MODERN CHALLENGES IN DISTANCE LEARNING PROCESS

Abstract

Distance learning (also called e-learning) has existed as one of the educational techniques for more than half a century while new technologies were being added to its list of possible resources for conducting the process. However, due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 and worldwide pandemic this way of studying shifted from extra and optional to the only one available, and all the system of education had to cope with the challenge and adjust to the new learning environment.

The article’s purpose is to outline the main problems experienced by both learners and teachers in the Ukrainian system of higher education during the process of adapting to the distance learning, paying special attention to the attitude, opinions, evaluation and self-evaluation of students, their parents and teachers.

The methodology used for this work is the systematic analysis of the informational sources dedicated to the problems of distance learning, and the experiment conducted with the help of students, parents and teachers of National University of Urban Economy named after O. M. Beketov in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The people involved in the study took part in an anonymous survey answering the questions about their own experience of distance learning.

The scientific novelty is connected with the way the survey was conducted. Its purpose was to ask all the three sides of the studying process, as parents also play an important role in it even while higher education, especially if they signed a contract with the university and have to pay for it. The survey was aimed at gathering and counting the opinions, as well as evaluating the progress.

As for the conclusions, the results of the survey showed that, in spite of the difficulties and negative attitude in the beginning, all the participants of the learning process gradually get used to the distance learning, though they are not willing to have the traditional studying process fully substituted with it. It made the studying more accessible for students from remote places and allowed them to save energy for working on their assignments. The teachers mostly saw it as a chance to try some new methods and approaches and to improve their qualification. However, the main problem lies in the parents’ attitude, as the majority of them are dissatisfied with such a way of studying and think the students could get better results in the classroom.