Abstract:

Many articles have already been written about how the need and then the popularity of distance learning formats increased during the coronavirus pandemic. However, in our opinion, much more important were the consequences of this phenomenon, which predetermined the transformation of educational processes.

While in further professional education, distance learning has long been the most popular format among students, in higher education it was forced to appear because of the pandemic, and in the post-pandemic period, educational organizations are trying to return to the face-to-face format of working with students as quickly as possible. At the same time, the ongoing waves of disease demonstrate the importance not just of the transition to full-time education, but of the ability to combine full-time with distance learning, that is, the transition to a hybrid format of education.

One of the most significant foundations and features of hybrid learning is the subjectivity of the student, i.e. the ability to make his own decision about the model and the way of his participation in the educational process. In this regard, hybrid learning, of course, assumes the presence of appropriate technical support (hybrid classrooms), but no less important is the development of appropriate methods and technologies of teaching, organization of the educational process.

It is important to note that for the majority of teachers at the standard level of technical equipment both full-time and full distance model of education seem to be comfortable, since the algorithms of interaction, forms of material presentation, knowledge control are already clear and understandable in one and in the other case. However, the hybrid format, when some participants of the educational process are face-to-face, and some - remotely, is generally perceived as an extremely difficult, psychologically uncomfortable and inefficient process.

At the same time, it is the hybrid format that seems the most promising from the position of providing opportunities for students to communicate with highly qualified teachers and expert practitioners, and to decide on the model and the way of their participation in the educational process. This means that the task of further advancement not only in the technical and technological key, but also in terms of developing methodological approaches to teaching in a hybrid format and organizing the educational process becomes acute.

The Faculty of Economics at Lomonosov Moscow State University actively uses distance technologies in the development and implementation of further professional education programs. While the Faculty had only one distant education program in 2006, in 2022 the number of such programs increased to 35.

The authors conducted a survey among 254 applicants for different programs of further professional education. The results of the survey showed that the form of education is important for applicants when choosing a further education program: the respondents noted this factor in the top three in terms of significance. Moreover, if in 2017 the vast majority of applicants (79%) noted that fully remote format is most convenient, then in 2022 the situation has changed, and now the most in demand is a hybrid learning format.

Keywords:

Hybrid learning, pandemic, higher education, further professional education