Abstract:

Non-linear challenges of the modernity are complex, and they influence the higher education system through economic, socio-cultural and political processes. They create global risks at social macro-level, and higher education has to react on them by changing the structure of an educational space, establishing new inner and between- institutional social networks. Non-linear challenges affect social practices of all subjects in higher education system at a micro-level, and the result of their activity is unpredictable.
Russian model of higher education, which has a rigid hierarchical and authoritarian system of management, is linear. It is an inefficient, does not meet the demands of modern development. It is necessary to create a more flexible model based on the principles of democracy, focused on the accounting needs of a variety of subjects (mainly students and teachers) and structures (different types of high schools) education, creating conditions for their multi-pronged development in each region and Russia as a whole.
The aim of article is to research massive open online courses (MOOCs) as a non-linear form of the educational development, and how the Russian students are prepared to use this educational practice. The object of research is massive open online courses as non-linear aspect of the higher education development.
To study the complex of methods was used. Firstly, the method of expert evaluations. Experts were rectors and vice-rectors of universities, deans, professors, representatives of the business elite, interact with higher education (30 experts). Secondly, we used online questionnaires covering lecturers and researchers from Russian universities (364 people). Thirdly, we conducted polls among students, looking into young peoples’ readiness to implement networking in the form of MOOCs. We asked 1st and 2nd year students of the Ural Federal University with specialization in natural sciences and humanities. Poll was conducted in three stages using a complex method (home-test): 1. Preliminary questionnaires; 2. Individual work of respondents with MOOCs platforms; 3. Semi-formalized interview (414 people).
Open distance technology of MOOCs meets the educational needs of wide audiences and appears to be one of the instruments of establishing the socio-professional structure of society. That technology satisfy the needs of professional intellectuals, people with high and executed learning motivation.
Russian high school doesn’t notice MOOCs new educational environment and doesn’t consider it to be an educational subsystem. Students of Ural Federal university are not aware about online courses (51,6%), 40,5% “heard something about it”, 1,6% searched for information about MOOCs, and 6,3% had an experience of online distance learning. Nowadays there is a need for theoretical investigation and innovation approaches to non-linear education, which is facing new challenges: identifying ways to open education development in its mass or exclusive/individual forms, finding new directions of MOOCs evolution and its optimal combination with formal education, first of all, with higher education. These problems should be investigated close to the everyday practices in all spheres of human activity to reveal the architecture of the education in future.

Keywords:

Non-linear model of higher education, massive open online courses.