Problems of forced distance learning during the pandemic and wartime in Ukraine

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National University "Odesa Law Academy"

Problems of forced distance learning during the pandemic and wartime in Ukraine

Potenko L.

Introduction

The educational experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic has proved the ability of higher education institutions worldwide to establish training during the quarantine on remote platforms where teachers could test interactive and other forms of distance learning (DL). The pandemic has necessitated the largest and quickest transformation of pedagogic and assessment practice ever seen in contemporary universities. This put pressure on institutional systems of quality assurance and governance as well as increasing workload for faculty and professional staff [1, p. 454]. Nowadays in distance learning, the use of Internet technologies helps tutors to maintain close contact with the students, monitor and adjust their work. Means of remote control are constantly being improved allowing the teacher to quickly measure the level of mastery of educational material, analyze the results, make assessments, write comments.

However, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, many educational institutions were largely unprepared for an emergency transition to distance learning. Teachers and professors, many of whom have spent their entire careers teaching face-to-face, were suddenly forced to adapt to an entirely new teaching paradigm. From a pedagogical perspective, remote education demands a shift towards more active learning methodologies [2]. Both teachers and learners had to master the necessary applications, online educational platforms, video conferencing systems etc. regarded as necessary tools for distance learning and virtual communications.

New skills and abilities are needed to eliminate unjustified loss of time during the educational process. At the same time, quarantine has not only become a restriction but also provided new opportunities. Educational, cultural and scientific projects that were previously unavailable for various reasons have become available online [2].

Presentation of the basic material

In recent researches, DL is examined as an important supporting element in the global educational space that acts as an effective complement to traditional forms of education. In the context of this study, it should be noted that different terms have been used to describe the teaching and learning process since the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus. These terms constitute e-learning, online learning, distance education, digital learning, blended learning, remote learning / teaching, online distance education, and emergency remote teaching, forced distance learning etc. It has been claimed that the traditional style of teaching and learning is becoming outdated and that e-learning may even replace traditional teaching methods [3]. COVID-19 enhanced significantly and on an unexpected scale the role and meaning of online education, which has appeared to be the only way of teaching since March 2020 in the majority of universities in the world [4, p. 2]

Kulikowski et al. (2021) investigated "the students' perception of e-learning in the midst of this Covid-19 outbreak". The authors consider this question to be important both for students and for educational institutions because learning processes must be continued even with the various conditions and challenges that are affecting universities [4, p. 4]. For his part, Maguire noted that moving to online learning wasn't easy due to a range of issues including IT problems, internet access and lack of knowledge around digital teaching resources. By far the most common challenge students reported while learning remotely was staying focused and motivated. With distractions littered around the house, and without the physical delineation between home and school, keeping students engaged is the core of every successful remote learning program [2].

Distance learning, also called distance education, is an online learning form of education in which the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students during instruction and the use of various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-student communication. [5]. The closure of postsecondary educational institutions induced by COVID-19 brought about many changes to almost all areas of study. In this context, study mostly takes place online and at a distance [6, p. 2]. Distance education is defined as an innovative educational technology in which the leading role belongs to the significant advantage for students [7, p. 80].

The conventional definition of remote learning implies learning that does not involve interaction, but some recent definitions refer to it as a new development, involving advanced technology that entails an interactive learning experience in an online educational setup [8, p. 83]. In this regard, “distance learning” refers to formal academic programs that are conducted completely online, while “remote learning” refers to courses that are typically held on campus but have been moved partially online as part of a hybrid class or temporarily online in response to an unforeseen situation [9].

In contrast to experiences that are planned from the beginning and designed to be online, Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) is a temporary shift of instructional delivery to an alternate delivery mode due to crisis circumstances. It involves the use of fully remote teaching solutions for instruction or education that would otherwise be delivered face-to-face or as blended or hybrid courses and that will return to that format once the crisis or emergency has abated [10].

It goes without saying that among numerous modes of technology enhanced learning there are not many that have received in recent studies as much attention as distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, forced distance learning has not yet been comprehensively investigated. Given the enforced nature of Online Distant Learning (ODL), which is a student-centred approach where learning is a result of teaching and study activities, Virtic et al. suggested to adopt the term Forced Online Distant Learning (FODL) when referring to learning activities during the closure of the university [3, p. 394]. Summarizing the findings from the study researchers concluded that:

- among all applications used to learn and communicate learning materials, the biggest jump during the emergency remote teaching occurred in the videoconferencing system, MS Teams, which during the lockdown, was used by almost all students and regularly by only a few before it,

- there are major differences in teaching large groups of students compared to small groups. Working with small groups of students allows for more individualized teaching and learning experiences,

- student satisfaction with ODL statistically significantly influences their continuance preferences towards online learning; however, students' attitude toward online learning does not statistically significantly influence satisfaction with ODL [3, p. 405].

E-learning is not the most preferred way of studying and only 10% prefer `online only' as a form of teaching, while the blended formula is the most preferred, followed by face-to-face learning [4, p. 2]. Currently, there is a trend toward the digital transformation of education, with the transition to blended forms of education [11]. Blended learning integrates face-to-face teaching with web-based learning, that entails the combination of different methods of delivery, styles of learning, and types of teaching.

The term Forced Online Distance Education (FODE) combines the well-defined and elaborated term Online Distance Education as a combination of content and pedagogy in an online environment with the mostly unwanted pressure to go online. In the case of COVID-19 lockdown, the transfer of lessons and courses was not carefully planned and organized, and teachers were forced to transfer online what they had on hand with their knowledge and skills to save a study year [12, p. 7080].

Dolenc et al. (2021) in their study "The difference in views of educators and students on Forced Online Distance Education (FODE) can lead to unintentional side effects" presented unbiased insight into the obstacles and benefits of FODE as perceived by students and their educators. The authors reported that in the situation of COVID-19 lockdown many researchers and opinionmakers have found education challenging. In an extremely short time, they produced numerous papers on the influence of COVID on various aspects of university life [12, p. 7097].

German researchers Drueke et al. (2021) introduced in their collective study "An evaluation of forced distance learning and teaching under pandemic conditions using the technology acceptance model" the methods of “forced” distance learning and teaching within the framework of the technology acceptance model (TAM). In their research, an extended TAM model was used to investigate the acceptance and usage of the students and lecturers of the online teaching and learning offered at a Medical Faculty of a German university in 2020. The students and lecturers were in a very special situation as they were forced to learn and teach with the help of online tools as face-to-face-teaching and - participation was not allowed due to the risk of infection with COVID19 [13, p. 6].

FODE not only seems to be a lifeboat for universities during a COVID crisis, but has the potential to become a new standard, even in situations where the outcomes of such education can be harmful or without measurable benefit [12, p. 7081]. Moving lectures and courses online has not only changed the format of courses but also brought with it several side effects. One of the most often reported side effects of FODE is the impact on students' mental health, with stress, anxiety, and depression being the most commonly reported impacts worldwide [6, p. 9].

The general importance of distance education for the educational process as well as the advantages of and the obstacles to distance education have been the subject of much discussion in a number of recent studies. At the same time, the problems of distance education based on the experience of a country in a state of open war remain relevant. Since the beginning of a Russian invasion, and now, when Ukrainians are forced to study online under martial law remote learning has become the only available tool for distance learning options in some regions. In this regard, we should determine that during the 2022-2023 school year under conditions of war, most students in Ukraine have 3 options:

1) in person learning, which means learning at school;

2) remote learning, which means learning at home that's organized by their school;

3) home-schooling, which means learning at home that's organized by their parent.

Matviichuk and colleagues (2022) have conducted the survey research on issues of organization and implementation of eLearning in wartime inside Ukraine. According to the study, educational internet technologies, used during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as during the war in Ukraine, have become even more desirable, mandatory tools, serving as the sole means of organizing the educational process. The authors claim that a substantial number of studies establishing the e-learning potential during the pandemic have already been conducted, but there are not many that investigated issues concerning the effectiveness of e-learning in war zones [14]. pedagogy assessment distance learning pandemic war

In the study "The future of distance education in war or the education of the future (the Ukrainian case study)" Sherman et al. (2022) explored the complex problem of distance education functioning in Ukraine from 2019 (the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic) and the decisions made already during the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022. Among others this paper investigated such issues as the specifics of the use of distance education in Ukraine, the formation of recommendations for further development of distance education based on learning the situation in Ukraine. It has been noted that "the aggressive actions of the Russian army and the threat of shelling of educational facilities make the traditional work of educational institutions difficult. Consequently, for Ukraine in the near future, distance learning is an integral part of education of the future" [15, p. 20].

The open military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine poses new challenges to university education, including responding to the loss of the material base, working in dangerous conditions, dispersal of students, etc. The large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 demonstrated that it is dangerous to study on a regular full-time basis [16]. Obviously, distance education during the war is radically different from the quarantine period. It is another challenge for the administration, the teaching staff and the students of higher education themselves. Therefore, preparation for classes should include elements of support, readiness to immediately stabilize the psychological state, interesting motivational forms, sincere communication [17].

With the onset of war in Ukraine, the number of weaknesses and threats posed by remote learning has increased. In particular, many learners are not psychologically and physically ready to continue their studies. In addition, some students and teachers do not have the necessary domestic conditions to conduct classes (stable Internet connection, powerful computers, a separate room, etc.). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the start of the active phase of military operations (war) on Ukrainian territory, teachers only used ICT tools “from time to time” (as needed) and in a limited amount. Their arsenal has been far too limited. Moodle and Google Drive have emerged as the most popular among teachers [14].

We share the opinion that "the main purpose of distance learning during the war is not the assimilation of new knowledge, but psychological support, communication, switching the attention of children and students" [17]. Respectively, it depends on the teacher and lecturer how he will be able to reveal the potential in students for the development of meta-skills, which have latent power and influence on the personality.

In the conditions of the war, the issue of creating a comfortable educational environment and organizing the educational process becomes important, especially for those children who have suffered psychological trauma. With the aim of providing psycho-emotional support to the population during the war, forming pedagogical skills of working with children, the National Program of Mental Health and Psychosocial Assistance has been launched [18, p.8].

An online portal Osvitanow.org designed to help Ukrainians with questions about education during wartime has been launched in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) of Ukraine. This platform also provides information about higher education, psychosocial support, teaching vacancies and help with obtaining educational documents, as well as information on wartime labor relations, how to work in temporarily occupied territories and free teaching tools for distance learning [19]. The MES has recommended that higher education institutions resume classes in a remote or mixed format when the vacation ends, provided that there are safe conditions to do it. In addition, it recommended introducing special studying conditions (individual schedules, academic leaves) for students serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the Territorial Defense [20].

It is important to notice that the impact of war and violent conflict on education not only reduces the effectiveness of learning environment organization but also has a significant impact on student educational achievement [14]. In other words, despite the difficulties as well as the challenges that today's youth face while receiving education in Ukraine, there are also the effects of war on education such as "the perseverance of Ukrainian youth who take a difficult path to education and attend schools and universities while their country is at war" [21]. Therefore, it is doubtless that "the Ukrainian experience of the functioning of education against the background of the confrontation with the aggressor demonstrates that distance education is of particular importance at present" [22, p. 161].

The use of distance learning technologies in recent years has become not only relevant, but also a vital and integral part of both the Ukrainian education system and the global education industry [23, p. 303]. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the rapid introduction of not only online communication technologies, but also the filling of various platforms with educational content. The war additionally objectively actualized the continuation of the started activities and their comprehensive deepening.

Conclusions

Distance learning focuses on advanced pedagogical and methodological experience, on the use of the latest and most efficient information and pedagogical technologies both in the Ukrainian education system and the global education industry as well. However, many educational institutions were largely unprepared for an emergency transition to distance learning. Among numerous modes of technology enhanced learning there are not many that have received in recent studies as much attention as distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of recent scientific works of Ukrainian and foreign scientists has shown that the issues of forced distance learning are becoming increasingly important and require thorough study. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, forced distance learning has been about learning in a critical time, surviving in a time of war with all resources available, including offline and/or online, blended learning that ensures the continuity of education in varying delivery modes. The results of the study made it possible to identify the difficulties, shortcomings and advantages of FDL during the Covid-19 pandemic. Possessing a lot of advantages distance learning has features that cause a negative attitude and endanger the success of learning professional skills, in particular under war conditions. The prospects for future research include an investigation of Ukrainian education system, its significant role in rebuilding and recovering post-war education.

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