CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC EDUCATION

Abstract

The article is dedicated to contemporary challenges in the educational process of Ukraine, exemplified by fine arts preparation of future architects. Basic documents of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) related to the organization of education in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) under martial law are revised. The statistics with proposals for the preservation and reform of higher architectural and artistic education are analyzed. Martial law in Ukraine, imposed on February 24, 2022, introduced substantial changes in the educational process of the Institute of Architecture and Art of Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. For the first time since World War II the beginning of the second academic term turned out to be under the threat of suspension. The joint efforts of the Administration of the Academy and the Institute, grounded upon the official documents of the MES, lead to making the necessary decisions regarding the successful functioning and further development of the Academy. The purpose of the article was to review basic legal documents related to higher education of Ukraine during martial law and their impact upon the educational process, outline the major issues of distance learning of the future architects under such circumstances and determine the prospects for its further development. Methods of the research: theoretical – study and analysis of the legal documents, related to higher education of Ukraine during martial law; empirical – survey, diagnostics of the teaching staff and students of the Institute of Architecture and Art of Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. While the research of the quality of distance learning during martial law the overall majority of the teachers staff (80 %) of the Institute of Architecture and Art of Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture identified the main challenges as following: difficulties in organization of training for internally displaced students and for the students, being temporarily abroad; international students; tense emotional and psychological state of all the participants in the educational process; technical constraints and lack of necessary tools for teachers and students; decrease in the motivation of the education applicants, etc. Despite the complexity of the contemporary challenges, the MESU presents ambitious plans concerning the accelerated integration of HEI into the European and world educational and research fields. The contemporary HEI network and the educational space is to be developed, thus ensuring the improvement of the quality of higher education.