1Dans l’éditorial du numéro 37 (2022), nous écrivions « Alors que nous rédigeons cet éditorial, l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie plonge le monde de la recherche et le monde en général dans l’effroi et la consternation. » En novembre dernier, au moment où nous préparions ce numéro, la communauté internationale rappelait que l’Ukraine était en guerre depuis 1 000 jours et l’horreur que vit la population ukrainienne depuis le début de cette invasion.

4Aussi, il nous a paru important dans le contexte actuel de donner la parole à Yuliia Nenko à la fois pour son expertise dans les domaines de la formation à distance et de la formation en temps de crise.

*

D. Peraya: Yuliia, could you first introduce yourself in a few words and explain to our readers what your role is and your commitment to distance learning systems in Ukraine?

Y. Nenko: My name is Yuliia Nenko. I am Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor. I head the Department of Professional Language Communication at a higher education institution in the central region of Ukraine. Among my professional duties are the development of materials, educational courses, and supervision of the quality of instruction provided by my department’s teachers. Therefore, the rapid transition to distance learning was a significant challenge.

D. Peraya: How did distance learning develop in Ukraine at different levels of education until the Covid period?

Y. Nenko: The emergence of distance learning in Ukraine was belated compared to its counterparts in Western Europe. The country’s educational institutions lacked specialized distance learning techniques, and was accompanied by a low level of informatization of Ukrainian society, insufficient computer equipment in Ukrainian educational institutions.

In 2001, the system’s organizational structure was created; the legal framework and standards for distance education were developed; regional and local distance education centers’ material and technical foundations were established; the main fund for distance courses was established and its experimental implementation was ensured; the principles for financing the system were developed; and pilot projects for the introduction of distance education were carried out.

D. Peraya: What happened during the Covid period and the compulsory and sudden shift to distance?

Y. Nenko: Ukraine has closed all educational institutions to the public since March 12, 2020, when the epidemic began and the first cases were confirmed. In accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers (CMU) No. 211 of March 11, 2020, quarantine was introduced throughout the country and students were prohibited from attending educational institutions of all levels. All Ukrainian educational institutions transitioned to distance learning in the spring of 2020.

In July 2020, Ukraine introduced an adaptive quarantine. According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers N° 641 of July 22, 2020, depending on a number of indicators (dynamics of the number of patients, number of hospital beds, etc.), each administrative-territorial unit was assigned one of 4 statuses, which determined the degree of quarantine restrictions (four epidemiological security zones, “Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red.”). As a result, while higher education institutions largely continued to use remote learning, general secondary school institutions were continually alternating between blended learning and distance learning.

The responsibility for deciding whether an educational institution switches to distance learning was assigned to local authorities in accordance with the government’s decision to define epidemiological zones. At the same time, the organization and form of distance learning is determined by the pedagogical council of each individual school.

The academic year ended remotely in full general secondary education institutions. Educational institutions at other levels began to resume operations after the quarantine restrictions were eased. In particular, kindergartens were allowed to reopen on May 25, and out-of-school education institutions and inclusive resource centers were allowed to reopen on June 1. Also, practical training in vocational schools and some educational activities in higher education institutions resumed on June 1.

As for my personal experience, like many of my coworkers, I was taken aback by the abrupt switch to distant learning. The majority of us lacked the knowledge and abilities to create educational materials for online use, let alone any prior experience with online platforms. But in a short amount of time, the appropriate services were able to train teachers on how to utilize the e-learning platform (Google Classroom) and work efficiently with it.

By the start of the fall semester, we were already able to modify curricula, exchange teacher experiences, and talk about subjects that might be addressed remotely and others that should wait until students were back in class.

D. Peraya: What was the policy implemented during the time of quarantine?

Y. Nenko: During the period of strict quarantine, in late March, the Ministry of Education and Science sent explanations to the heads of general secondary education institutions on the organization of the end of the 2019/2020 school year. The letter emphasized the autonomy of schools and the decision-making on forms of distance learning at the discretion of the pedagogical council. However, the Ministry of Education and Science did not offer any methodological recommendations and advice that teachers could follow due to the lack of previous experience with distance learning. In May, the Ministry also sent out recommendations to higher education institutions on how to organize a session in distance learning.

Before the start of the 2020/2021 academic year, the Ministry of Education and Science sent letters to general secondary education and vocational education institutions on the organization of the academic year. However, most of these recommendations concerned sanitary and hygienic standards and compliance with the conditions established by quarantine zones, which are based on the Resolution of the Chief Sanitary Doctor “On Approval of Anti-Epidemic Measures in Educational Institutions for the Quarantine Period in Connection with the Spread of the Coronavirus Disease COVID-19.” At the same time, vocational education institutions are encouraged to use blended learning methods - to teach theory remotely and organize practical training in person in compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards.

On October 16 (2021), the Regulation on updated conditions for organizing distance learning developed by the Ministry of Education and Science came into force. This document was rather a belated response, as it was released more than a month after the start of the new school year and contained brief explanations of organizational processes of distance education. Instead, it “ed methodological recommendations for conducting distance education for different types of institutions.

D. Peraya: In concrete terms, what difficulties do teachers and students encounter when faced with this obligation to teach at a distance?

Lack of previous experience with distance learning among teachers and lecturers. According to the same survey, distance learning was a problem for 55.53% of schools because they had no previous experience with this form of education and were not prepared to teach during the quarantine. 47.5% of teachers said they had not previously used distance learning technologies in their teaching. Instead, as we noted earlier, teachers did not receive recommendations on the methodology of distance learning or learning with the help of online educational tools. At the same time, teachers would benefit from advice on how to explain new material, give feedback, train skills, assess progress, and determine the duration of lessons in distance learning.

Lack of universal access to the Internet and equipment necessary for learning. This problem affected both teachers and students. According to survey conducted by the State Service for Education Quality (op. cit.), 62.35% of principals reported that most teachers and/or students did not have the necessary equipment at home, and 46.9% reported low-speed Internet connections. Most teachers shared computers with other family members, and 6% of teachers did not have access to high-speed Internet. Poor quality of Internet connection was reported by 22.3% of parents. In addition, 8.8% of parents said that their families did not have a computer. According to this survey, most children (81.6%) used mobile phones, presumably smartphones, for distance learning. However, fewer use laptops (45.6%) and desktop computers (34.3%). At the same time, not all tasks can be performed on a phone, so children may have needed laptops or computers owned by their parents. If parents also worked remotely, this could complicate both learning and work. The situation could be even more complicated in families with more than one child of school age. The same applies to teachers, who may have been forced to share technical equipment with their children or other family members.

D. Peraya: Have you had the opportunity to analyze the practices of teachers, their difficulties?

Y. Nenko: Much of the educational material was left for self-study. In many educational institutions, distance learning looked like sending material for self-study from a textbook, written assignments to test knowledge, and assessment of results without discussion, feedback, or explanation.

The situation was similar in higher education institutions: some teachers replaced distance learning with written work, which led to an excessive workload for students. Such methods do not contribute to the quality of learning, but, on the contrary, create additional stress. Moreover, the situation within a single university could be different, as some teachers gave written tests, while others conducted distance learning. At the same time, there may have been no coordination between the teachers themselves and no control over the workload of students. This problem is becoming relevant again now that most higher education institutions have switched to distance learning.

D. Peraya: Did you receive any help or support from international organizations during this period?

Y. Nenko: International organizations mainly provided awareness-raising support, but also provided material assistance. UNICEF, together with the Ministry of Education and Science, launched an information campaign on safe learning during the pandemic, School, We Are Ready, and during the examination period, provided testing points with medical masks, disinfectants, thermometers, medical gowns, protective shields, and information materials. USAID, together with the Ministry of Health, created information materials for educational institutions. The Swiss Confederation supported the development of the mon-covid19.info website and the online course “On Distance and Blended Learning Formats” as part of the DECIDE project. Google provided educational institutions with free access to all G Suite for Education tools and services.

D. Peraya: What was the state of the communications technology infrastructure in Ukraine at the time of the pandemic? Was digital inequality and digital divide important?

Y. Nenko: According to the State Statistics Service, households in large cities are almost twice as likely to have access to the Internet as rural households—80% vs. 44%. 79.5% of residents of large cities use the Internet, while 55.9% of rural residents reported this. The Ministry of Digital Transformation has studied access to broadband Internet. It turned out that more than 17,000 settlements out of 28,000 have no optical networks at all. About 65% of villages are not covered by high-quality broadband. In total, 5.75 million citizens are unable to connect to high-quality fixed broadband. More than 4 million Ukrainians live in villages without quality fixed-line Internet. Forty percent of schools, mostly located in villages or small towns, do not have access to high-speed Internet.

At the beginning of the pandemic, parents and educators addressed technical issues on their own, selecting tools for lessons and gaining skills to use them right during the learning process. Later, a number of measures were implemented to support distance learning in the 2020/2021 school year: the School, We Are Ready information campaign (jointly with UNICEF-Ukraine), an online program for professional training and exchange of experience between teachers on distance education (EdCamp Ukraine), and others. According to a survey of school leaders, almost 97% of secondary education institutions use distance learning technologies (such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.), but in 20% of schools, only teachers with computer equipment and Internet access are teaching. At universities, distance education systems were deployed through relevant orders from rectors, and trainings on familiarization and training in their use were conducted by each institution separately. The Diia portal also launched the educational series Digital Skills for Teachers.

D. Peraya: What impact has distance learning had on educational practices?

About positive aspects, it is worth emphasizing the increased level of mastery of information technology by both teachers and students, as practical skills are best developed when they are used on a daily basis. Students became more active during classes (probably due to the support of parents who were able to spend more time with their children); more video content was available for use during lessons particularly in public schools. These are more flexible, mobile, and responsive to user requests. The public school system is too conservative and overregulated. At the same time, the experience of learning during the pandemic allowed teachers to adapt more quickly to the challenges of martial law, including the need to study remotely. Both teachers and students had experience with digital tools for distance learning. This allowed them to adapt to the distance format more quickly and not feel the “shock effect” of the transition to this form of education.

Most changes and innovations are observed in extracurricular activities (courses and clubs) and in private schools.

D. Peraya: What impact has the war had on Ukraine’s education system?

Y. Nenko: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has had severe consequences for secondary education in Ukraine. Schools have suffered human losses as teachers, students and parents have been killed in the fighting and/or Russian occupation. Hundreds of schools were destroyed or damaged. Millions of children and thousands of Ukrainian teachers were forced to change their place of residence within the country or go abroad. Every day, all participants in the educational process have to overcome the challenges of war: forced breaks in school, transition to distance or blended learning, air raids and power outages. The full-scale war has worsened access to education, deepened existing educational inequalities, negatively affected the quality of the educational process and academic performance, and affected the psycho-emotional state of students and teachers.

As a result of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, as of January 2023, 1259 schools were damaged; this is 11% of the total number of schools in the country. 223 schools were completely destroyed. Half of the destroyed and damaged schools are located in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. In Kharkiv, half of the city’s schools were damaged. Schools located on the frontline and near the border are under constant threat of destruction due to shelling. At the same time, schools in communities that are more distant from the frontline and the border are also being damaged by rocket attacks.

As of December 2022, 13% of students and 3% of teachers were still abroad. Most of them left from the eastern and southern regions, which are still partially under occupation, where active hostilities are taking place, or which are located close to the border with Russia.

Most schools in Ukraine are unable to teach in the usual face-to-face format due to the full-scale war. As of December 2022, 36% of schools alternated between distance and face-to-face learning, and another 36% taught only remotely. In particular, most schools in the eastern and southern regions of the country operate remotely.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, as of January 2023, 71% of schools across Ukraine have shelters. The total number of shelters covers 62% of all students. The provision of shelters is better in the western and central regions and worse in regions closer to the border with Russia or the combat zone.

D. Peraya: What role does distance teaching play in this situation?

Y. Nenko: Given the constant threat to the safety of students, it was not possible to resume full-time education in the first half of the 2022/2023 academic year: 15% of educational institutions operated full-time, 33%—remotely, 51%—mixed. Distance learning prevailed in eastern and southern Ukraine.

D. Peraya: Do you think that the fad’s experience during the Covid period has developed pedagogical practices, habits, a “fad culture” among teachers and students that have favored the use of fad today in wartime? Do you have any examples of courses or teachers’ experiences to illustrate your answer?

Y. Nenko: Distance learning lacks face-to-face communication with students to ensure quality learning and assessment. At the same time, for example, some schools in Chernihiv and Kyiv regions have set up digital education centers with the help of donors, including savED and Save the Children. Students have the opportunity to attend them even if the institution is not working due to damage or repair work. Children come to the centers several times a week, including for additional classes, which are initiated by teachers, clubs, and educational hours. In one of the educational institutions in Chernihiv Oblast, such a center has heaters to create comfortable conditions even though there is no heating in the institution.

D. Peraya: How effective has fad been since the Russian invasion? Has it enabled quality teaching to be maintained despite the circumstances? Do you have any statistics on student results by grade and region?

Y. Nenko: Thanks to the experience of Covid online learning, educators have a wide range of tools for organizing the educational process, including for conducting lessons and communicating with students and parents: Human, ZOOM, Google Meet, and Google Classroom, email, social media (Facebook, Viber, Telegram, Messenger), and mobile communication. However, the experience of using different options and finding the best one was rather negative in turbulent conditions: teachers have to change platforms, trying to find the one where communication is least interrupted while only mobile Internet is available during blackouts, and where it is easiest to upload a video of a lesson or assignments if the lesson itself had to be canceled due to shelling or air raid alert during the threat of shelling; and to use a set of messengers to keep in touch with students, their parents, educators for the rapid transfer of information—from the first days of the full-scale invasion.

In villages, more schoolteachers believe that their pupils’ learning outcomes have deteriorated. A decline in performance in a foreign language was reported by 64% of teachers, in mathematics - 55%, in Ukrainian - 53%, in chemistry - 47%, in Ukrainian literature - 43%.

The most common way to make up for lost learning time (missed classes) is to give students self-study assignments and educational resources (presentations, videos, and similar online courses). Additional training sessions and individual and group consultations are held less frequently. It is challenging to determine how frequently these measures are put into practice, though, because the majority of teachers lament the lack of opportunities and conditions, including the absence of Internet and electricity, the lack of teacher free time, and the reluctance of parents and students to devote more time.

D. Peraya: What are the main pedagogical difficulties encountered by distance learning?

Y. Nenko: Educators are mostly unable to continue the educational process in shelters. This is due to a lack of space, furniture and equipment, as well as a large number of children staying in the space at the same time. With limited opportunities to continue lessons, especially in primary school, teachers try to switch children to other activities whenever possible: various games, watching videos, quests, drawing or singing.

Despite the “usual” distance education since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the full-scale war has added other challenges for teachers in this format. In addition to spending most of their time on a computer/tablet/phone in class, preparing for lessons, and checking work, they also have to respond to regular power outages and air raids, which adds up to a lot of extra work. For example, teachers have to prepare simultaneously several lesson formats (face-to-face, synchronous or asynchronous distance learning) at the same time. learning), as there is a high probability of air raids and lack of electricity—this may result in the postponement of lessons or canceling them and then practicing in different formats. In the event of a power outage, one of the possible options is to change schedule—they hold lessons when the Internet is available.

The full-scale war and the resulting social isolation have had a negative impact on the psycho-emotional state of students and teachers, as well as parents, and these problems are systemic and require systemic solutions. It is necessary to create a program of psychological support for participants in the educational process, including both the efforts of professional psychologists and intensive training for teachers on how to assess the psycho-emotional state of a child and their own, how to act in case of signs of traumatic disorder, how to cope with how to deal with the loss of loved ones, etc.

The war-related transition to e-education mostly did not require changes in curricula. At the same time, teachers need new formats, primarily to increase the effectiveness of teaching in a time of war. In particular, e-textbooks, interactive presentations, video lessons, and, of course, high-quality Internet access and the availability of gadgets for both teachers and students.