Movies, Creativity, and Early Autumn: HSE Online Meets in Real Life
In early September, more than 300 students and friends of the HSE Online campus gathered for the fourth time in real life to say goodbye to summer and kick off the academic year. For one evening, the courtyard of the HSE building on Staraya Basmannaya Street turned into a cosy autumn space for creativity, communication, movies, and career consultations.
Autumn Fest is a project of the HSE Online campus, now in its second year, and has become a traditional event for those who study and teach online.
The concept of the festival focused on the beauty of nature and the northern field aesthetics: the venue combined a light palette and natural materials, creating a sense of open autumn space.
Festival guests participated in creative workshops and craft games, created their own jewellery and bag charms at the customisation station, and tested their knowledge in a quiz and won prizes. ‘Watch Later’ and ‘After Prompt,’ two documentaries created at the HSE Online campus, were presented during an evening screening. Between activities, festival guests enjoyed hot coffee with snacks and informal socialisation. They also could capture the moment by taking pictures in the photo booth.
Part of the event’s programme was dedicated to study and professional development. Applicants had the opportunity to learn more about HSE’s online programmes and ask questions about admissions and training, while students and graduates could receive career advice from experts at the Industry Hub.
‘The academic year is always rather intense at the beginning. New tasks appear and require the rescheduling of your routine. That's why we wanted to make the festival an event where you don't have to rush anywhere and you can just spend a few hours at your own pace,’ said Yulia Remezova, Director for eLearning at HSE University. ‘For HSE Online, such meetings are another way to show that the university provides not only knowledge, but also an environment, new acquaintances, and an opportunity to share experience and feel part of the community. The format of education may be different, but this component of university life remains just as important for us and our students.’
The HSE Online is a leader among Russian universities in the number of full-time online programmes and students enrolled. Since the launch of Russia's first English-language online programme, the Master's in Data Science, in 2020, the number of students enrolled in the first year has increased 17-fold. Today, more than 7,600 students from Russia and other countries study in HSE Online programmes.
