UNESCO IITE translated into Russian and published on its website the Russian-language version of the “Handbook on Facilitating Flexible Learning during Educational Disruption: The Chinese Experience in Maintaining Undisrupted Learning in COVID-19 Outbreak”.
The original Handbook in English, jointly prepared by UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), UNESCO IITE, Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University (SLIBNU) and other partners, was released in March 2020, amidst mass school closures in many countries of world, caused by COVID-19, when continuing learning during educational disruption has become a major challenge to the global education community.
The authors of the Handbook sought to define the concept “flexible learning” using vivid examples and touching stories. The Handbook describes several flexible online learning strategies implemented in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. These strategies are presented based on six dimensions, namely (a) infrastructure, (b) learning tools, (c) learning resources, (d) teaching and learning methods, (e) services for teachers and students, and (f) cooperation between government, enterprises, and schools.
The Handbook can help educators, researchers, and practitioners implement case studies, similar to those described, in their context in order to solve their challenges in emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.