Distance Learning at University: New Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Modern system of higher education has a fundamental scientific base which allows graduates to learn comprehensively, but a new era of information and globalization in education requires modernization, new approaches to organizing higher school. Combination of powerful and accessible information technologies, general computerization led to appearance of new specific educational technologies, formation of distance learning, which, in turn, allows expanding the contingent of students, integrating education into the international educational space. In recent years, distance learning has become an integral component of the educational process at higher educational institutions and is used in all forms of education. The use of distance learning allows increasing the quality of education due to the fast enrichment with the world educational resources. Distance learning becomes especially relevant in the conditions of new federal state educational standards which aimed at reducing the volume of classroom hours and increasing the proportion of students’ independent work. In addition, the world coronavirus pandemic served as a kind of impetus for the development of information educational technologies. However, even those educational institutions that had actively used educational technologies in the educational process long before the arisen changes faced a number of difficulties. In the article special features of introducing distance learning into educational institutions of Russia are considered. An analysis of the state of the Russian online education market is presented. An overview of modern educational platforms which manifest themselves in the best way in the system of higher education is offered. In addition, the article presents advantages and disadvantages of distance learning in the conditions of a higher educational institution, as well as an assessment of prospects for the online education development both in the world and in Russia. Keywords—information society, distance learning, e-learning, Internet technologies, educational platforms for online learning