Russia's E-Learning Support Project

1. Russia's E-LearningSupport Project Michael Trucano Sr. ICT & Education Specialist The World Bank New Delhi: 28 May 2009

2. Overview • World Bank’s largest free-standing ICT/education project • Directly targeted 9 pilot regions, diverse, spread across the country (29 additional) • US$145m (US$100m from the World Bank) • First phase (42 months, beginning 2005) • Three target areas: DLR, TPD, IRCs

3. Russian Context Transition to market economy had increased disparities Decentralization Urban versus rural disparities Early ‘tracking’ TIMMs achievement high,PISA achievement low

4. Challenges • Ensure Russia can stay in step with technological change and global knowledge • Ensure that the education system will produce well-educated people to enable a flexible, well-trained workforce all of this is complicated by advances in ICTs

5. World Bank Involvement Previous projects Education Innovation Project (1997-2004) Education Reform Project (2002-2006) Analytical work Reforming Education in the Regions of Russia (1999) E-Learning Policy to Transform Russian Schools (2003)

6. Goals “improve the accessibility, quality, and relevance of Russia's general and first level vocational education, to the benefit both of learning outcomes(improvement in school-leavers' ability to use their knowledge and skills in order to meet real-life challenges) and of labor-market outcomes(improvement in school-leavers’ ability to find well-paid jobs in new occupations)”

7. Activities Specifically, the Project was to support: • DLR = digital learning resourcesdevelopment of new learning materials • TPD = teacher professional developmentsupport for both pre-service and in-service teacher training in the introduction of ICT into teaching and learning • IRC = interschool resource centresestablishing not less than 200 resource centers to improve access to ICT enhanced education opportunities and to disseminate new teaching practices

8. Target groups • Primary • Students (especially rural students) • Teachers • Secondary • Administrators and education sector staff • Software firms • Government (through better coordination and efficiency)

9. Phases • Phase I (3.5 years) • Improve capacity to develop high quality DLR • Improve pre- and in-service TPD in the use of ICT in education • Network of ICT centres • Phase II (3 years) • Scaling up DLR dissemination throughout Russia • Continued DLR production • Scale up infrastructure all of this in an environment where ICT-related standards were not in place

10. Distinctive characteristics ICT into education activities, not ICT into schools Initial thoughts to focus on access were expandedto include quality and relevance as well Holistic approach Focus on capacity building – continuous support, technical *and* methodological Resource centres were to provide daily assistance to teachers(often informal) Quasi-experimental nature

11. Complement and extend existing ICT-related initiatives Projects Urban schools computerization project Rural schools computerization project Nation e-Strategy (e-government) Goals All towns with more than 30,000 peopleconnected to national fibre network All schools connected to broadband by end of 2007

12. Output Indicators

13. 1.1 The number of digital educational resources (objects) incorporated into the national educational e-collection. 1.2 The number of sets of digital resources supporting the existing learning materials. 1.3 The number of sets of innovative e-learning materials produced. 1.4 The number of testing centers created. 1.5 % of schools in the Project regions that received new generation teaching and learning materials developed under the Project. 1.6 % of schools in the Project regions that introduced new generation teaching and learning materials into the curriculum 2.7 The number of training programs in the use of ICT for teaching and learning created. 2.8 The number of teachers trained in programs of developing basic ICT competence. 2.9 The number of online educators and curators trained in the area of Internet education. 2.10 The overall number of students enrolled in distance courses under the Project, including those ones in rural areas3. 2.11 The number of instructional designers trained in development of digital teaching and learning materials. 3.12 The number of teachers trained in IRCs to use e-learning materials created under the Project. 3.13 The number of methodologists (tutors) trained, involved in teacher training and methodological support. 3.14 The number of students participating in telecommunication4 educational projects under the Project, including those ones in rural areas. 3.15 The number of regions which introduced e-education programs up to 2010 (passed EAC expertise and approved by the MOES) out of the total number of regions which received grants.

14. somebriefcomments onindicators impact indicators? process indicators? behavioral changes (global harmonization around ICT/education indicators)

15. Some numbers Over 60,000 teachers trained 42 different training programs 1100 distance learning courses 510 instructional designers trained 8 additional regions successfully completed applications to extend program to their areas 29 additional regions implemented part of the ELSP program through competitive selection process digital learning resources in 14 subjects 250,000 ‘information objects’ created (set to increase to 500,000) This will surpass the numbers of non-digital information objects

16. Standards New ICT competency tests for students and teacher developed and implemented All students in grade 9 7,000 teachers (random sample) Goal was to raise the competenciesof teachers rated ‘low’

17. Results • Rated “highly successful” • Notable: • Deep commitment of federal and regional governments • Regions able to mobilize substantial additional resources • Built on existing institutional structures (National Training Foundation, regional institutions) • Systemic capacity building (not just capacity of teachers) • Strong commitment to M&E from the beginning (especially the ‘E’) • Next stage to be fully financed by the government

18. Results While addressing the global challenge of bridging the digital divide and introducing the ICT into the teaching and learning process as the main factor of the country’s global economic competitiveness,this project managed to apply a comprehensive and well-thought approachcontrary to popular technology-centered models and demonstrated the added value of ICT as an important public good.

19. Results The Project facilitated synergy between different programs supporting ICT introduction, and targeted three key elements of effective implementation of ICT policy: • this project achieved a substantial change in individual behavior of ICT users – teachers, students, administrators – as well as increased effectiveness of their collaboration in groups in the form of innovative projects or teaching/learning activities; • it substantially increased technology infrastructure both at the central/federal level of education system and at the regional/local level, and by this provided greater physical access to technology for users from distantly located/rural areas, and especially– to students with special needs through distance learning means; and finally, • it greatly increased for the variety of users availability of and access to high-quality digital educational content, both by developing the new electronic teaching and learning resources and providing unique access to the Russian masterworks of literature, music and fine arts which are now a digitally protected national heritage and would be otherwise hardly accessible to rural users. All this unique depository of masterworks is now available to every student in the country.

20. Lessons

21. Lesson #1 In reform-oriented projects it is important to support a set of complementary reforms rather than focusing only on the most important individual elements of reforms. The result is a far more comprehensive impact.

22. Lesson #2 In addition to implementing systemic reform measures to improve the ICT infrastructure or facilities in the education system, it is critical to take actions which support innovative group activities of various target groups – teachers, students, principals, members of local communities and experts of methodological centers. These joint actions, either in the form of preparation and implementation of innovative projects, new types of learning activities in teams – and among them ICT intense activities - or school-local community cooperation initiatives, among others facilitate change in the mindset and boost the quality of learning and teaching.

23. Lesson #3 A systemic implementation of reforms requires a profound needs analysis prior to designing a project. This could only be successful provided: • a long-term government reform program is implemented in phases • this program is supported by allocation of appropriate resources from the state budget • this program is backed up by coordinated efforts of all actors in the sector.

24. Lesson #4 Risks associated with the need to put together and organize large numbers of organizations and people with own practices and procedures can only be done if new requirements for collaboration and coordination among all elements in the system is developed beforehand and systemically followed. Communication and coordination with major stakeholders is essential for success in education reforms Success depended to a great extent depends upon an effective dissemination strategy.

25. Lesson #5 ICT in Education is much more than installing computers and buying software. These make just one element and could make a systemic impact only if the content of learning, teaching methods, forms, as well as the whole organization of educational institutions into self-developing and cooperating networks of innovative service institutions could generate new quality and provide for achieving those learning outcomes needed for the new knowledge and information economy.

26. Lesson #6 Innovate to disseminate, disseminate to innovate Grants were designed to encourage non-pilot regions to replicate successful reforms in pilot regions. Such grants were awarded to non-pilot regions on a competitive basis for replicating one of the reform areas of the project (e.g. advanced ICT training program for regional and municipal level administrators, use of education management software packages, implementation of Regional Coordination Centers) Interschool resource centres network utilized as means for permanent methodological support to teachers. Support from mass media was important

27. To learn more: Most documentation available in Russian Various papers under preparation in English World Bank documents(worldbank.org/projects) Sources public World Bank documents internal project documents unpublished draft paper by Juan Diego Alonso series of interviews with key project leaders

28. Contacts Michael Trucano email: mtrucano [at] worldbank.org Twitter: trucano website: www.worldbank.org/education/ict blog: blogs.worldbank.org/edutech