VIRTUAL ACADEMIC MOBILITY OF STUDENTS: CANADIAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The article presents the researcher’s points of view regarding the phenomenon of virtual academic mobility of students at Canadian universities and colleges. It has been stated that learning from Canadian experience will enable to create favourable circumstances for the development of virtual student academic mobility at Ukrainian higher education establishments. The aim of this article is to define and analyse the role of virtual academic mobility of students, as well as advantages and disadvantages of virtual academic mobility of students in the framework of online education and virtual learning environment. The implementation of virtual academic mobility of students by means of massive open online courses (MOOC) is taken into consideration in the scope of this research. The attention is drawn to the online platforms such as Coursera, EdX, Udacity, etc. and the representation of Canadian universities there. Theoretical and practical results of the research focus on the analysis of the virtual educational institutions – virtual universities – and the use of online education and e-learning with the regard to the development of virtual academic mobility of students at Canadian higher education institutions. This paper examines the concept of “virtual university” with the regard to a rapid development of information and communication technologies which are being actively engaged into higher education system. The genesis of virtual universities, including the Canadian Virtual University (CVU), and their role in the development of the virtual mobility of students in Ukraine and worldwide are determined. The paper suggests that under the complicated military and economic circumstances and the urgent need to expand the internationalization of higher education in Ukraine, the virtual academic mobility of students plays a significant role in enhancing the dynamics of student’s academic mobility in Ukraine and abroad by means of introducing a virtual dimension into higher education through e-learning, blended-learning, etc.