Arctic Yearbook 2014 | Page 146

Arctic Yearbook 2014 146     • IT infrastructure in the North for higher education is below the average Russian standards but the usage of modern developments of new information technologies and distance learning are growing. Self-made learning management systems and asynchronous courses dominate in Russian universities. Open educational resources are very popular. Indigenous language distance education is increasing in importance. • There are about twenty-five regions and many universities in the North and Siberia. Distance education based in the sphere of the North is underdeveloped based on Russian standards, but it is developing. Self-made LMS, asynchronous courses and systems prevail. Open educational resources for indigenous people are becoming popular. • In the near future, Russian and American educators can enhance partnerships between universities in the US and Russia through the development of joint research projects of faculty, curriculum and academic development in distance education and online network cooperation among student clubs. The Russian North is facing a lack of innovation in distance education, and there remain many gaps. However Russian state authorities are encouraging its utilization. The comparative world experience, particularly in the Arctic states, is very important to its development. In five years, modern western online learning technologies will probably be presented in the northern regions of Russia. References Altbach, P.G. L. Reisberg, L.E. Rumbley. (2009). Trends in Global Higher Education: Tracking an Academic Revolution. A Report Prepared for the UNESCO 2009 World Conference on Higher Education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Paris: UNESCO Publishing. AHDR I (Arctic Human Development Report I). 2004. Akureyri: Stefansson Arctic Institute. Retrieved from http://www.thearctic.is/AHDR%20chapters.htm. Barbour, C. & G. Wright. (2014). Keeping the Republic. The Essentials. Power and Citizenship in American Politics. Washington DC: CQ Press. Berman, M. (2013). Remoteness and Mobility: Transportation Routes, Technologies, and Sustainability in Arctic Communities. Gumanitarnyye issledovaniya Vnutrenney Azii (Inner Asia Humanities Studies). (pp. 19-31). Retrieved from https://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/Berman_Remotelness_mobility.pdf. Brox, H. (2009). Creating learning environments with Web 2.0: Using blogs and wikis in teaching. Seminar in Murmansk. Cited in Zamorshchikova, L., O. Egorova, & M. Popova. (ed). (2011, May). Lipatov