Using Vladimir Propp’s Approach to Create Digital Storytelling When Teaching Undergraduate Students

This article proposes an original way to develop digital storytelling using the approach of the famous Russian philologist Vladimir Propp. The authors analyze the term ‘digital storytelling’ and determine the contents, types and problems which can be solved with its use. Nowadays digital storytelling can be used in educational process in order to make undergraduate students learn the technology of creating a new, personal, creative project. It covers the following issues: applying flexibility of thinking when solving any problems; manifestations of creative potential in any profession; maintaining motivation in the process of performing professional tasks, using the method of free associations; using the brainstorming method, etc. The experiment was conducted with 149 students of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University from various fields of study who created digital storytelling projects using the approach provided. The results of the experiment confirm that the study of plot functions improved the quality of students’ projects. Therefore, the effectiveness of the using Propp’s approach was confirmed and the methodological recommendations for creating digital stories were provided.