To download article.DOI: 10.15507/1991-9468.105.025.202104.646-660
A Year after the Outbreak of COVID-19: Applicants’ Perception of Higher Education Quality in the Context of Digitalization and Blended Learning
Gavriil A. Agarkov
Head of Research Laboratory for University Development Issues, Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin (19 Prospekt Mira, Ekaterinburg 620002, Russian Federation), Dr.Sci. (Econ.), Professor, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6533-3557, Scopus ID: 56582108700, Researcher ID: R-7920-2016, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Daniil G. Sandler
Leading Researcher, Research Laboratory for University Development Issues, Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin (19 Prospekt Mira, Ekaterinburg 620002, Russian Federation), Cand.Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5641-6596, Scopus ID: 56581474400, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Anastasia D. Sushchenko
Senior Researcher, Research Laboratory for University Development Issues, Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin (19 Prospekt Mira, Ekaterinburg 620002, Russian Federation), Cand.Sci. (Sociol.), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0273-4422, Scopus ID: 57190430255, Researcher ID: AAD-8078-2020, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Abstract
Introduction. The forced transition of Russian universities to distance learning in 2020 and accelerated digital transformation of educational processes in higher education are the first effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A key aspect of measuring higher education quality is the perception of its formats by students as university change agents. The aim of the study is to identify the factors that determine the applicants’ positive attitude to learning that includes online elements in the context of the Russian universities’ transition to the blended learning model.
Materials and Methods. The empirical base of the research includes the results of an online sociological survey conducted among the applicants for Ural Federal University undergraduate and graduate programmes in 2021. The methods of classification, factor analysis, and coefficients of pair correlations were applied. Additionally, for comparison, data from 2015 for a similar sample (1st year bachelor’s degree students) were used.
Results. Positive attitudes towards online and blended learning are gradually increasing. The factor analysis of data from 2021 showed that applicants who support the online and blended learning include: those aspiring for master’s degree upon completing their bachelor’s degree course; those who choose their degree field rationally – men who apply for a state-funded education in any Russian university (including participants of federal contests – ‘Academic Olympics’). The above groups are formed mainly under the influence of external factors. Another group includes those oriented towards self-realization – women who choose their degree field relying on their personal inclinations for a future profession (the influence of internal factors).
Discussion and Conclusion. The research results contribute to the development of scientific ideas about the blended learning model and emphasize the value of institutional research based on feedback from university students for making informed management decisions on change. The materials of the paper will be useful when designing the educational process in the Russian universities’ transition to the blended learning model.
Keywords: applicants’ expectations, quality in higher education, online learning, blended learning, traditional learning, determinant factors of applicants’ attitudes towards learning formats, digitalization of education, COVID-19
Funding: The work was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract No. 02.A03.21.0006.
Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers for their thoughtful and deep reading of the text and for the indicated remarks, which improved its quality.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
For citation: Agarkov G.A., Sandler D.G., Sushchenko A.D. A Year after the Outbreak of COVID-19: Applicants’ Perception of Higher Education Quality in the Context of Digitalization and Blended Learning. Integratsiya obrazovaniya = Integration of Education. 2021; 25(4):646-660. doi: https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.105.025.202104.646-660
All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Submitted 06.09.2021; approved after reviewing 28.10.2021;
accepted for publication 08.11.2021.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
