Psychological and Pedagogical Aspects of Adult Learning in Russian EdTech Segment

The rapid development of digital and information technologies along with the growing popularity of online learning has given rise to the emergence and expansion of the EdTech industry. EdTech companies are leveraging new technologies in their courses for adults, offering a wide range of solutions to ensure effective and personalized lifelong learning. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the psychological and pedagogical learning aspects on the platforms of the Russian EdTech companies. This has been achieved through a qualitative analysis of the learning formats and technologies employed on online platforms, as well as student feedback submitted to Yandex. As a result of the quantitative analysis presented on the official websites of the companies and other open sources collected using SEO analytics tools, the authors selected three of the most popular platforms out of 15 - Stepik, Skillbox, and Netology. As a result, the authors identified four common learning formats for the platforms - microlearning, collaborative, peer-to-peer, and practice-oriented learning. The psychological and pedagogical features of these formats were then considered. The authors came to the conclusion that these learning technologies meet the psychological characteristics of the Alpha and Z generations, the trends of digital society, and the key principle of individualization in the learning process.