Checkpoint eLearning talked to Victor Bolotov who heads the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science in the Russian Federation.


What is the status of eLearning in Russia today?


Victor Bolotov:The Government of the Russian Federation has undertaken the difficult and ongoing task of reforming the country's entire education system. While we have longstanding experience in the field of distance learning, the introduction of state-of-the-art ICT nationwide poses a large number of challenges. That does not come as a surprise, given the vast geographical distances in the country as well as the differences in mentality and approach to the various aspects of such a far reaching reform.


What are the most significant challenges?


Victor Bolotov:Our country has experienced a social divide as well as a digital divide. Large groups of the population do not have home access to computers and the Internet, which means they will only be able to use - and get used to using - ICT at schools and higher learning institutions. With the support of the World Bank, since 2004, we have been equipping schools and state-run higher education facilities throughout the country with computers and hardware support.


We now have a PC penetration of 90% in the schools and an Internet access penetration of 80% in public secondary schools. What does not meet our expectations yet are the teachers' ICT skills. "Teaching the Teachers" is a major concern that fits right into Russia's quality offensive in the eLearning sector.


How would you describe the quality issue in Russia?


Victor Bolotov: As I mentioned before, equipping teachers with the proper skills to carry out and support our eLearning initiative fully is the issue that concerns us the most. The establishment of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science two years ago was a significant step to improve quality control and assurance in our eLearning programs.


However, of course it is not enough simply to create yet another federal institution in order to improve quality. Therefore, we have developed a national standardization and accreditation system that all universities have to participate in. This is particularly important since a large number of universities are branching out and creating branch institutions throughout the country. We have to make sure that students attending those branches are receiving education of equal quality with equipment and support of equal quality.


We are willing to rely on the best practices of our foreign quality-assurance counterparts. In particular, at the recently held international conference ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2006, we got into contact with the European Foundation for Quality in eLearning (EFQUEL), and we hope this will lead to mutually beneficial cooperation.


What is your perspective on the future development of eLearning in Russia?


Victor Bolotov: Russia, like many of the European countries, is grappling with a demographic shift. Universities will have to compete for students in the near future. That is why both state and non-state universities in Russia are being quick to offer new ICT-based learning models, are inducing investment into learning facilities, are providing academic staff development programs, and are working to popularize such terms as eLearning, blended education and mLearning.


In the near future, these processes will progress at a rapid pace as they help to bridge the gap in access to education and are sure to prove beneficial to the entire Russian Federation. The key objective of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science is to provide appropriate quality assurance tools for eLearning programs and institutions.