Particularities of students perceptions of the digitalization of education: Comprehending the experience of online learning in a pandemic environment

Abstract

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has initiated the rapid introduction of digital technology into the educational process. The purpose of the article is to analyze the particularities of the perception of the processes of digitalization of education by Russian students, to identify factors for its success, to comprehend the experience of online learning in the context of the pandemic. Methods. The leading research method was a questionnaire survey of Russian university students. The sample was 1,553 people and was spontaneous in nature. Due to quarantine restrictions at the time of the survey (February-April 2020), the survey was conducted online: The questionnaire was posted on the Google platform, the link to which was sent to the student virtual communities. To clarify the data obtained, two focus groups were organized in January-February 2021 with the participation of full-Time and part-Time students. Each focus group was represented by 12 participants. Results. The majority of respondents (83.8%) have a positive attitude to the digitalization of education, highly evaluating the importance of digital literacy of young people (86.9%). Students associate the advantages and disadvantages of digitalization of education with their own experience of online learning during the pandemic. The following negative effects of digitalization of education were identified: deterioration of interpersonal communication skills (58.3%), reduction of classroom time, live communication with the teacher (49.3%), reduction of students knowledge (37.3%), reduced concentration, a distraction from educational goals (33.4%). The majority of respondents believe that the success of learning in a digital environment depends on the competence of the teacher (67.1%) and the material and technical equipment of the university (69%). Conclusions. With the rapid introduction of digital technologies into the educational space, there is an increasing need to develop interactive teaching methods, increase students motivation, and preserve the principles of traditional pedagogy. Digitalization of education implies modernization of pedagogical practices, where a special role is given to the formation of media competence of young people, their analytical skills, abilities for critical thinking and effective communication.