The effect of online learning in modern history education

Interactive digital technologies have become relevant in modern education. The use of these technologies in the classroom contributes to the development of professional competencies and skills. The purpose of the study is to analyze the effectiveness of interactive learning environments and online platforms in learning history. The features of modern online learning platforms and the possibilities of their use in the study of history have been analyzed. The research was carried out at the Department of National History of Moscow City University (Moscow, the Russian Federation). The experiment involved 623 history students of different years of study of the following training profiles: "History" (124 students of 1–4 years of study) and "Pedagogical education" ("History and a foreign language", "History and social studies" – 399 students of 1–5 years of study). Also, the survey was addressed to 29 faculty members from the university under consideration. The results of the first survey show that the majority of students (62%) noted the use of traditional methods and 38% of respondents indicated the use of the modern ones. The majority of students (52%) also answered that digital tools are rarely used in the study of history while 71% of respondents reported that digital technology affects their motivation to learn. Therefore, the majority of students rated their level of motivation as average (43%) or low (47%). The most frequent professional competencies and skills are “technical competence (modern technologies)” (62%), “creativity” (65%), “critical thinking” (60%), “strategic thinking” (55%), and “practical skills” (78%). Based on the results obtained in the first survey, a program was developed to increase the motivation of students to study history and archeology, as well as to familiarize themselves with modern educational technologies that can be used in the learning process. The second survey showed an increase in the indicators of students' motivation to learn, which indicates the effectiveness of the developed program for the study of history. The majority of students (85%) answered that digital tools affect their motivation to learn. Thus, they rated it as medium (50%), high (20%) and low (30%). Accordingly, the indicators of professional competencies and skills increased by 10%: “technical competence (modern technologies)” (72%), “creativity” (75%), “critical thinking” (71%), “strategic thinking” (65%), and “practical skills” (88%). No less significant were the shifts in students’ creative thinking development indicators – they changed from 18% (before the experiment) to 58% (after the experiment). The practical significance and prospects for further research are explained by the possibility of using the developed program for the study of history in other universities located in different countries. Also, the methodological basis of the proposed program can be used to study not only history but also other subjects as digital technologies are relevant in the modern education system.