Abstract:

Late academic year university education was globally marked by sometimes unpredictable combinations of on-line and off-line. Initially, students and teachers were mostly suspicious about the efficiency of on-line inclusions into education. However, in the unfolding situations, qualitative change of evaluations and attitudes towards differing form of classes had been marked. Selective survey of teachers and students in Yekaterinburg universities demonstrates some variations in favor of on-line experiences. Firstly, most students find the on-line form perfect for ‘second’, or another education, which sounds good in times of labor market fluctuations, especially due to administrative pandemic limitations. That sounds like a good common sense, also shared by teachers’ judgements. Secondly, a good portion of master students find it appropriate to cook some version of career tactics that should not be firmly linked to the specialization received in the diploma curricula, as the situation of uncertainty gives some time and space for facultative initiatives and manners of solving the educational problems. Thirdly, all participants of university classes interact differently today as the core of activities do not coincide with formal mission of classes in their traditional off-line version. Fourthly, and last, not least, the mixture of on-line and off-line classes creates new psychological trends in international programs, where students discover opportunities to change their location within the timing of academic year. The results were achieved through a series of semi-formal interviews with teachers and students of different programs in Yekaterinburg universities, including Ural Federal University, Russian Pedagogical Vocational University, and Ural State Agrarian University. 2/3 of respondents represented Master programs, and 1/3 were engaged in Bachelor programs. The participants of international programs demonstrated more enthusiasm during the conversations. We come to conclusion that on-line/off-line mixed university classes create new opportunity of achieving qualitatively innovative mental skills that open new vocational options and sub-vocational social skills of the information age.

Keywords:

On-line / off-line mixed university classes, mental skills, social skills.