Online Education: Trends and Risks of Digital Technologies

Purpose: to consider the specifics of online education in the context of trend lines, as well as digital technologies playing a significant role in education. Research subject: online education trends that capitalize on education and enable investment in the future. Materials and methods: the research is based on comparative analysis, interdisciplinary approach. The theoretical study is based on conceptual works and research results by Russian and foreign authors devoted to the analysis of online education. The article presents the results of an empirical study. Results: Online education is increasingly demanding and innovative ways of delivering quality content are searching for. In this regard, online education is attracting more and more attention to both sides of the educational process students and teachers. Among the undoubted advantages is the acquisition of knowledge that, for one reason or another, the student is not able to have in an offline format. The most common reasons include, for example, the problem of knowledge obsolescence and the desire of students to master the latest trends. Thus, the individual can remain in the stream of the latest professional knowledge and trends. Other motives for obtaining online education include firstly, economic accessibility, secondly, the convenience of the acquiring knowledge format, thirdly, the possibility of establishing a convenient time frame for training, and fourthly, the possibility of obtaining additional knowledge. At the same time, online learning as an innovative learning format is fraught with evident and implicit risks. The article analyzes the risks of online education based on empirical results. Conclusion: online learning, on the one hand, creates the need for lifelong learning, creates opportunities for a wide range of students to receive education, on the other hand, it has limitations and risks. Today, Russian universities are required to prepare teachers to use digital teaching materials and improve technical support.