Consequences of the Distribution of the Coronavirus COVID-19

and New Strains on the Educational System

E. G. Karpova

and E. S. Karpov

Russian State University named by A.N. Kosygin (Technology. Design. Art), RSU named by A.N. Kosygin,

Kashirskoye Shosse, 132, Building 1, Moscow, Russia

Keywords: Education System, Pandemic, Training, Distance Format, Communication Methods, Social Distancing.

Abstract: In today's global society, the education system remains indispensable for the formation of social norms, value

systems and social consciousness, especially in a pandemic. The aim of this study was to find out how the

pandemic affects the social, organizational and methodological processes in education, what are the

consequences in the education system during the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of new strains. The

research methodology included system analysis (for a comprehensive study of the situation in the educational

environment associated with coronavirus) and comparative analysis (for an overview of promising strategies

in various educational institutions of Russia and identification of dominant ones). The study of the distance

format in the educational environment of a higher educational institution related to the coronavirus revealed

a shift from the traditional education format aimed at increasing the share of distance education received, to

its gradual transition to a blended learning model in receiving educational services. The results of this study

can be used in the educational environment, as well as by officials to develop educational and informational

socially-oriented educational policies, especially in relation to pandemic and other emergencies.

1 INTRODUCTION

In today's maximally globalizing information society,

education is one of the main components of social

communication, it remains an important element of

the formation of social norms, the transmission of

value systems and social consciousness (Bechet-

Trute, 2022). Using the latest practical developments

in the field of information and communication

technologies, the system higher education

successfully follows the consumer of content at all

levels of education from primary to higher education,

from traditional educational resources to webinars

and websites, from the transfer of knowledge, skills,

skills to professional competencies and professional

standards, the use of social networks and information

and educational platforms. management of the

educational trajectory at the university, the

development of an individual educational trajectory

for each subject of the educational process are

constantly relevant and are developed for each

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2237-4033

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8908-2705

individual educational institution, and in general for

development as a social institution.

Education, like other social institutions such as

advertising, plays an important role in shaping new

values and attitudes during periods of active social

transformation (Alalwan, 2018). Now, this is the time

that all of humanity is experiencing in connection

with the COVID-19 pandemic (Pavlovskaya, et al.,

2021). Everything is changing - the traditional way of

transferring knowledge in the education system, in

life, and even established habits. Responding to the

needs of society and at the same time being an agent,

the education system is forced to radically change its

messages. In the context of a pandemic outbreak, the

process of globalization itself is gradually losing its

attractiveness (Dale, 2000). That which is long-

established in the system and actively promoted

becomes optional and unnecessary. Live

communication is being replaced by social

distancing. The traditional education system is losing

ground. Education and many other intellectual

activities are moving to distance mode (Berger,

410

Karpova, E. and Karpov, E.

Consequences of the Distribution of the Coronavirus COVID-19 and New Strains on the Educational System.

DOI: 10.5220/0011121500003439

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference "COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals" (RTCOV 2021), pages 410-415

ISBN: 978-989-758-617-0

2020). At the same time, the limited availability of

technology and access to reliable sources of

information due to various social and social factors,

sometimes called the digital divide or digital divide,

manifested itself at a critical moment in the crisis of

the educational system, as well as in the health care

system and other socio-economic systems (Ramsetty

and Adams, 2020).

During an emergency, the management of social

processes primarily rests with the state and social

institutions, especially the education system.

However, as practice shows, the state actively uses

the potential of education to influence individual and

mass consciousness, promote its fundamental ideas

and form the necessary public opinion and behavior

that will correspond to the goals set by the authorities

(Shareef et al., 2019). All of the above determines the

relevance of researching the impact of the pandemic

on the higher education system.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Despite the presence of a wide range of sources and

literature on various aspects of the transformation

process in the education system, the study of the

impact of the pandemic on the processes taking place

in the higher education system is still relevant.

Preliminary work in this area focused primarily on

methods of influencing consumer behavior

(motivation to learn and receiving educational

services), the effectiveness of various information

and communication channels and new educational

formats aimed at increasing trust among the target

audience of applicants and students. Nevertheless, the

lightning speed of changes in the life of modern

society requires a systematic study of the factors that

caused them. These include, first of all, the system of

vocational education itself, since it contributes to the

formation of new social norms, values, orientations,

attitudes and rules of behavior in the context of the

dynamics of growing changes.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact

of the pandemic on the education system, social

processes taking place inside it during the COVID-19

pandemic.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the

following tasks:

 to study the specifics of the study of the

interaction of society and the education system

in the scientific literature;

 analyze the trends in the education system that

have arisen in connection with the COVID-19

pandemic, in particular, track the transition

from the traditional format of education in the

education system, aimed at forming the

younger generation, to a blended learning

format;

 find out the functions and reasons for using

distance learning in the higher education

system associated with the pandemic.

The object of the research is the educational

system based on the distance format, which appeared

in connection with the outbreak of COVID-19. We

are talking about the peculiarities of the impact of the

pandemic on the processes taking place in the higher

education system.

Empirical research into the education system

requires well-designed, well-controlled and well-

executed projects in which incentives, models and

measures are methodologically correctly combined to

provide genuine and meaningful contributions to

theory and practice. An erroneous or inappropriate

decision on any of the issues discussed can

completely negate the results and thus make the study

results questionable (Geuens and De Pelsmacker,

2017).

To solve research problems and achieve this goal,

a set of scientific methods was used:

 theoretical methods (analysis, synthesis,

induction, deduction, comparison and analogy

were used to clarify the level of influence of

various factors on the education system

associated with the pandemic, on social

processes, define the conceptual and

categorical apparatus, generalize and

systematize scientific provisions);

 special methods (system analysis was used to

comprehensively study the situation with the

introduction of a distance format into the

system of higher education, which appeared in

connection with the COVID-19 pandemic;

comparative analysis was used to study

educational practices and clarify their

dominant strategies, taking into account their

socio-cultural and managerial background).

Such an integrated approach contributed to a

comprehensive study of the selected research material

presented in examples.

3 STUDY RESULTS

3.1 Transforming Higher Education in

the COVID-19 Era

The main social area of academic research is related

to the sustainability of the higher education system

Consequences of the Distribution of the Coronavirus COVID-19 and New Strains on the Educational System

411

and its variability. This is a new area of research as

the Covid-19 crisis opened it up as a great research

opportunity. For example, are there any differences in

educational technologies used in the educational

process in some universities in Russia and around the

world? What are the different methods, ways of

transmitting knowledge, competencies are used in the

educational process and in the educational

environment around the world to isolate from

infection.

Nowadays, technological educational tools are

increasingly used to solve acute social problems.

These include such a global problem as the COVID-

19 pandemic. The higher education market has been

forced to respond to new conditions by rebuilding

itself on the fly and thereby changing traditional

educational technologies and practices. The new

reality requires radical changes in educational

strategies, the analysis of which is considered a

promising area of research (Habes et al., 2020).

Currently, the issue of expanding the use of

distance education in the face of the threat of the

spread of coronavirus infection is being actualized.

Starting from March 2020, 80% of Russian

universities and colleges have decided to switch to

distance learning; in 2021, certain regions,

educational institutions also work in the conditions of

distance learning or blended learning. In this regard,

all face-to-face studies at the University of the

Russian State University. A.N. Kosygin

(Technology. Design. Art), including lecture and

practical, were transferred to the online platform.

Teachers, IT workers, programmers were forced to

develop such an organization of the educational

process in a short time, which would not be inferior

to the traditional full-time form of education, which

is familiar to everyone, but at the same time was

based on the available communication tools for

students and teachers in the electronic information

and educational environment (IEE).

However, the pause in the offline work of

educational institutions for such a short period of time

and the transition to distance learning at the university

inevitably led to a number of problems associated

with insufficient technical equipment, insufficient

level of competent training of teachers and students.

However, along with these problems, students and

teachers also had the opportunity to experience a new

format of education, which provides prospects for

improving the educational system.

3.2 Distance Learning Technologies

First, it is necessary to reveal the concept of "distance

learning format". Distance learning, online classes or

distance learning is the process of gaining new skills

outside the classroom through interaction with the

teacher. Distance implies that the organization of all

educational activities using the information

infrastructure will be carried out between the student

and the teacher at a distance.

However, online education at the university is

impossible without a developed IT infrastructure, its

well-coordinated work, which cannot be formed

without investing large investments, including the

uninterrupted operation of the online learning

platform, which ensures effective student learning,

filling the platform with educational content, and

tracking student attendance. , regularly filling the

pages of disciplines for students with tasks, and then

checking the completed tasks by teachers on the

platform in their personal account. Following the

methodological recommendations of the Ministry of

Science and Higher Education of the Russian

Federation, each university has developed its own IT

platform for the implementation of a distance learning

format that meets the requirements of organizing the

entire work process at the university. The important

requirements for the online platform were its

reliability, ease of creating and posting assignments

and lectures, and accessibility for students and

teachers. At the Russian State University named after

A.N. Kosygin, the moodle virtual learning

environment was used through which the educational

website of the university was created.

As shown by a sociological study conducted in

October 2020 at the Russian State University. A.N.

Kosygin, 73% of the students were able to "good" and

"excellent" adapt to the new conditions of distance

learning.

However, due to the sharp and rapid transition to

a distance learning format, not all teachers were

competent enough to teach in the online environment

at the university, and therefore students received

some assignments through other social networks, or

by using the distribution of assignments via e-mail. ...

Analysis of the information obtained in the study

showed that 32% of students received assignments

through Mail.ru mail, 14% of students took

information from such messengers as What’s app and

Viber. All this is due to the fact that teachers did not

have enough professional competencies and practical

skills to work in a digital environment and sufficient

time to master new information and communication

tools of the educational process, which, of course, is

very important when introducing new information

and communication teaching technologies. Teacher

training could not be effective in such a tight

RTCOV 2021 - II International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference " COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

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412

timeframe, so for the faculty, they were limited to

short briefing internal meetings, webinars and

recommendations for working with the university's

online services. At the same time, motivated students

coped well with the assigned tasks, but the percentage

of such students turned out to be low. As the results

of applied empirical research show, in connection

with the transition to a distance learning format, the

level of motivation among students in general

decreased by 32%. This figure was strongly

influenced by self-isolation, which was introduced in

March 2020 in order to reduce the risk of illness, and

students worked from home. This is also a reason to

think about increasing the motivation of students

during the period of work at a distance in a distance

format.

During self-isolation, students could not

communicate live with peers, strengthen friendships,

which led to a lack of physical activity and live

communication, and, as a result, to a decrease in the

level of general motivation for learning. Perhaps the

result would have differed according to many main

criteria in the absence of the necessary forced self-

isolation for medical reasons, because many students.

In fact, they noted not only the disadvantages, but also

the advantages of this training format. The students

determined that distance learning allows them to

adhere to an individual pace and rhythm of learning,

watch videos repeatedly, and, most importantly, in

such conditions, reduces the risk of contracting a viral

infection.

3.3 Learning Process Technology

The university decided to conduct the learning

process using the platforms Zoom.ru and Google

Meet. These programs allow you to organize video

conferencing with multiple devices connected at the

same time. They are perfect for organizing group

lectures and seminars for large groups of students.

The platform can be accessed both from a personal

computer, which was done by 71% of students, and

from their own phone, which was followed by 14%

of students of the Russian State University. A.N.

Kosygin. In order to get to a lecture or seminar, you

just need to follow the link or conference ID that the

teacher creates. This information and educational

platform is convenient for the learning process in

several ways:

1. Training takes place in real time, while there is

no risk of infection;

2. If you have any questions, the student can

immediately ask the question orally or type it in the

chat;

3. Ability to review the recording again, since the

recording of the lesson is being made;

4. The student gets the opportunity to develop an

individual pace of education, can complete

assignments on any day, the main thing is to have

time to post the results before the deadline set by the

teacher.

When assessing the effectiveness of a new

educational technology or learning model, it is

necessary to take into account not only the learning

outcomes of students, their academic performance,

but also the motivation of students, their involvement

in the process, because the interest arising in the

learning process has a direct impact on the

achievement of results. The study showed that 52%

of students are satisfied with the learning process.

Students noted that the work of the teaching staff was

interesting and understandable, while it was possible

to choose an individual learning pace and re-watch

the videos. However, 41% of students were not fully

satisfied with the results of distance learning. They

believe that the reason for this is that the material is

poorly absorbed in the online format due to a strong

increase in the load.

4 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Thus, according to the results of a sociological survey

on the topic “The impact of the pandemic on the

development of distance learning at the Russian State

University. Named by A.N. Kosygin”, preliminary

conclusions can be drawn that, of course, distance

learning, designed to limit the spread of a dangerous

infection, has revealed both the advantages and

disadvantages of this format of educational activities,

both for teachers and students. The attitude to

distance is very heterogeneous and diverse, which

shows all the versatility and complexity of organizing

such a complex systemic process as higher education.

However, optimal efficiency and obtaining high-

quality results in the educational process is possible

only with the mutual participation of both the teacher

and the student, as well as all auxiliary structures,

including the administrative and managerial

educational system.

The results of the study allow us to conclude that

the pandemic has a significant impact on the modern

higher education system as one of the main

components of the social system of the whole society

as a whole, also has a significant impact on social

processes within this system and can model the

behavior of subjects of the educational process not

only in within their system, but also adjacent social

Consequences of the Distribution of the Coronavirus COVID-19 and New Strains on the Educational System

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groups. At the same time, the education system

remains able to determine the vectors of social

development, prioritize and influence the dynamics of

social changes not only within its educational space,

but also to influence the processes taking place in

society as a whole.

Checking the distance learning format, which

appeared in connection with the introduced

quarantine measures, revealed the possibilities of

such a transition, its pros and cons. Educational

institutions, coordinating their activities with various

state bodies, the Ministry of Education and Science,

the Ministry of Education and state-controlled

educational organizations of various levels, directed

all their efforts to change the model of social behavior

within the general education system and introduce

new norms, rules and standards into it. ... The new

social order assumed not only the containment of the

manifestation of crisis processes, but also introduced

restrictions on all types of social activity with a

simultaneous strengthening of control. This implied

fundamental changes in communication processes,

while the higher education system, responding to new

government requests, put forward new development

alternatives and reformatted the ways and methods of

teaching. Finally, Covid-19 has increased the use of

social networks in the educational process on

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and

platforms - Zoom, moodle virtual learning

environment, etc. They generate a huge amount of

data by word of mouth. Just as Natual Language

Processing (NLP) was developed for analyzing text

data, it is necessary to further develop the capabilities

of additional methods for analyzing video content in

the educational process, probably tied to machine

learning and artificial intelligence. Distance and

blended learning formats are developing and

becoming more and more in demand for young

people in comparison with the traditional format in

the higher education system. All over the world,

higher education programs are criticized for not

meeting the needs of the market. Graduates are not

ready to fulfill their professional duties, business

spends resources on independent training of the

necessary personnel, while the significance of the

diploma decreases.

The need for change is so obvious that even a

conservative higher education system recognizes the

need for a global transformation. Universities are

introducing new models and approaches, and radical

changes are taking place not only in foreign, but also

in Russian universities. The period associated with

the pandemic only exacerbated this situation in the

education system and actualized transformation

processes.

5 CONCLUSIONS

The 2019-2021 coronavirus pandemic is a shock to

the world. It is large enough to change the philosophy

of the social role of the state and all social institutions,

which is also the system of higher education. The

coronavirus pandemic, also known as COVID-19 and

its new strains, has far-reaching socio-educational

consequences in addition to the spread of the disease

itself (Kiselev, 2020).

The global education system is on the verge of

dramatic changes, catalysed by the pandemic. If the

previous decade was entirely dictated by the

processes of globalization, today the focus is shifting

towards the development of national economies and

communities. And in addition to educational and

scientific functions, universities are also responsible

for the implementation of the third, public mission.

In order to prepare people for productive activities

in this volatile world, the education system must also

be very dynamic. But there is a complication: the

university is the second most conservative social

institution after the church, and the model by which

education in most Russian universities is structured

today has practically not changed since the third

decade of the 20th century.

Isolation and social distancing to combat the

covid-19 virus have caused serious disruptions and

disruptions to the optimal functioning of the entire

education system in Russia. The entire educational

space turned out to be limited in time and place. It was

only thanks to the flexibility of time, but the rigidity

of the use of information and communication

technologies, that teachers learned to improvise

creatively and innovatively. However, there are also

negative aspects of the impact of the pandemic on the

educational system. The boundaries between work

and personal life are now blurring as people work

from home, study at home and relax at home. In fact,

the massive transition to distance learning in the

education system, from school to university or

generally to work, provoked by the pandemic, only

opens up more opportunities at the beginning. Most

likely, such a transition, in our opinion, will

exacerbate the tendency of worsening working

conditions and an increase in its intensity due to the

mixing of work and rest. Thus, the 21st century

returns us to the origins of early capitalism: modern

high-tech means of communication, ensuring the

constant availability of a person, violate his personal

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space and, in fact, destroy the right to rest, include in

working hours tasks related to organizing personal

and family life, thereby highly qualified the

proletariat (teachers) of the "digital economy" pays

by not only working in the evenings or nights, but also

on weekends and during holidays. As far as it goes.

As the educational system and the teachers and

students themselves, being the subjects of the

educational process, are forced to adapt to distance

and blended learning formats for a long period of

time, they are likely to apply new technologies that

facilitate work and study. The use of digital

technology can change existing habits. Finally, the

state educational policy will also impose new

legislative norms, expand the range of digitalization

of education and enhance the role of higher education

in the context of the digitalization of society and the

creation of artificial intelligence.

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