Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experience of Ukraine's Higher Education System

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new paradigm of ‘life in social distancing’, which in its turn has had a massive impact on education. Continuing education delivery through alternative channels of instruction became a top priority for education institutions aiming to minimize impacts of the pandemic on education. Most universities shifted from conventional, on campus, face-to-face instruction to online distance teaching and learning, which meant that teaching approaches, tools of assessments, and ways of teacher-student communication had to be modified to meet challenges of the altered mode of instruction. Since the pandemic wake, various global educational organizations have carried out studies to identify threats and potential opportunities for higher education within and beyond the pandemic. Some attempts to analyze the experience of the Ukrainian higher education system transition to mass distance instruction have also been made. However, these researches were limited by a territorial or time span, sectoral analysis, or focus on specific issues. Lack of comprehensive cross-sectoral nationwide research regarding perceptions of main actors of Ukraine’s higher education system (teachers and students) on outcomes of this abrupt transition inspired the current research. In this regard, we saw the objective of the study in exploring the experience of mass distance learning application in Ukraine’s higher education system due to COVID-19 and identifying considerations for e-learning in the national system of higher education within and beyond the pandemic. The research was done via survey. The order of the researchers' actions was as follows: questionnaire compilation, data collection, data analysis, and knowledge generation. In this study, a closed-format questionnaire containing questions with pre-offered answers (multiple choices) was the main research instrument. The questionnaire was distributed to Ukrainian university teachers and students by snowball sampling. Data analysis phase involved analyzing the quantitative datasets. The interpretation of the analyzed information led to the generation of knowledge. 882 responses from 65 Ukrainian higher education institutions were received. The survey data showed that mass transition to distance learning became a challenge for majority Ukrainian universities: only 45.5% of the respondents reported experiences with teaching/learning online before the pandemic; 59.4% of them indicated limited (permanent or occasional) access to technological resources (stable and sustainable Internet, properly equipped workplace, software/hardware means). Nonetheless, the survey results confirmed that both teachers and students were satisfied with the rapid transition to distance learning due to COVID-19, although students proved more flexible in adapting to the new mode of instruction. Majority of the respondents indicated such online educational platforms as Zoom (88.3%) and Google Classroom (85.3%) as the most widespread in the Ukrainian virtual educational environment; and such educational technologies as collaborative (56.6%) and individualized learning (55.9%) as the most efficient in distance learning. The research advances the e-learning knowledge area providing data regarding the experiences of Ukraine's national higher education system on mass and abrupt transition to distance learning and envisaging potential for this mode of instruction beyond the pandemic.

Hawler Medical University students’ perceptions of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…A study conducted in Bangladesh to explore university students’ acceptance of e-learning during COVID-19 revealed that 29.1% of the students agreed that they are satisfied with the e-learning experience during COVID-19 pandemic [ 13 ]. The results of the study conducted in Ukraine revealed a huge difference with those of this study, which reported that the student satisfaction rates with various forms of distance learning were 66.9% (satisfied) and 18.1% (very satisfied), and only 7.9% were unsatisfied [ 23 ].…”

“…In a study conducted in Iran to find out the students’ view points on e-learning, some participants considered the lack of effective cooperation and communication between groups of managers in pursuing the virtual problems of students as an important challenge in the field of e-learning process [ 12 ]. Contrary to that, 58% of the respondents of a study conducted in Ukraine to explore distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic were satisfied with the support received from the university administration for proper engagement in the process of e-learning [ 23 ].…”

Teaching and learning delivery modes in higher education: Looking back to move forward post-COVID-19 era

“…Another important aspect that needs to be considered in future research is the development of new educational models that integrate traditional and distance learning in business management education. Such a model can help establish criteria for successful implementation of distance learning and facilitate better time management for students ( Grynyuk et al, 2022 ).…”

Pre-Service Teachers’ Academic Identity and their Lived Experiences in Remote Learning: The New Normal in Curriculum Practice

“…Grynyuk et al also argue that with remote learning, learners become flexible and even motivated. 34 Additionally, it engages both the teacher educator and preservice teachers by promoting active participation and self-regulated learning. Since the teacher educator would have achieved all the objectives and the pre-service teachers would have understood the content, the teacher educator would not be required to repeat one topic repeatedly.…”