Large online courses will become even more in-demand since the quality and accessibility of education is rising. They will not, however, replace traditional in-person interactions between student and teacher. By relying effectively on digital technologies, universities can ensure a new level of education quality, which, in turn, can meet the challenges of today’s economy. Discussions of online education, at its current stage of development, should be focused not so much on technological solutions, but rather on ecosystems, which encompass students, universities, corporations, states and tech firms, where related human experiences and meanings are of extreme importance. This was the conclusion of participants in the eSTARS 2018 international academic conference on the present and future of online education. HSE and the online learning platform Coursera teamed up to host the event in Moscow on December 5-6.