Measures to support Russian tourism in the conditions of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic

The tourism industry, including the hospitality industry, which were the first to suffer from the new coronavirus pandemic, found themselves in an unprecedented situation: complete cessation of some businesses due to border closures and self-isolation. For some countries tourism makes up one of the largest shares of GDP and is a key industry, for others, tourism and activities associated with international travel significantly accelerate the pace of economic development. Industry actors need to understand what incentive tools are available now and in the aftermath of the pandemic in order to develop a systematic approach to managing the effects of the pandemic. The purpose of the article is to study and structure incentive measures for the tourism industry in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following methods of scientific knowledge has been used: abstraction, analysis, induction, synthesis. The article substantiates the relevance of the study. Some indicators of the functioning of domestic tourism during a pandemic are considered in comparison with previous periods, in particular, price indices for various types of paid services to the population, the development of collective accommodation facilities in Russia. At the same time, there is a decline in all indicators during the pandemic, which is due to forced quarantine restrictions and the closure of borders in most countries of the world. The most popular measures of state support proposed by the government for the tourism sector are the following: support in obtaining financing, tax incentives, subsidizing operating expenses, subsidies for SMEs (minimum wages), deferral of non-tax payments, consulting and educational support, deferrals and incentives for rent payments, provision of grants and subsidies on a competition, etc. The proposed measures to support tourism in the current environment are new personnel training, assistance in developing a strategy, business development, attracting tourists, assistance in the transition to online, facilitation of activities (tax, financial, regulatory exemptions).

Triple-blend of classroom instruction, online facilitation and external exposure: Outcomes and challenges

This study examines the practice, outcomes and challenges of a “triple-blend” approach which combines the components of classroom instruction, online facilitation and external exposure. Examining this pedagogical approach provides guidance for improving the delivery of teaching and learning. The study takes a multiple case study approach, employing action research methodology. The authors are practicing lecturers and the five cases, drawn from a private institution of higher education in Penang, Malaysia, have an average of 13.8 students, comprise undergraduate and postgraduate classes, and cover business, social science and humanities disciplines. Quantitative and qualitative comparisons are made between student cohorts. Students’ behavior and performance are tracked using an online learning management system. The findings reveal that the deployment of the triple-blend approach on aggregate produces positive outcomes in terms of student engagement and performance. However, there are instances of negative outcomes, suggesting that other factors are at play apart from the choice of pedagogical approach. Discussion of the challenges in deploying this approach shows that the process is far from homogenous. Nonetheless, the overall perspective indicates a positive relationship between the triple-blend approach and positive teaching and learning outcomes. This study provides guidance for teachers on deployment challenges and best practices.

Online learning facilitation in border guards’ foreign language training

The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of teaching English online to cadets of the border guard educational institutions using learning facilitation techniques in order to enhance the effectiveness of foreign language training of future border guards within the system of distance learning. The research has revealed the peculiarities of organization of online facilitation skills development for the border guard trainers in European Union border guard agencies under the auspices of European Border Guard Agency. The modern online learning facilitation forms, methods and tools used for teaching future border guards English language have been presented. The effectiveness of the acquired by border guard trainers' facilitative skills was tested during an Intensive Online English Language Course for Border Guards at the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Analysis of the results of employing facilitative methods and techniques during the course provide their effectiveness. According to the results, the average score of the participants increased from 3.98 to 4.23. The obtained results testify to the efficiency of the facilitation skills development of the trainers of the Border Guard agencies.

Opportunities and Challenges of Connections, Trust, Diversity, and Conflict for Motivation, Volition, and Engagement in Online Learning

Motivation is an important parameter for successful completion of the course by the student. There are many factors that can mar such motivation like digital fatigue, poor instructional design, facilitator competency, course design, assessment practices, and student support. For online teaching learning, the authors spend a lot of time in front of computer monitors, keep typing on computer keyboard, listen to audio using headsets, etc. The students may be sitting in live meeting of their class and not understand what is expected of them. They may have a sense of being lost and demotivated. The students may not want to ask questions for fear of appearing foolish. This chapter looks into the factors related to motivation in online teaching and learning settings. It examines the factors related to motivation like deepening connections, dealing with diversity, managing conflict, teacher capabilities for online facilitation, providing feedback, providing educational resources to students, digital fatigue, assessment and evaluation practices for online learning, and conversing.

Characterization of Online Learners or Students in Namibia

The purpose of this chapter is to present the characteristics of online learners or students in the Global South and specifically in Namibia. The characteristics were identified by using an autobiographical narrative enquiry of over 17 years of teaching experience in the field of distance education, secondary school teaching, university teaching, and online facilitation. The chapter presents four key characteristics of online learners or students that are likely to be found in the Global South. These characteristics should be taken into consideration before a final decision as to whether use online learning, blended learning, or offline learning. These are technologically-endowed (TE) student/learner, moderate technologically-exposed (MTE) student/learner, severe technologically disadvantaged (STD) student/learner, and acute technologically marginalized (ATM) student/learner. The chapter proposes that a rubric with grading criteria should be developed so that at the end the institution will be able to tell how many students/learners fall under each category.

Tutors' Perspectives on Online Facilitation of ESL Courses in Distance Education

Online facilitation in distance education presents many challenges that involve both the learners and instructors. Through these challenges, the roles tutors' play and their best practices used in online facilitation should be looked into to improve the distance-learning experience. In view of this, this chapter attempted to examine the perspectives of experienced tutors engaged in the university's virtual learning environment, WawasanLearn. Based on the interview findings of eight tutors, several emergent findings highlighted the roles and challenges of effective online facilitation. As this research is based on the guidelines of the prominent Salmon's model, the findings also highlighted antecedents that substantiate best practices of online facilitation. Findings indicated that understanding the dynamics of online facilitation among relevant stakeholders is critical to improve the teaching and learning experience in distance education.