ИСТИНА

Digitalization of education and distance learning have long been a part of our lives, but the pandemic has intensified this process: according to a UNESCO report, the closure of schools and universities affected 99% of students in 192 countries of the world and the only way to continue the educational process in these conditions was the transition to the online format. The beginning of 2020 became a crucial moment for the educational system, it turned out that the problems arising in the process of distance learning are quite critical and significantly affect the effectiveness of the educational process even in the advanced universities. Undeveloped norms and rules, lack of control mechanisms, open and unprotected platforms for remote interaction, turned off cameras of students - all these factors lead to a decrease in the quality of education, socialization problems, reputational risks and other negative consequences for universities. For the students it also seemed to be a serious barrier, because it required adaptation both to the new format of educational process and to the new high level of independence, responsibility and time management. These trends determine the importance of the issues raised in this article. In the first place the authors describe the results of the research, conducted in the Economic Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University (703 students of bachelor and master programs were questioned and interviewed) in order to identify: 1) the main problems students find the most difficult to cope with during the distance educational process; 2) changes in the student’s attitude towards distant education. The survey was carried out in 2 stages: the first stage was completed in 2020, April (right after the university students in Russia were shifted to distance learning), the second stage of the research was held in 2021, March, when return to campus and resumption of face-to-face studies were announced in Russian Universities. The research showed the changes in both student’s attitude towards distant learning and main problems they face. Secondly, the article describes the experience of the Economic Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University in adapting technological, methodological, and social aspects of the educational process to an online environment from April, 2020 to March, 2021. Finally, the authors will provide the recommendations for the further improvement of the education process and transition to the new educational reality. Keywords: Blending learning, distance learning, higher education, COVID19 education.