This book is a collection of the leading scientific studies, which elaborate on the unique specifics of Central Asia and Russia and dwell on the potential and current contribution of digital higher education to the preservation of these specifics and adaptation of universities to them. In the four parts of this book, the authors determine the contribution of digital education to cultural inclusivity and the development of international education in Central Asia and Russia. The role of digital higher education in the sustainable development of regions in Central Asia and Russia is described. The advantages of digital higher education for the optimization of the labor market and employment of youth in Central Asia and Russia are determined. The current directions of digitalization (EdTech) and their contribution to the increase of quality and effectiveness of higher education in Central Asia and Russia are established. This multidisciplinary book is aimed at scholars from various spheres of science (pedagogics, cultural sciences, law, management, economics, and ICT), for whom the book offers the leading scientific and methodological inventions and developments on the digitalization of higher education in Central Asia and Russia.

This book proposes digitalization as a promising direction for green growth and sustainable development of the economy of Central Asia. It reveals the advanced and unique hands-on and case-based experience of Central Asia in ESG management with the involvement of digital technologies and provides practical recommendations on the extension of the use of digital technologies in ESG management of the development of the green economy in Central Asia.

This open access edited volume is a comparative effort to discern the short-term educational impact of the covid-19 pandemic on students, teachers and systems in Brazil, Chile, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the first academic comparative studies of the educational impact of the pandemic, the book explains how the interruption of in person instruction and the variable efficacy of alternative forms of education caused learning loss and disengagement with learning, especially for disadvantaged students. Other direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic diminished the ability of families to support children and youth in their education. For students, as well as for teachers and school staff, these included the economic shocks experienced by families, in some cases leading to food insecurity and in many more causing stress and anxiety and impacting mental health. Opportunity to learn was also diminished by the shocks and trauma experienced by those with a close relative infected by the virus, and by the constrains on learning resulting from students having to learn at home, where the demands of schoolwork had to be negotiated with other family necessities, often sharing limited space. Furthermore, the prolonged stress caused by the uncertainty over the resolution of the pandemic and resulting from the knowledge that anyone could be infected and potentially lose their lives, created a traumatic context for many that undermined the necessary focus and dedication to schoolwork. These individual effects were reinforced by community effects, particularly for students and teachers living in communities where the multifaceted negative impacts resulting from the pandemic were pervasive. This is an open access book.

The book explores the role of higher education in increasing social mobility and reducing social inequality in today’s world. The first part examines the cultural openness of the knowledge society and its contribution to reducing social inequalities. The second part examines inclusive higher education in support of social mobility. The third part reveals digital technologies in higher education and their significance for the growth of social mobility. The fourth part discusses the best international practices and offers recommendations for educational management in support of reducing social inequalities.