The main focus of this course is to look at the interrelations between different types of contexts (cultural, institutional, professional, social, interpersonal and others) within the intercultural communication process using Russian – Western communication as an example.
The purpose of the course is to provide the students with a broad overview of the basic principles governing past, present and future interactions between Russia and the West focused on the culture and national psychology of Russians and Western Europeans.
This course looks at the cases when Russian basic cultural values show up through linguistic choices shaping language production which is consequently misattributed by Western partners. No matter what the language of intercultural communication is - Russian, or English - the meaning of many linguistic expressions may be reconstructed wrongly by the representatives of another culture.
We will tackle some basic questions:
What are concepts of culture that have most influence on communication?
What are Russian basic cultural values and how they shape modern Russian consciousness?
What are specific communication patterns of modern Russian, including that of public and electronic discourse?
What is important to know about communication with Russians in organizational contexts?
This course is NOT just a list of instructions of what to do and not to do while dealing with Russians.
View the MOOC.
Макроэкономика (Macroeconomics)
Данный курс покрывает на базовом уровне все основные темы макроэкономики.
This course provides a basic introduction to major macroeconomic issues.
Примерно две трети курса посвящены анализу общего равновесия на рынках труда, заемных средств, финансовых, денежных, товарных рынках, а также международных потоков капитала. Изучается долгосрочный экономический рост, идущий за счет накопления капитальных мощностей и технического прогресса. Вторая часть курса посвящена изучению природы краткосрочных колебаний вокруг долгосрочной траектории роста, таким как финансовый кризис и мировая рецессия 2008-2009 годов. Обсуждаются причины подобных спадов, а также оптимальная стабилизационная политика государства, призванная либо предотвращать подобные катаклизмы, либо сглаживать последствия от них.
The first and somewhat bigger part of the course is dedicated to the description of the general equilibrium in the economy, including the labor market, market for loanable funds, financial market, money market, and the goods market, as well as international capital flows. This part also covers long-term growth, associated with accumulation of capital and technological progress. The second part of the course is dedicated to the analysis of the short-term fluctuations around the long-term growth trend, such the world financial crisis and the global recession of 2008-2009. We will discuss causes of such recessions, and the optimal stabilization policy called to prevent and mitigate the effects from such economic catastrophes.
View the MOOC.
Prepare for Success
Prepare for Success is an interactive web learning tool for international students who are getting ready to come to the UK for study in further or higher education. It contains learning resources which are activity-based to help you find out about different aspects of academic life in the UK and the skills needed for effective study.
As well as preparing you for what to expect during your studies, the activities provide scope for English language improvement*. The learning resources can be used in any order by clicking on a title. Alternatively, you can use them through the 'study pathways' page if you would like to search by skill or topic. There is a demo to watch if you would like more information on how to use the activities, and an interactive FAQs page where you can find simple answers to questions about study in the UK. There is also a special page of interactive questions and answers for international students planning to study in Further Education colleges in the UK. To see it, select FE on the menu bar.
* Prepare for Success is intended primarily for international students whose first language is not English. It is aimed at students with an IELTS level between 5.5 and 7.5 or equivalent.
View the resource.
The History of Distance Education
By Christopher Pappas. The History of Distance Education
1728 The world’s first distance learning course is established in Boston, with lessons sent by mail.
1840 Shorthand is taught by correspondence in Great Britain.
1922 Penn State begins offering courses through the radio.
… 2013.?
Check the following infographc to find more about the history of distance education!
Free e-Learning eBook - How to become an e-Learning Professional
By Christopher Pappas. 23 eLearning Experts Help You Become a Top-Notch eLearning Professional! The Free How to Become an eLearning Professional eBook is filled with the knowledge, wisdom, experience and inspiration of carefully selected eLearning professionals. This free eLearning eBook contains hot eLearning tips, secret concepts, specific steps and insider information that will help you become a top-notch eLearning professional. Enjoy reading this and our subsequent free eLearning eBook series and feel free to contact our team of eLearning professionals.
ICDE Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP)
The annual International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) Standing Conference of Presidents meeting will be held in Lisbon (Portugal) from 27-30 November, 2013.
The 2013 ICDE Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP) will tackle the issue of leadership in a time of openness, and aims to provide institutional management with an opportunity to discuss the role of the institution in the fast-changing higher education environment.
Website SCOP 2013.
Introduction to EU project Ed2.0Work
Ed2.0Work is holding a free webinar to introduce the project and the special interest groups on November 19 at 19.00CET
Ed2.0Work is a European Union funded education network that has two aims. The first is to create a network that spans education and the world of work and is designed to improve the use of Web2.0 tools in both fields. The second aim is to create a set of tools for the empirical evaluation of Web2.0 tools.
Please see the project website for more information about the project and visit the webinar platform to register.
Innovation in Higher Education – Brussels
Leading practitioners, education managers, academics and technology professionals will gather in Brussels to share and discuss experiences and examples of new practices for supporting and promoting innovation across the higher education systems from Europe and beyond.
Many current developments affecting higher education have clear European and even global dimensions and require innovative actions. As the recent years have shown, innovative solutions in the EU higher education sector are possible.
In order to nurture the debate around those topics, the European Commission is organising an event on “Innovation in Higher Education” in Brussels, where Mr Xavier Prats Monne, Deputy-Director General of DG Education and Culture will address these topics during the opening speech.
Registration
Due to the high level of interest and the limited number of space, please send your registration providing your institution of affiliation and specifying which of the three afternoon sessions you would like to attend via email to EAC-UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS-COOPERATION@ec.europa.eu
Leopoldpark 137 Rue de Belliard - Brussels
MEDEAnet webinar “Mobile Learning”
MEDEAnet will host a free online seminar on the use of mobile devices for education.
Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have changed the way we communicate and become an integral part of our daily life. Using mobile devices in a learning context - mobile learning or m-learning - carries great potential for enriching education. But what has to be considered if you want to use smartphones and tablets in education and what are the concrete benefits and advantages of m-learning? During this one hour webinar you will have the chance to get introduced to this interesting topic. This session will help you to understand the possibilities mobile learning is offering and how it can be used in a fruitful and educationally valuable way. This webinar is aimed at educators, teachers, trainers and media producers interested in mobile learning.
The speakers in this session will be Prof. Tania Jadin from University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and Serge de Beer, Technology coach, LearningTour, The Netherlands.
Invest in Researchers Conference 2013
The Invest in Research international conferece will look closely into the problems of European human resources in research (with a special focus on young researchers) and successful responses from the Member States. Specifically, we intend to hold a forum to discuss the measures enhancing attractiveness of becoming and being a researcher in Europe.
What makes Europe an appealing place to do research? What draws people to research jobs? This conference will look at several factors, including (i) accessibility of proper doctoral training, (ii) availability of professional development schemes for researchers, (iii) the means for equating the remuneration for researchers’ work, and (iv) infrastructures supporting seamless work in research.
Address Gedimino Ave. 3, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Website Invest in Research 2013.