The saying “What the eyes fear, the hands do” has become a life credo for many educators. With minimal technical resources, they switched to online learning during the pandemic and have continued to teach this way during the war. It is precisely the combination of distance and blended learning that has enabled universities in frontline areas, as well as temporarily relocated educational institutions from various regions of the country, to continue operating.
Researchers from Ivan Ziaziun Institute of Pedagogical Education and Adult Education of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine set out to analyse the experience of blended learning in Ukrainian and international universities, identify the most effective practices, and develop a comprehensive set of methodological materials and recommendations on their basis. With grant support from the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, they implemented the project “Maximizing the effectiveness of blended learning resources in higher pedagogical education institutions during the War and Post-War recovery of Ukraine”.
The project’s results are presented by its PI, Kyryl Kotun, Senior Researcher of the Department of Foreign Systems of Pedagogical Education and Adult Education of I. Ziaziun Institute.
Peaceful solutions do not work during war
The researcher emphasizes that blended learning is not simply about spending one day in the classroom and another online. It is a comprehensive approach that allows students to control their own learning pace and choose whether to work individually or in groups, either synchronously or asynchronously.
The project group studied foreign experience but did not copy it. “Ukrainians face extreme challenges every day and seek ways to respond in such situations. Therefore, we identified the elements that are particularly useful for us”, explains the researcher.
Each institution of higher education can apply these recommendations in accordance with its own needs.
The project had two main strands: a large-scale online survey and a training course based on its results. The survey was conducted to see the actual situation of blended learning, as well as the needs and challenges faced by universities. It involved 500 respondents from 20 institutions of higher education. The findings revealed several systemic gaps: 58% of participants identified the lack of technical resources as the main issue, 36% reported a complete absence of material support, and 30% highlighted a shortage of methodological materials.
At the same time, educators consider flexibility – the ability to teach and learn from any location at a convenient time – to be the key advantage of blended learning.
Give Yourself and Your Colleague a Hand
Based on the survey results, the project group developed checklists, video guides, a methodological advisor, and a training course. For the first time in Ukrainian pedagogical education, a new term has emerged – ‘blended learning supervisors’ – referring to those who not only teach their own subjects but also support their colleagues in working within a blended format.
The training of supervisors covers three components: psychological (how to support yourself and colleagues), methodological (how to design a course, organize assessment, etc.), and technological (how to select and use digital tools).
A 60-hour training course was completed by teaching staff from four pedagogical institutions: Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, the frontline Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko and H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, as well as the temporarily relocated Berdyansk State Pedagogical University. These institutions of higher education also served as pilot sites for implementing the project’s results.
“Our guidelines and supporting materials have already proven useful for many educators during the war, and I am confident they will continue to be in demand in the post-war period as well. Many students have relocated to other regions of Ukraine, while a significant number of them remain abroad”, added the PI.
How the Materials Are Used in Practice
The temporarily relocated Berdyansk State Pedagogical University applied all the developed materials comprehensively – quite naturally, as the institution operates fully online, with staff and students dispersed across various cities and countries. The results obtained through the project confirmed the feasibility of implementing a flexible blended learning model, with a dominant online component, combining synchronous and asynchronous modes of interaction.
H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University and Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko have integrated video guides and checklists on blended learning into the curricula of educational programmes in the specialty of “Educational and Pedagogical Sciences”. At Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, the methodological handbook describing various models of blended learning is used as part of the methodological support for different educational programmes.
The project results have become a foundation for further work. The group has expanded and deepened the training course, based in particular on the research of British scholar D. Laurillard on how to structure lectures for different types of sessions – online, distance, asynchronous, synchronous, and so on. D. Laurillard has also developed a dedicated platform that enables educators to design their lectures according to their needs.
Honest Feedback
The organisers asked for candid feedback on the training sessions – and they got it. This feedback is sincere and unfiltered. Some participants recorded videos from their cars, others on the way home from work.
One educator noted that the training helped him to develop a clear understanding of approaches to selecting and using digital platforms. Following the project group’s guidelines, a custom checklist of criteria for selecting them was developed, including assessment capabilities, availability of communication and interaction tools, learning content management functionality, ease of use, technical reliability, and cost-effectiveness of the platform, among others.
Participants also highlighted the value of the training’s psychological component, particularly practical advice on how to support yourself and colleagues in crisis situations, and how to ‘pull yourself together’ during blackouts and missile attacks. A series of videos with recommendations was developed by Dr.Sc. in Psychology Iryna Hubeladze.
What Aspects Were the Most Challenging?
In response to this question, Kyryl Kotun noted that everything was challenging, yet nothing stopped the group’s work. Researchers continued working during air raid alerts and blackouts. The greatest challenge was psychological: constant stress and instability. Technological difficulties were also significant: how would do you conduct a training session without power supply? Generators and backup power systems proved essential. Another important source of support was the responsiveness of training participants who replied promptly to messages even under the most difficult circumstances.
The Team
The project brought together both leading researchers and early-career researchers. Among the participants were: Director of the Institute Larysa Lukianova; Head of the Department of Andragogy Olena Anishchenko; Head of the Department of Theory and Practice of Pedagogical Education Larysa Petrenko (during the first phase of the project); Chief Researcher at Department of Andragogy Olga Banit; Senior Researcher at Department of Foreign Systems of Pedagogical Education and Adult Education Kateryna Hodlevska; and Leading Researcher at Department of Andragogy Igor Radomski.
The team also included early-career researchers, in particular Project Assistant Vladyslav Kupalyi, who specializes in 2D animation and graphic design. It was thanks to his work that the project’s video guides acquired a professional visual design.
Importantly, the project group focused not only on the quality of its outputs but also on their dissemination. A dedicated social media channel and a project webpage were created, featuring a description of the training course and all supporting materials, including checklists and the methodological guide. All materials are available in open access.
For Those Planning to Apply
Kyryl Kotun outlines three key lessons from the project: “Work on real-world issues, the outcomes should be practical guidelines rather than theoretical conclusions. Build a balanced team – diversity of expertise and experience of working together are crucial”, advises the researcher. “Do not be afraid to communicate your results. Openness to dialogue with the research community, a presence on social media, and participation in interviews help ensure that your achievements reach those who truly need them”.
Interviewed by Svitlana Galata
