Development of distance learning in pedagogical colleges of Ukraine at the beginning of the 21st century

Abstract

Purpose: to conduct a comprehensive and structured analysis of the main stages, directions, and tools for the development of distance education in pedagogical colleges of Ukraine from the mid-2000s to the first half of the 2020s. Methods: analysis and synthesis, content analysis, discourse analysis were employed to study documentary and scholarly sources as well as online survey results; terminological analysis was used to clarify the categorical framework of distance education; periodization helped identify the dynamics of its development; SWOT analysis served to characterize the effectiveness of distance learning.

Results. The definitions of key concepts such as "distance form of education," "distance education," "distance learning," "digital education," "digitalization of education," "digital educational resources," "blended learning," and "digital literacy" were clarified. The study highlights the features of the implementation and development of distance learning in pedagogical colleges in the mid-2000s–2010s and in the first half of the 2020s. The research characterizes the models and experiences of distance learning developed by pedagogical colleges based on the use of popular messengers, cloud services, and social media. It also presents the results of a SWOT analysis of distance learning organization in pedagogical colleges of Ukraine during the 2022/2023–2024/2025 academic years. The current state and effectiveness of the educational process based on digital technologies and resources in the studied institutions were revealed through the analysis of online survey data. Conclusions: It was established that the initial experience of implementing distance education in pedagogical colleges during the mid-2000s–2010s was largely fragmented and experimental. Subsequently, the challenges and threats caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of martial law in Ukraine triggered a rapid development of distance learning. While earlier progress had been hampered by limited internet access and lack of software and hardware, the early 2020s brought new challenges—particularly the psychological and emotional perception of distance learning by participants in the educational process.