The use of distance learning in the development of students' foreign language competence during martial law in Ukraine

Abstract

Ukraine is on the way to rebuilding its educational system, which requires new approaches to reorganizing the learning process. The training of highly qualified specialists has become more complicated as the outflow of students from Ukraine has accelerated due to the outbreak of hostilities. That is why it is important to create appropriate conditions to qualitatively prepare future specialists for their professional activities through distance learning (DL). The aim was to study the possibility of forming students' foreign language communicative competence (FLCC) with the help of DL. Given the conditions for studying in our country, the most effective way to develop FLCC is hybrid DL, which combines synchronous and asynchronous modes. Thanks to this approach, students can work through part of the curriculum in real time with a teacher using various online platforms, and the rest of the material is available in a format that is accessible for self-study. When developing FLCC while studying at a university, it is important to combine foreign language skills with the content of students' professional activities, which will help achieve the key goal of learning – the formation of their own professional competence. One of the most important tasks for any teacher is to create a favorable atmosphere in the classroom, establish trusting relationships with students and provide them with psychological support. An important challenge is the psychological aspect when using DL to form FLCC, as it is more difficult for a teacher to convey the material on the topic of the class to students without having full visual contact and personal communication with them, as it happens in a regular classroom during a face-to-face class. That is why, in order to form the student's FLCC during the DL, the teacher should create a motivational space for better learning of the material by students. Conclusions. DL has a positive effect on the process of forming students' FLCC, provided that an effective communication environment with the teacher during DL is created, which allows to stimulate students' motivation and ensures uninterrupted learning management.