News

In the ever-evolving world of education, where Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become a beacon of accessibility and innovation, a team of researchers—Muhammed Shittu, Anna Gorbunova, Christopher Lange, and Jamie Costley—embarked on a quest to decode a peculiar phenomenon: Why do students re-watch video lectures? Their study, published in the Electronic Journal of e-Learning, dives deep into the intricate dynamics of video lecture design and its impact on student engagement. With insights drawn from over 1,500 surveys conducted at South Korea’s Open Cyber University (OCU), the researchers uncover the hidden forces that compel learners to hit the replay button.

Narratives We Live By: Sequentiality and Timeliness in Temporal Structuring of Action, a recent study by sociologist and cultural theorist Dmitry Kurakin, delves into the intricate ways narratives shape human behavior over time. Published in Theory and Society, the paper bridges theoretical innovation with empirical analysis, offering a fresh perspective on how individuals navigate the interplay between personal timelines and societal expectations.

In his 2025 study published in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, Ivan Ivanov of IOE’s Pinsky Center of General and Extracurricular Education delves into the complex evolution of children's after-school activities across the vast expanse of the fifteen former Soviet republics. The research uncovers the multifaceted journeys these nations have embarked upon since the dissolution of a once-unified system, painting a vivid picture of continuity, divergence, and the persistent quest to shape young lives outside the formal classroom.