I started working in the area of distance education and technology  at the Distance Education and Technology department at UBC (now the Centre for Teaching, Learning & Technology) with the research group: Centre for Managing and Planning Learning Environments (MAPLE). As one of the researchers at MAPLE I examined different aspects of the impacts of e-learning on university infrastructure and student life, in connection with the institutional planning strategies, and the issues of higher education accessibility and affordability.

I have presented the research findings at conferences and workshops in Canada (University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Durham College, Oshawa, May 2004; The Society for College and University Planning, Toronto, July, 2004; Canadian Association for Distance Education, Toronto, June, 2004); in the United States (Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, November, 2004, San Antonio) and People’s Republic of China (International Conference on Web-based Learning, City University of Hong Kong, August, 2005, Hong Kong). I have a Ph.D (1997) in Sociology from the Ural State University (RF), where in 1998 I had started teaching and conducting research specializing in Sociology of Knowledge, Gender and Globalization, Research techniques, Teaching methods and Sociolinguistics. My current academic interests are impact analysis and modelling; critical studies in technology and social impacts of technological solutions; instructional design and online educational experiences.