Our 2025 in Review: Research Highlights, Key Achievements, and New Horizons
We are pleased to share the key milestones and achievements of our laboratory over the past year.
One of the most significant accomplishments of 2025 was the successful funding of two research proposals by the Russian Science Foundation under its competition for small individual scientific groups (Grant No. 118). Approved in late November, the supported projects are: “From Choice to Agency: Exploring the Pedagogical Potential of Learner Control in Digital Learning Environments” by Anna Gorbunova and “Cognitive Cost of Schema Conflict: Structural Mismatch and Load Dynamics in Expert Relearning” by Anastasia Kapuza.
Throughout the year, our team delivered thirteen presentations at major academic conferences and forums, eleven of which were held at international venues. In addition to these scholarly events, our researchers contributed to public discussions for broader audiences, including educational technology developers and practitioners. They also participated in the HSE Open Seminars on Education and the International PhD Seminar in Education.
A key educational initiative of the year was the Summer School “How to Research and Develop Online Educational Products Using Data” , co-organized by our laboratory in collaboration with the Master’s program “Evidence-Based Education Development”. The event brought together over 150 participants, offering hands-on experience and fostering dialogue between researchers and practitioners.
The year also marked important progress in the academic careers of our team members. Two doctoral dissertations were successfully defended:
- Anna Gorbunova: “The Impact of Problem-Solving Sequencing and Support on Cognitive Load and Performance”
- Galina Shulgina: “The Use of Peer Feedback as a Form of Collaborative Learning in a Digital Environment: Insights from Academic Writing”
Both dissertations were supervised by Dr. J. Costley.
In addition, Ekaterina Andronova successfully completed her pre-defense for the dissertation “Structural and Content-Related Characteristics of Scientific Concepts as Indicators of Their Functional Role in Students’ Conceptual System” (supervised by A. Kapuza).
The year brought notable professional recognition as well. Three of our colleagues—Maxim Boitsov, Alexandra Getman, and Galina Shulgina—were selected for the HSE University Young Faculty Support Programme (Group of Young Academic Professionals), Category “New Researchers.” Anna Getman was awarded a Russian Presidential Scholarship for Postgraduate Students. In teaching, Anastasia Kapuza was named one of the Best Teachers of HSE University for the seventh time and became a winner of the All-Russian program “Alpha-Future. Grants for Lecturers.”
Our publication record remained strong: laboratory members published 22 articles in journals indexed in the HSE Journal Lists (including online-first publications), with two additional papers accepted for publication. Several studies also received media coverage in prominent Russian outlets, expanding the public visibility of our research.
We sincerely thank our colleagues, partners, and readers for their collaboration, trust, and continued interest in our work. In 2026, our laboratory plans to further expand cooperation with academic and business partners, contributing to the study of factors and mechanisms that enhance learning effectiveness.