CHALLENGES OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN PANDEMIC REALITY (ON THE EXAMPLE OF AKAKI TSERETELI STATE UNIVERSITY)
Authors: Valishvili Tea , Lukhutashvili Nana , Genelidze Lia 
Published: August 2022

The pandemic has significantly adjusted global processes. The world will never be the same as it was before the pandemic. The COVID-19 challenge was met differently by countries as well as individual industries. The pandemic has emerged as a catalyst for some of the accumulated problems and shortcomings. Naturally, the changes also affected the educational field, which is one of the most sensitive sectors to economic and social change.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, many international organizations have conducted large-scale surveys to address issues related to educational management and learning. They interviewed heads of educational institutions, lecturers, students, parents, and other stakeholders. The purpose of the research was to assess the scale of change and to assist higher education institution in developing future strategies in the areas of management, internationalization, management of the learning process, and other key areas.

Due to the situation around the world, the educational institutions of our country have been forced to move to the new levels of education. To create a legal basis for a new form of education in Georgia, the Law on Higher Education was amended, and the terms "remote" and "e-learning" were added. According to the explanations, teaching in both formats is necessary: ​​the distance between the student and the academic staff; As well as implementation of the learning process based on ICT.

The new challenge posed many problems for educational institutions, especially for universities, including: to make significant changes to create a safe environment for health; To replace the traditional learning process with the online teaching method; To maintaining the appropriate quality standards and develop different approaches to achieve the outcomes set out in the educational programs; There was a need for training and technical support for students, academic and visiting staff for professional development in digital technology; To solve problems with appropriate technical equipment and limited internet; Universities had purchased appropriate software (Microsoft teams, zoom, etc.) for successful teaching process; It became necessary to digitize the relevant literature and materials of the learning courses, to create or improve text-books, audio or video recording.

Solving these problems required promptness from the universities in the management process. Higher education institutions in Georgia, including Akaki Tsereteli State University, responded quickly, implemented measures aimed at reducing the spread of infection and creating the safe environment for learning, which meant a transition to a remote learning. To study students’ satisfaction with e-learning process we made a survey for the students of Akaki Tsereteli State University. 1505 students were participated in the survey, from different faculties. Online questionnaire was used as a research tool.

As the research showed, most of the students were involved in the online learning process from the very first days. 95% of the participants were involved in remote learning no later than one month. It is noteworthy that most of the students before the pandemic had no experience of online learning and were not familiar with the relevant educational portals.

A particular problem for most students was the unstable access to the Internet and the lack of appropriate equipment, also psychological unpreparedness, unusual forms of communication, and lack of computer skills were named. Despite all this, most of the students also saw positive features in remote learning: to attend lectures without missing a job, active and effective attendance at lectures, avoid interrupting the learning process, to re-watch the recording of the lecture etc.

Most of the students believe that the university has effectively dealt with the existing challenges. In total, transition to e-learning process, university got 4.15 points (out of 5 points). One of the interesting trends can be that most of the students find it useful to use e-learning elements in the post-pandemic period too and believe that it was very useful experience, which facilitated the acquisition of additional new skills.

The research revealed both positive and negative aspects during the remote learning period. The advantages of remote learning can be considered: savings on apartment rent and transportation; more free time for new interests; focus more on independent learning; acquisition/mastering of new experiences and skills; ability to attend a lecture from any location. The disadvantages of remote learning can be considered: the difficulty of observing students’ involvement in the lecture process; the duration of the lecture planning process and the digitization of the required resources; the lecture is as interesting as the lecturer is prepared and motivated; probability of occurrence of technical problems; riding on gadgets and computer devices, disturbing the balance of learning and personal life; possession of foreign language and computer skills.

The fact is that the "accelerated" transition to the remote learning has brought educational institutions to a fundamentally new reality, and the gained experience requires significant analysis. As it seems, soon we will have to "digitize" most of the processes - from administration and management to teaching. Maintaining elements of remote and hybrid learning in the learning process will enable students to be actively involved in the learning process without missing a job, teachers can manage time more efficiently, and universities to save material and human resources. At the same time, the process of internationalization has been simplified. Without physical mobility, it is possible to take distance learning courses or programs at leading foreign universities, sharing experiences with less financial costs. Another important achievement is the increasing access to education, which is a stated priority in the modern world.