Institution of higher education transformation and society’s response to distance learning during the Covid 19 pandemic

The article analyzes the transformation of the institution of higher education and traditional education during the epidemiological crisis, due to which distance learning was introduced in universities on a federal scale. The authors focus not only on the effect of the introduction of online technologies into the higher education system, but emphasize the uniqueness of the situation in the context of the need to use these tools in order to minimize social communications when it comes to the viral threat. The authors’ use of cybermetric analysis, big data mining, and media monitoring using the Medialogia analysis system allowed to analyze the information agenda in the federal media space, to determine how the traditional education changed in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic. The specificity of perception of distance learning by Russian society is noted. It was revealed through analysis of the media space concerning the activities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation from February to June 2020. The article emphasizes that the discussion on digitalization of the educational process will continue. The authors draw attention to the fact that joint efforts of the state and civil society can contribute to the development of an adequate model of higher education, based on the convergence of traditional and digital educational forms, taking into account the interests of all the participants in the higher educational process