PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES OF LECTURERS IN DISTANCE EDUCATION (F.E. RUSSIAN NATIONAL PLATFORM OF OPEN EDUCATION)

The aim of this work is to analyze professional competences of lecturers in distance education in Russia. It is based on qualitative research of lecturers, who conducts courses on Russian national platform of open education. This platform started to work in September 2015, it is based on edx (free online courses from world’s universities). Eight Russian leading universities take part in this project (Moscow – 4, Saint Petersburg -3, Yekaterinburg -1). Thirty interviews with lecturers from these universities were conducted. Nowadays students can pass and credit distance courses on this platform instead of off-line. The results of interviews (face-to-face, telephone, skype) show, firstly, the difference between professional competences of lecturers in distance education and traditional education and, secondly, the increase of competition between lecturers. It is concluded that lecturers need special courses on conducting and organizing of distance learning courses. The authors of this investigation suppose that distance education will become an independent form of higher education in 1-3 years in Russia.