Scientific publications

WOWcube Puzzle: A Transreality Object of Mixed Reality
I. Osipov, E. Nikulchev.

20 October 2018; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-02683-7_3
We have developed and are presenting here a novel WOWCube device, which combines properties of a puzzle and a computer video game and is a so-called "transreality puzzle". The main purpose of the device is to integrate the physical representation and the virtual gaming environment in a common gaming process based on the principles underlying the development of tangible interfaces. The device opens up a wide range of new possibilities by inviting players to dive into a useful entertainment. These devices can be used by various categories of users including children, adults, and seniors by generating new gaming experience and using the gamification principles widely. We believe that the proposed device creates a new class of programmable mechatronic puzzles (video games) falling under the mixed-reality category and being an example of the tangible interface for a serious-game player.
(Chapter of book: Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2018; Publisher: FTC 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 881. Springer, Cham)

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Modernization of educational programs of professional skill improvement using patent activity data
E. Nikulchev, D. Ilin, G. Bubnov, I. Osipov, A. Kosenkov.

12.2017
The study raises the issue of the need to verify the adequacy of the skills forming the educational program to the current realities. The authors propose to evaluate the indicators of technology development based on the annual number of published patents and labor market data. The main difficulties leading to the occurrence of large amounts of false positive results were noted, which required the development of filtering mechanisms. The analysis of the skills was conducted using the data on patent activity and the state of the labor market. The results show that there is a high level of correlation between patent activity and subsequent demand for specific skills in the labor market (r = 0.8).

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Technical means of TUI-based human-machine interaction. Review and analysis of the possibilities of application in gamification
Ilya Osipov

02.2017
The paper reviews the state-of-the art of modern technical means, which are used for the design of material, or tangible user interfaces. The objective of the review is to determine the possibilities of using TUI for expansion of the human-machine interaction in gamification technologies.

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A method for assessment of the influence of social communications on the effectiveness of an innovation project
Dmitry Plokhov, Evgeny V. Nikulchev, Sergei Titov, Ilya V Osipov

11.2016 | ISSN 2409-031X
The paper considers an approach, which uses the methods of analyzing social networks to assess the influence of social communications on the efficiency of project management, on an example of engineering projects.

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Communication and Gamification in the Web-Based Foreign Language Educational System
Ilya V Osipov, Alex A Volinsky, Evgeny V. Nikulchev, Anna Y. Prasikova

10.2016
The paper describes features of operation of the online communication platform, which was developed by the authors for learning foreign languages. The educational system is based on the WebRTC technology that synchronizes the access of tutoring and learning users to educational materials parallel with actual video and audible communications.
DOI 10.4018/IJWLTT.2016100102

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Study the Efficiency of Interproject Communication with Social Network Analysis
D. Plokhov, S. Titov, I.V. Osipov, E. Nikulchev.

08.2016
The existing project management methods imply monitoring of many aspects, but miss the team working issues. This paper considers the possibilities of using the methods of social networking analysis (SNA) in the project management sphere.

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E-Learning Collaborative System for Practicing Foreign Languages with Native Speakers
I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, A.Y. Prasikova.

04.2016
The paper describes a novel social network-based open educational resource for practicing foreign languages with native speakers, based on the predefined teaching materials. This virtual learning platform, called i2istudy, eliminates misunderstanding by providing prepared and predefined scenarios, enabling the participants to understand each other and, as a consequence, to communicate freely. The developed system allows communication through the real time video and audio feed. In addition to establishing the communication link, it tracks the student progress and allows rating the instructor, based on the learner's experience. The system went live in April 2014, and had over six thousand active daily users, with over 40,000 total registered users. Monetization has been added to the system, and time will show how popular the system will become in the future.DOI 10.14569/IJACSA.2016.070306

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Online e-learning application for practicing foreign language skills with native speakers
I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, A.Y. Prasikova, E. Nikulchev.

03.2016
The paper describes an online e-learning web-based application for practicing foreign language skills with native speakers. Educational materials are a part of the application, along with the live audio–video feed between the participants. The system includes gamification as a component of the user retention and virality mechanisms.
DOI 10.1186/s40660-016-0009-1

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Study of Monetization as a Way of Motivating Freemium Service Users

I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, E. Nikulchev, D. Plokhov

09.2015
The paper describes the user's behavior determined by monetization of an online open-access educational platform. The monetization is a result of operation of the alternative mechanisms of the project attendance growth resulting in a viral increase in the number of users.
DOI 10.12988/ces.2015.57212

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Participant behavior and content of the online foreign languages learning and teaching platform

I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, A.Y. Prasikova

05.2015
To better facilitate the learning of such a tool, more guidance for best teaching practices may help to even out such differences. There is some evidence that highly structured peer-to-peer learning can be successful regardless of teacher competency.
DOI 10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.028

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Gamification, Virality and Retention in Educational Online Platform

I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, V.V. Grishin.

05.2015
The paper describes gamification, virality and retention in the freemium educational online platform with 40,000 users as an example. Relationships between virality and retention parameters as measurable metrics are calculated and discussed using real examples.
DOI 10.14569/IJACSA.2015.060402

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Study of Gamification Effectiveness in Online e-Learning Systems
I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, A.Y. Prasikova, E. Nikulchev.

02.2015
Online remote e-learning systems allow introducing innovative methods in pedagogy, along with studying their effectiveness. Assessing the system effectiveness is based on analyzing the log files to track the studying time, the number of connections, and earned game bonus points. This study is based on an example of the online application for learning of practical foreign language between random users, who select the role of a teacher or a student on their own. The main features of the developed system include pre-defined synchronized teaching and learning materials displayed for both participants, along with user motivation by means of gamification.
DOI 10.14569/IJACSA.2015.060211

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Monetization as a Motivator for the Freemium Educational Platform Growth
I.V. Osipov, A.A. Volinsky, A.Y. Prasikova.

01.2015
The paper describes user behavior as a result of introducing monetization in the freemium educational online platform. Monetization resulted in alternative system growth mechanisms, causing viral increase in the number of users. Given different options, users choose the most advantageous and simple ones for them. System metrics in terms of the K-factor was utilized as an indicator of the system user base growth. The weekly K-factor almost doubled as a result of monetization introduction.

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Constructing the entry strategy for the freemium product market on the basis of the virality and retention indicators
I.V. Osipov

12.2014
SaaS solutions, software and web applications are passing over to the freemium economic model that has many specific features. The paper studies the statistics of users' behavior on an example of an educational collaborative platform and considers interrelationships between the key parameters of the model, namely, the virality, retention, and monetization indicators and peculiarities of calculating them. A new target parameter, F-Growth, is proposed, which allows to assess cumulatively "maturity" of a freemium Internet project aiming at raising external funding and entering the international market.

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