Skytte Institute’s MOOC wins second place at the 12th e-Learning Excellence Awards at ECEL 2026

The Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu has received second place at the 12th e-Learning Excellence Awards, held as part of the European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL 2026) at Lund University, Sweden.

The MOOC “Growing Apart: What Is Polarisation and What Can We Do About It?”, developed by Skytte Institute staff members Anna Beitane, Stefano Braghiroli, Alar Kilp, and Anastasiia Turusinova in cooperation with European partners, was selected as the runner-up in this international competition.

The e-Learning Excellence Awards were established in 2015 by Academic Conferences and Publishing International (ACPI) to recognise and celebrate excellence in the field of e-learning. The awards showcase outstanding e-learning initiatives through real-world case studies submitted by academics, educators, business professionals, learning designers, and students. Entries are welcomed from universities, colleges, schools, charities, government organisations, and private sector organisations worldwide.

This year's conference took place at Lund University on 22 - 23 October 2026, bringing together educators, researchers, and e-learning specialists from around the world.

In total, seven case studies from five countries and regions were selected for the final presentations at the conference. These included three entries from Hong Kong, alongside initiatives from Australia, Lithuania, Bahrain, and Estonia. The University of Tartu was represented by the Growing Apart MOOC, which was subsequently selected for the final pitching round and awarded second place.

Image

The MOOC was presented at the conference by Anastasiia Turusinova, a Specialist in E-Learning and Marketing Projects at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies.

Reflecting on the experience, Anastasiia noted: "The conference provided a great opportunity to showcase our MOOC to fellow educators and e-learning specialists. Given the strong international dimension of the event, it was also extremely valuable to learn about the innovative approaches and practices that other universities and organisations are implementing in their online courses."

According to Anna Beitane, co-author of the MOOC and contributor to the ECEL case study, this recognition reflects the considerable effort invested in developing the course: "This result is a great testament to all the hard work that has gone into developing the MOOC. It has been a truly collaborative effort, and we are extremely grateful to our European partners, particularly the University of Warsaw, which coordinated the Erasmus+ ActIPLEx project within which the MOOC was developed, as well as the University of Groningen and the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. One of the main achievements of the MOOC is its ability to explain complex issues such as social polarisation through an interactive, storytelling-based pedagogical approach, integrating simulations, animations, and other engaging learning activities. We are very grateful to the jury for recognising our work and evaluating the MOOC so highly."

In addition to receiving second place, the Growing Apart MOOC case study was included in the 12th e-Learning Excellence Awards 2026 - Anthology of Case Histories.

The competition initially received 15 submissions from 10 countries, with 12 participants subsequently invited to develop their proposals into detailed case studies describing their educational initiatives, approaches, and experiences.

The MOOC Growing Apart: What Is Polarisation and What Can We Do About It? was developed within the Erasmus+ project ActIPLEx – Action for Interactive Anti-Polarisation Learning Experiences for a Better Democracy, bringing together the University of Warsaw, University of Groningen, University of Tartu, and the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society.

The course explores the mechanisms and consequences of social polarisation and introduces learners to practical approaches for fostering dialogue across social and political divides. More information about the MOOC could be found here.