeva, Vice-Rector of Tyumen State University. The implementation of digital technologies should be strategically justified and aimed at optimizing and increasing business efficiency.
Tyumen State University (TSU) currently enrolls 8,457 students on individual educational tracks. This system allows students to create their own schedule, choose elective courses, and participate in mixed study teams. The curriculum includes 2-3 educational modules per academic year. In their first year, students receive tutor support, who helps them navigate this new system. To effectively support individualized learning, the university developed its own digital platform.
We faced the challenge of developing our own solutions, as universities lacked experience with product logic. Five years ago, we began collaborating with an IT company, which helped us develop effective solutions. This collaboration not only transformed our space but also significantly altered our management approaches. As a result, new digital services and solutions emerged. When discussing digitalization, it's important to understand that it's not just a set of tools. Automation does bring significant operational benefits, but the concept of digitalization implies a deeper transformation. This includes changing the business model, which is a key aspect of successful digital transformation.
Mikhail Krishtal noted the importance of changing business processes and models before implementing digitalization. He emphasized that without these changes, investments in digitalization could lead to losses. By launching the Rosdistant project, the team completely changed the distance learning business model, moving it to an online format. Currently, almost all students are studying on individual educational trajectories, and about seventy percent of full-time students have also begun using elements of online learning. This was made possible through reverse engineering and the integration of high-quality online courses into the full-time format. Such changes allow for a radical rethinking of the approach to general education, basing it on project-based activities.
Everything is changing, and it is precisely through changes in business models that the justifiable implementation of digitalization becomes possible. This is emphasized by the Rector of Tomsk State University, pointing out that the adaptation of business processes to new conditions is the key to the successful implementation of digital technologies. Thus, changing business models not only justifies investments in digitalization but also opens up new opportunities for growth and development.
Where digital maturity begins
Digital transformation in the education system is aimed at achieving "digital maturity," which is one of Russia's national development goals until 2030. To achieve this level, universities must begin with an assessment of the current state of affairs. Vasily Savvinov, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development at North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov, shared one of the first cases of such an assessment. He noted that at the beginning of 2021, NEFU lacked a clear understanding of its level of digital maturity, which hindered the full implementation of the digital transformation program. Understanding the current situation is a key step for successfully implementing digital technologies in the educational process and improving the quality of education. We joined forces with the Center for Advanced Management Solutions and conducted a study of our organization's digital maturity over several days in March 2021, the expert said. The study was conducted using a questionnaire consisting of several key sections: digital culture, personnel, processes, digital products, models, data, infrastructure, and tools. In the "Digital Culture" section, respondents assessed the development of digital tools for task management, and in the "Models" section, the degree of digitalization of students' educational trajectories. The questionnaire included 31 questions, which participants answered anonymously. A total of 1,366 respondents participated in the study, representing approximately one-third of the university's employees. The "Digital Products" block received the highest rating, while the "Personnel" block, reflecting the level of digital competencies of employees, was the lowest. This highlights the need to improve employee skills in digital technologies to more effectively implement digitalization in university processes.
The digital maturity assessment became the basis for determining the university's development directions. The assessment results formed the basis for the development of indicators aimed at creating a digital university. These indicators are distributed by year and integrated into the updated strategy for the effective development of the university, as noted by Vasily Savvinov. Now NEFU actively shares its experience with other educational institutions, which contributes to the dissemination of best practices in the field of digitalization of higher education.
How digitalization affects personnel
The experience of North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) in assessing the level of digital competencies of employees coincides with nationwide trends that were discussed even before the pandemic. A 2019 HSE study found that only 11.4% of university professors with advanced degrees regularly used online formats in their teaching. Moreover, the average self-assessment of their distance teaching skills was only 3.2 out of a possible five. Similar challenges also arose at Cherepovets State University, as noted by Ekaterina Tselikova. It is important to note that developing digital competencies is key to improving the quality of education and adapting to modern requirements. Our task was not limited to training professors. We had already developed a phased plan, but we were able to implement it in a month instead of the planned year. This indicates that, on the one hand, we are underutilizing our resources and reserves, but, on the other hand, the level of acceptance of change has increased. Professors have recognized the need to adapt to the new conditions, which is an important step forward. Digital transformation in educational institutions is facing significant resistance. Even if university management and some leaders understand the need for change, engaging the entire university—from faculty to students—in this process often proves challenging. Ekaterina Tselikova emphasized that at Cherepovets University, the main barrier to implementing new technologies is fear among staff and faculty. They fear not only changes to their usual responsibilities but also the potential loss of their positions as a result of the introduction of new technologies. Overcoming these fears is a key step to successful digital transformation in education.
According to the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, in the spring of 2021, each university introduced the position of Vice Rector for Digital Transformation, dubbed a "digital special forces unit." This initiative emphasizes the importance of integrating digital technologies into the educational process. Some universities had established such positions even earlier: for example, at Togliatti State University (TSU), this position was created in 2019 after the adoption of the charter. The main driver of digitalization at this university was the need to adapt to the declining number of applicants. To expand its student enrollment, TSU is actively using online formats. The Rosdistant project played a key role in this process: while in 2015, the university had approximately 10,000 students, this year their number has increased to 19,000, representing 23 countries. TSU leadership is already planning to enter the international English-language education market and implement instruction in English. This demonstrates the university's desire to adapt to modern requirements and expand its educational horizons.
What will change in student life
Mikhail Krishtal emphasized that the pandemic has revealed an important problem of the comprehensive digitalization of education - the lack of live and spontaneous communication. In his opinion, virtual campuses, where "spontaneous activities" will be organized for students, can offer a solution to this problem. This applies not only to those who were forced to switch to online learning due to the pandemic, but also to those who chose to study off-campus. Virtual campuses can create an atmosphere of interaction and exchange of ideas, which is important for the development of students' social and academic potential in the digital age.
The issue of integrating big data, artificial intelligence, and game-based techniques into the educational process requires serious attention. Universities must take into account their social function and the mission of student socialization. This is especially relevant for students studying online part-time. It is important to ensure their active participation in the university's extracurricular activities so that they are not left out of the educational process. The TSU Rector emphasizes the need to create conditions that facilitate student engagement in various formats, which will help them better adapt and develop in today's environment.
The university has already taken its first steps in virtual learning and student engagement. In the fall of 2020, the TSU Student and Postgraduate Trade Union created a university campus in Minecraft, where events such as the celebration of Russian Student Day were held. A similar experience was also realized by students from the Institute of History at St. Petersburg State University, who, during the pandemic, recreated their department building and even models of faculty members in the game. These initiatives highlight the growing role of digital technologies in the educational process and student engagement.
Digital maturity and the transition to digitalization at universities represent a fundamental shift in the approach to education. This isn't just a set of actions or services, but a new paradigm that requires human engagement and innovative solutions. It's important to remember that universities are, first and foremost, focused on people, knowledge transfer, and education. If we can create comfortable and effective conditions for knowledge acquisition and interaction between students and faculty, universities will be able to successfully fulfill their missions. Thus, the process of digitalization and achieving digital maturity will be more successful.
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