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available online for every participant according to the following course schedule: (1) a professor
from UAF creates the modules and posts them online to the students in Russia; (2) within each
module, the professor gives directions to the MESI instructors for the face-to-face classroom
interactions with the students (in tandem with the online module); (3) the MESI instructors are to
enhance the online lessons by engaging the students in face-to-face learning and discussion within
each module. In addition, the students have different assignments to post material to each other to
read online, particularly during the introductory assignments, which allow them to have some online
interaction with each other. They can also post messages online for others to view and send private
messages by email. As the instructors in Russia are to enhance the online lessons by engaging the
students in face-to-face learning and discussion within each module, the course is considered a
distant education course with face-to-face enhancements.
MESI also can create an international wiki project with students from UAF including Academic
Writing in Arctic Governance and American English through Digital Storyline. The objectives of the
project are as follows: 1) to learn to create the content of an Internet-based course using Web 2.0
technology (blogs, wikis, etc.) and a learning management system; 2) to introduce students to
exploring and mastering digital tools, or “to develop their digital competence so that they themselves
could discover the pedagogical potential in these tools”; 3) to find ways to incorporate
contemporary Internet use and culture into Arctic governance and foreign language teaching; 4) to
study each others’ experience of education through e-learning and Internet-based courses; (5) to
establish contact between Russian and American colleagues for further cooperation, consultation,
and exchange; and 6) to develop Internet-based cross-cultural communication networks between
students of Arctic universities for a future teaching community.
Storyline is a method for cross-curricular teaching and learning centered on a specific theme. The
main objective is to collaborate on a common storyline based on this methodology, entirely realized
through so-called Web 2.0 tools (wikis and blogs) and applications (YouTube, Google tools, etc.)
(Brox 2009).
Similar projects had already been conducted by Pembroke College, Oxford University and Yakutsk
State University (North-Eastern Federal University) in 2002. The interactive course involved
students in the head university and its branch in Mirny. The second one was introduced by Yakutsk
University and the University of Tromsø, Norway in February 2010 (Zamorshchikova 2011).
New information technologies for distance learning are very dynamically and rapidly developing.
Russian universities often face a shortage of financial resources, and create learning management
systems of their own. Collaborative joint projects can be conducted with the use of a cutting edge
learning management system CoureSites by Blackboard.
An online teaching tool Wikis, a collaborative space within the course where all students can view,
contribute and edit, can create joint educational projects in the Arctic Governance or International
Relations content. Wikis can also be used as a resource for students to view information and content
relevant to their courses. Course Wikis are created by an instructor and any course member can add
pages, unless the instructor intends to be the sole author and use the Wiki as course content. Group
Lipatov