Special Aspects of Transfer to Distance Learning at the Stage of Pre-university Training for Foreign Students

The article deals with special aspects of transfer from full-time (class) to distance learning during pandemic COVID-19 self-isolation period in 2020. Opinions of researchers, material developers and teachers about advantages and disadvantages of distance learning are given in the paper. Social survey was carried out, where foreign students of pre-Master degree level and pre-PhD level training of preparatory faculty for foreign students of Kazan (Volga region) Federal University were questioned. Points of view of surveyed foreign students about advantages and disadvantages of distance learning were analyzed basing on the results of the survey. The survey highlighted the questions connected with educational process, problems of technical support and also emotional state of the students. Analysis of the students’ opinions allowed to set teachers several serious problems to solve: choice of educational on-line platform, explanation of theoretical material in accessible form for foreign students, development of educational material for independent studies. Keywords—distance learning, on-line study, foreign students, pre-university training, pre-Master degree training, pre-PhD training