DISTANCE EDUCATION IN UKRAINIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, ITS PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

Distance education is one of the most promising trends in the development of modern education. Distance education meets all the requirements of the information society, namely: mass education for all population categories regardless of their place of residence; open, person-oriented and lifelong learning. Distance education in Ukraine has existed for more than twenty years. The state policy in the field of distance education determines the concept developed in 2000 for distance education development. According to the policy, distance education is a form of education that is equivalent to full-time, evening, part-time and external education, implemented through distance learning technologies. In addition, the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine number 1494 dated September 23, 2003, approved the "Program for the Development of the Distance Learning System for 2004-2006”. The adoption of the new “Regulations on Distance Learning” as revised in 2015 and the recognition of distance education in the new wording of the Law “On Higher Education” as revised in 2018 are important for the distance learning development in Ukraine. Distance learning refers to the individualized process of acquiring knowledge, skills and methods of a person’s cognitive activity, which occurs mainly through the distant participants’ indirect interaction in the educational process in a specialized environment, which functions based on modern psychological, pedagogical, information and communication technologies