Lifelong education as one of the digital decade trends

Isaeva Kira Vadimovna PhD in Sociology Postgraduate student, Department of Sociology of Management, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow, ul. Leninskie Gory, 1, kab. 529 kkiraisaeva@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Vantyaeva Anastasiya Sergeevna ORCID: 0000-0002-1539-3025 Postgraduate student of the School of Contemporary Social Sciences Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, bldg. 13A vant-anastasia@mail.ru

     Today, representatives of the scientific community and experts in the field of digital technology development remain united in the opinion that modern society is going through a transitional period in its history - the formation of a digital civilization ^[1] [Khabrieva T. Ya., Osipov G. V., 2022]. For science, the term "digitalization" is relatively new. The introduction of the term into scientific circulation is associated with the American scientist N. Negroponte, who in 1995 in his work "Life in the digital world" gave the first description of the "digital world"^[2][N. Negroponte, 1995]. Currently, the concept of "digitalization" is defined in a narrow and broad sense. In a narrow sense, digitalization is the transformation of any information into digital form through new technologies. In a broad sense, digitalization is considered as "a modern global trend in the development of the economy and society, which is based on the transformation of information into digital form and leads to an increase in economic efficiency and an improvement in the quality of life" ^[3] [Khalin V.G., Chernova G.V., 2018].

Almost all spheres of life, including the education system, have undergone digital changes, and even transformations. Covid-19 has become an accelerator for the introduction of digital technologies in educational detail. The events of 2020-21 related to the pandemic in the context of the spread of Covid-19 have clearly demonstrated the growth of digitalization of human life and the opportunity to study and work while staying at home. The change of the industrial era to the modern electronic-digital one entails qualitative transformations of the way of life. Over the past decade, the field of research of scientists and experts has become such problems as digitalization, virtualization, robotics, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud storage, and the formation of a new reality. And in the life of a large number of modern people, such concepts as "smart home", "digital television", "electronic data transmission", "online education", "electronic government", etc. have entered the life of a large number of modern people. Qualitative changes in the form of life activity under the influence of digitalization have led to changes in the timing of planning. Planning has become difficult today, even for the next 5-10 years, including in the field of professional and career growth. Whereas 10-15 years ago, when you got a job, you could be sure that your career path was predetermined for the coming decades.

Behind the change of civilization there is also a change of current professions and specialties. Many professions are becoming a thing of the past, other specialties are emerging, for which new educational programs, teaching methods and forms of employment are being developed. Such trends suggest that people have to constantly learn and improve their knowledge and skills. Therefore, the system of continuing education can be considered a trend of the coming decades. 

The first developments of the concept of continuing education appeared in the works of English researchers back in the 30s of the twentieth century. They interpreted this process mainly as adult education and considered it from the point of view of a compensatory factor.

On a more global scale, the development of this system occurred in the 70s of the twentieth century. In 1972, UNESCO developed the concept of continuing education, the essence of which was to change the educational paradigm associated with the social production and reproduction of knowledge, skills, information, values, traditions^[4]. In the mid-1980s, there was an intensification of the development of the concept. By the early 2000s, a modern version of the concept of modern education was created, which consisted in the fact that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in the educational process at any time of their life. At the same time, if earlier the concept of continuing education was only a part of the general educational system, now it becomes its fundamental principle.

The growing importance of the development of the system of continuing education is associated with several factors at once. Firstly, it is the transformation of society due to scientific and technological progress, which requires new competencies from employees. Secondly, it is the variability of the labor market, where old professions are dying out and new ones are emerging, which are more in demand today. Thirdly, it is the growth of the value of professional mobility, which forces a person to be more active, flexible, multitasking, to have as much diverse professional experience and skills as possible. Fourth, it is globalization and migration, which increase the demand for new knowledge and international experience.

In Russia, the system of continuing education is fixed at the legislative level and is described in Article 10 of Federal Law No. 273 On Education, where it is noted that "The education system creates conditions for continuing education through the implementation of basic educational programs and various additional educational programs, providing the opportunity to simultaneously master several educational programs, as well as taking into account existing education, qualifications, experience practical activities in obtaining education".^[5]

The modern system of continuing education is very variable and includes all levels of pre-professional, professional and postgraduate education. Postgraduate education can be especially diverse, because a person can change his profession several times during his life, so it is important to have access to various kinds of information in order to "keep up with the times" and remain useful to society at different stages of its development.

The effectiveness of the continuing education system has been confirmed by various studies. For example, according to the sociological research of the regional resource center "School League" of the Small Technological University of Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shukhov, it was revealed that 76.3% of participants of higher educational institutions and enterprises positively assess the results of the functioning of the system of continuing education. The expert assessment also has positive dynamics^[6] [Vasneva V.A., 2019]

However, it is worth noting that for the proper functioning of the system, a number of principles must be observed:^[7] [Novikov A.M. Novikov D.A.]

1. The principle of humanism, which states that the learning process should be directed at a person and is his personal choice;

2. The principle of democratization, which implies the availability of the desired education at any age, as well as training in order to reveal individual abilities;

3. The principle of advance, which translates the need for the education system to be one step ahead of the existing development of individuals and society;

4. The principle of mobility, which is expressed in the flexibility of educational programs based on the changing demands of society and its spheres of life;

5. The principle of openness, which consists in working with different groups of people, regardless of their level of education, professional training, etc.

In recent years, due to the huge variety of different courses, webinars and master classes, many people are trying to achieve not only professional excellence, but also to fill in the existing "gaps" and expand their general erudition. And if earlier only teachers of educational institutions were engaged in the learning process, now various experts and even bloggers with extensive practical experience in a particular field can do it. It is important that any of the listed learning methods are available both offline and online formats. Experts identify the reasons that caused the rapid growth in the number of online training programs, including "the democratization of education, the creation of an open educational space, increasing the prestige of participating universities, the availability of a system of continuing education and advanced training, the possibility of solving urgent problems in higher education"^[8] [Kogan M.S., Weindstein E.V., 2017]. In addition, one of the main reasons for the ubiquity of online education can be called the Covid-19 pandemic, which for a certain period of time made such a format the only possible one for learning.

It should be noted that the digital transformation of education has both pros and cons. Its main advantages are:

1. Accessibility (online courses can be available to everyone, regardless of their place of residence, age, education, existing professional experience, etc.). In addition, students have the opportunity to reuse the educational materials they have passed, thanks to which teachers are relieved of time from conducting repeated lectures.

In addition, online education is often more affordable. The costs of operating the classroom fund, dormitories, computer and other equipment have been reduced.

2. Diversity (online courses offer a wide range of subjects and topics, which allows students to choose courses that are most suitable for their interests and needs).

3. Flexibility (students are able to choose their own time and place to study).

4. Interactivity (many online programs contain a large number of different interactive tasks that help you learn the material better and faster).

5. Relevance (online courses are updated much more often than approved full-time training programs, and therefore the knowledge gained is considered more recent and relevant for today).

It should also be noted that a positive consequence of the availability of modern educational technologies is that vocational education becomes a platform for the exchange and rectification of knowledge, skills and technologies. Education management on such a platform is a multi–component process of creating and storing knowledge, sharing it, self-learning new technologies, interaction with a large audience and experts.

At the same time, online education has a number of disadvantages:

1. Lack of personal contact with the teacher and other students (this can lead to a decrease in motivation and a deterioration in the quality of education received).

2. Lack of practical application of knowledge (some subjects require practical development of the acquired knowledge, which may be limited in online format).

3. Limited access to equipment (students who do not have access to a computer and high-speed Internet may experience difficulties in online learning).

4. The need for independent work in a large volume (online learning requires a high level of self-discipline in order to study and assimilate the material qualitatively).

Nevertheless, digital learning continues to develop and is becoming increasingly popular in Russia. Most educational institutions already offer online courses, and some companies are creating special platforms for employee training.

The most popular directions for online learning are:

1. IT and programming;

2. Foreign languages;

3. Graphic design;

4. Business and Management;

5. Courses on personal development.

This is also confirmed by the research data of the Skolkovo Foundation, which reflect the results of the analysis of the "subsidence" of online education segments. According to the data, in 2022, the least popular among them were exam preparation programs and highly specialized courses (for example, rhetoric courses, music or courses on complex negotiations), as well as premium education (MBA, long-term management courses)^[9]. Also, the results of the study confirm the conclusions that today people have a demand for mastering new professions, in particular, in the IT field.

Let us note another important trend in the conditions of digitalization of education, which undoubtedly forms the modern system of continuing education. In addition to the appearance of new online learning programs and courses, there is a tendency to transform educational processes within the walls of universities, in the so-called academic education, and science. Today, the search for answers to digital challenges has become a problematic field of research in the social sciences. Due to the complexity of the questions, the answers began to be formed within the framework of new research directions in science and in new academic disciplines in higher education. For example, cognitive science, linguosociology, cyberpsychology, digital sociology and many others have appeared in modern social sciences^[10] [Osipov G.V., 2020].

It should be noted that an ambiguous opinion has been formed in the educational and scientific environment about the transformation of the education system in the conditions of digitalization of society.  According to the research "The modern system of higher education through the eyes of students, postgraduates and faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University"^[11], conducted back in 2014 by the Higher School of Modern Social Sciences of Lomonosov Moscow State University and scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, distance education cannot be considered as independent, and can be applied as an additional to the basic one. This is evidenced by the survey data in the framework of the study. At that time, only slightly more than 15% of the surveyed students chose the distance learning form, 57% chose the classical form of education within the walls of the university with lectures, seminars and examination sessions. Another result of the study was the conclusion that people with deep real knowledge, creative thinking and high "scientific" mobility can meet the requirements of digital civilization.

However, already in 2020, according to the results of the research conducted by Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University "Studying the attitude of university students to the digitalization of education", most of the students (more than 88%) recognize the direct impact of the availability of the Internet, computers, gadgets and digital technologies on the transformation of education^[12] [Wright N.]. In addition, more than 97% have the skills to work with technology and digital educational technologies.  Most of the surveyed students positively assess the digital transformation of education, highlighting among the advantages: the opportunity to study remotely, the opportunity to use various electronic digital services and resources. More than 71% identified "the opportunity to study 24/7" as the main advantage.

It should be noted that today there is a positive attitude towards digital innovations in the education system due to their convenience and speed. However, there is a controversial attitude to the quality of educational services provided through digital technologies in the context of distance education. There is a risk of fragmentation of knowledge and poor quality of education in the conditions of digitalization.

Concluding, we summarize that the trend of the modern education system has become continuing education, supplemented by a variety of online courses, educational programs in new relevant areas, webinars and master classes, which have gained popularity in the conditions of digitalization of society.

In addition, digitalization as a large-scale and high-speed modern phenomenon has led to the fact that today it has become necessary for a person to constantly acquire new advanced knowledge about new technologies and programming. The need for professional reorientation leads to the fact that the education system, as if adapting to social changes in order to remain effective and useful, becomes built on an interdisciplinary approach. Interdisciplinarity in education is manifested in the fact that when studying one basic science (for example, sociology), methods, tools and technologies of data processing and research from technical sciences (for example, programming and ICT) are used. So, in the given examples, a new direction in sociology was born – digital sociology, and at the same time, new advanced technologies for processing big data appeared.

In the digital civilization, opportunities for education in advanced areas are expanding. So access to resources, the ability to study remotely 24/7 through digital platforms such as Zoom, Skype, etc. make education accessible to the masses. However, due to the risks of fragmentation and distortion of knowledge, the question of the quality of education remains open.

In general, an analysis of existing online courses has shown that continuing education has become a trend over the past 10 years. People are aimed at obtaining additional knowledge and retraining in order to remain competitive in the labor market. We believe that the topic analyzed in the article will remain relevant in the conditions of the formation of digital civilization.

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