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How has research into online learning evolved over the past decade? What insights can researchers offer into how students learn, interact with educational technologies, and manage their own learning? Established in 2011, the International Laboratory of Research and Design in eLearning at the Institute of Education was one of HSE’s first international laboratories. Initially, its researchers focused on large-scale studies of educational inequality. Over time, their work shifted towards exploring the potential of digital technologies to address educational challenges, particularly through experimental research on digital learning.

Summer is traditionally a busy time for international research visits for colleagues at the International Laboratory of Research and Design in eLearning. This year, the Laboratory’s researchers presented their work at two major European education conferences.

A university degree may level one playing field, but it does not necessarily make graduates’ first steps into the labour market equal. A new study by Maksim Nikitin and Vera Maltseva from the Centre for Skills Development and Vocational Education examines how family background continues to matter after graduation—shaping not only whether young people find work, but what kind of work they do.

Around 800 researchers from 40 countries gathered at the 2026 International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS) at Yonsei University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Moses Omopekunola presented a collaborative study by the Centre for Psychometrics and Measurement in Education, which sparked a lively discussion and received encouraging feedback from the international research community.

In June, Madina Davlatova, Deputy Director of the Department of Educational Programmes at the HSE Institute of Education, completed a research internship at Beijing Normal University (BNU). The visit focused on exploring transformations in teaching and learning practices in the age of artificial intelligence, as well as studying international approaches to researching the impact of AI on education.

The Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has completed its review of project proposals submitted for grants supporting early-career researchers. More than 850 projects have been selected for funding, including 31 from HSE University. The grants will finance research addressing specific objectives within the priorities of scientific and technological development set out in the Scientific and Technological Development Strategy of the Russian Federation.

AI, digital learning, and educational innovation were at the centre of discussions during a visit by colleagues from Beijing Normal University (BNU) and UNESCO's Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) to the HSE Institute of Education. The meeting highlighted the complementary research priorities of the two institutions and opened new opportunities for collaboration spanning research, educational programmes, and support for educational innovators.

In early June, Anna Kobtseva and Natalia Isaeva visited Hong Kong to strengthen collaboration with leading universities, discuss opportunities for joint educational programmes, and take part in an international dialogue on the future of educational leadership.

In online learning, instructors often use video analytics to determine student engagement. Metrics such as time-on-video and the number of clicks on a video player are commonly used as indicators of engagement. But do these indicators show meaningful engagement, or merely activity?

Natalia Rozenfeld, a Junior Research Fellow and Doctoral Student at the HSE Institute of Education's Centre for Vocational Education and Skills Development, presented her research at the 2026 Annual Conference of the European Consortium for Sociological Research (ECSR), which was held at Trinity College Dublin. Taking place on 15–17 June, the conference focused on how social institutions shape inequality in education, employment, and other areas of life, bringing together researchers who study the ways societies respond to growing uncertainty and structural change.