Comparative analysis of the Chinese and Russian digital educational environment in high education (using the example of Moscow Pedagogical State University and Beijing State Pedagogical University)

Rouxian Ou Postgraduate student, Department of Educational Systems Management, Moscow State Pedagogical University 119435, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Malaya Pirogovskaya, stroenie 1 marina.flat@yandex.ru

Introduction

In the XXI century, the process of digitalization has reached serious proportions in various spheres of human life, including the education system. In the process of digitalization of the educational environment, a circle of researchers has formed working on the formulation of the conceptual apparatus in this area.

Thus, G. A. Mavlyutova understands the digitalization of education as the practice of introducing modern digital technologies that affect not only innovations in the equipment of the educational process, but also the modernization of various areas of research activities ^[7].

Researchers R. M. Safuanov and M. Yu. Lehmus supplement the definition of digitalization, defining it as the introduction of new formats of knowledge transfer, modern digital technologies and artificial intelligence achievements ^[5].

It should be noted that in the broad sense of the word, the digital educational environment is an important part of the global information space, which is divided into different sectors.

The digital educational environment plays a key role in the process of digitalization of education. This concept is defined as a set of information systems, digital devices, tools, services that are created and developed in order to ensure the competent work of educational institutions of different levels and to solve problems that may arise in the course of the educational process.

Both in China and in Russia, special attention is paid to the process of digitalization of education, since it contributes to the introduction of the latest technologies into the educational process, which in turn has a positive effect on the development of the digital educational environment ^[10].

The purpose of this article is to analyze and compare the digital educational environment of the leading Moscow and Chinese universities.

The subject of the study is the comparative features of the digital educational environment of universities (on the example of Moscow Pedagogical State University and Beijing State Pedagogical University).

The relevance of the article is determined by the fact that in recent decades the digitalization of education has been gaining momentum and is actively being introduced into all aspects of the educational process.

In order to compare digital educational environments, two leading universities in China and Russia were taken as an example: Moscow Pedagogical State University and Beijing State Pedagogical University.

A comparative analysis of two digital educational environments was used as the main research method.

The main part

The development of the digital educational environment in both China and Russia is associated with the development of such elements as:

- modernization of digital education infrastructure;

- creation of a national digital education platform within higher education institutions;

- innovative application of new information technologies in the field of education;

-combining high-quality and modern educational resources into a single database using digital technologies;

-innovative mechanisms of education management.

Together, the development of these elements forms the right digital educational environment based on a combination of traditional methods and the latest technologies ^[9].

In Russian universities over the past decades, there has been a gradual and rapid introduction of digital technologies into the structures of higher education. An example of such implementation was the federal program "Digital Educational Environment", within which the following was done:

-providing educational organizations with high-speed Internet;

- deployment of networks of digital education centers;

- creation of an integrated platform for continuing education;

-free access to online education for all citizens;

-professional retraining of teaching staff in the field of digital education ^[5].

China has also recently been focusing on the digitalization of the educational environment. The Government is developing programs and national projects aimed at activating the hidden resources of digital education. An example of the most ambitious program can be the plan "Three links and three platforms", involving the implementation of the following stages:

- providing access to online education by providing high-speed Internet even to the most remote parts of the country;

-widespread use of information technologies in the management and teaching in various educational institutions;

- creation of a modern material and technical base in all educational institutions;

- creation of a digital education model and its implementation in the education system;

-providing students with the necessary online resources ^[1].

In general, the tasks that both countries set themselves in the process of developing and improving the digital educational environment are similar to each other, since the process of digitalization is global in nature and is aimed at consolidating the efforts of all developed countries. However, each of the countries has problems in this area that require detailed study and solution.

Let's take a closer look at how the digital educational environment is formed within the framework of Moscow Pedagogical State University and Beijing State Pedagogical University.

Any digital information environment consists of a number of elements forming a harmonious structure. An analysis of the works of Chinese and Russian scientists in the field of digitalization of education has shown that the structure of the digital educational environment is formed using the following elements ^[4] (Table 1):

Table 1 – Structure of the digital educational environment (according to O.P. Zhigalova)

The digital educational environment of the Moscow State University has undergone significant changes in the process of its formation for 50 years. This process was actively facilitated by the creation of a computing center, on the basis of which the formation of the digital educational environment of the university began.

Modern education cannot be imagined without the use of such an element of the digital educational environment as digital technologies. Digital educational technologies in a broad sense are understood as innovative ways of organizing the educational process, which are based on the use of various electronic systems ^[1].

The element of the digital educational environment associated with technology is implemented in MPSU in different ways. Firstly, much attention is paid to mobile learning, which allows you to effectively organize the educational process, depending on the level of complexity. Secondly, the creation of a unified information base began on the basis of the MPSU a few years ago, which has now been transferred to the form of cloud storage. The advantages of cloud technologies in MPSU are that they have convenient network access and are responsible for storing and distributing information quickly ^[8].

Thirdly, information systems play an important role in the digital educational space of the Moscow State University, with the help of which a system of online courses of the educational environment is created. During the last two years, in the context of the pandemic, online education has become very relevant, so the availability of online courses is considered an important link in the digital educational environment.

As for digital resources, a corporate portal has been developed and is actively used at the MPSU, which is regularly updated. In addition, the university library uses the university information system for its work, which is designed to serve the maximum number of users in all buildings.

Also, an automated database "Student" is used as one of the important digital resources on the basis of the MPSU, which contains the necessary data in a convenient format to help students quickly master the educational program.

Among the shortcomings that can be clearly traced in the structure of the digital educational environment of the Moscow State University, there are:

-weak integration of the university's information systems with the educational process management system based on LMS Moodle;

-insufficient equipment of MPSU classrooms with multimedia projects and computers with high-speed Internet access;

-there are no conditions for the effective implementation of distance learning technologies;

-the system of control over the use of classrooms equipped with modern computer equipment has not been sufficiently developed ^[6].

At Beijing State Pedagogical University, special attention is paid to the development of the digital educational environment, since this direction is a priority within the scientific and educational environment.

In 1995, Beijing Pedagogical University was the first to gain access to the Chinese Educational and Research Computer Network. In the same year, the Network Center of Beijing Pedagogical University was established. The center was responsible for the construction and maintenance of the campus network. The first stage of the project for the construction of a campus network has started. During this period, the library, the academic building and the electronic building are connected to the Internet, and e-mail has been opened for teachers.

In 1999 Beijing Pedagogical University has started the second stage of building a campus network, and in 2000 the computer center of the Institute of Educational Information and Network Technologies was established. In the period from 1999 to 2003, the university took on the task of informatization of the campus and the task of teaching computers to the population throughout the school.

Since 2003, Beijing Pedagogical University has started the construction of the third phase of the campus network construction project. In 2004, a new information network center was created at the school, which is responsible for building a school informatization system. The school invested a total of more than $20 million in the creation of an information campus, increased the school's basic network from Gigabit to 10 gigabit, increased the stability and security of the network, and also built a school network management and network security platform ^[2].

The university's management is based on the concept of nationwide education reform in China, which involves the implementation of three leading aspects:

-mass mastery of foreign languages;

-creative personal development based on national qualities;

-active introduction of information technologies ^[3].

Such an element of the digital educational environment as digital footprints is well developed at the university. This aspect is the development of computer literacy not only of students, but also of the teaching staff. Most of the university teachers actively use information and communication technologies in their classes.

Digital technologies have been developing at Beijing State Pedagogical University for several years. During this time, the university management has managed to achieve good results:

- to introduce a unified information system of digital technologies;

- create platforms that provide access to educational resources;

-develop educational resources with translation into several languages for more convenient use;

In addition, teachers are required to report on how they introduce digital technologies to classes and evaluate their effectiveness. A striking example of the use of digital technologies at the university can be online courses created on the basis of university servers. At the same time, university programmers develop such courses using local servers, which allows to increase the speed of information transfer and improve quality.

From the point of view of the effectiveness of digital resources, the university uses cross-platform resources, assuming the possibility of working several online resources simultaneously. This practice helps students to quickly master the material and save time.

Chinese scientists in the field of education note that Beijing Pedagogical University has formed today a fairly comfortable digital environment based on such elements as:

-digital learning;

-digital scientific research;

-digital control;

-digital services ^{[11, 12]}.

Conclusion

Having considered the features of the structures of the digital educational environment of Chinese and Russian universities, the following conclusions were made:

1. The digital educational environment in the higher education system plays an important role in both Chinese and Russian universities. First of all, this trend is manifested in the development of digital technologies, resources and other important elements of the environment;

2. Moscow Pedagogical State University pays special attention to the creation of an optimal digital educational environment. Elements of the digital educational environment at the university are implemented through the dissemination of mobile learning, the creation of a unified information base, as well as a system of online courses for students.

3. At Beijing Pedagogical University, the elements of the digital educational environment are developed at a higher level than at the Russian university. This is evidenced by the construction of an extensive system of information campuses and networks, the creation of a modern network center, digital traces, unified educational platforms, courses, as well as other resources necessary for the implementation of the educational process.