The Impact of COVID Pandemic Consequences on Public Demand for Competence Formation in Humanitarian Education

Yuri Vsevolodovich Maslov¹, Iryna Sergiivna Pypenko², Yuriy Borysovych Melnyk³

¹ PhD, Associate Professor, Belarusian State Economic University, Belarus; maslove@tut.by; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5715-6546.

² PhD, Associate Professor, Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics; Scientific Research Institute KRPOCH, Ukraine; iryna.pypenko@hneu.net; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5083-540X

³ PhD, Associate Professor, Scientific Research Institute KRPOCH; Kharkiv Regional Public Organization “Culture of Health”, Ukraine; y.b.melnyk@gmail.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8527-4638

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.26

Abstract

The COVID pandemic has affected all human activity, most of all education. Lockdowns obliterated traditional teaching. Student attitudes towards educational format and content have also changed. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the pandemic consequences on public demand for competence formation in humanitarian education. Gathered through systemic written surveys (Project Tuning methodology) and interviewing the respondents (173 faculty and 322 students), participants to CIES-2020 and PPPMSF-2021 international conferences, the data were systematized, rated and analyzed using the methods of statistical analysis. Consequently, actual public demand for student competences was formulated. Top five choices by the faculty include: 1) ability to adapt to and act in new situation; 2) commitment to safety; 3) ability to search for, process and analyze information; 4) skills in the use of information and communications technologies; 5) ability to evaluate and maintain the quality of work. The student choices differ from faculty prioritizing the abilities: 1) to work autonomously; 2) to design and manage projects; 3) to adapt to and act in new situation; 4) to apply knowledge in practical situations; 5) to work in an international context. The results have shown a statistically significant difference between the public demand prior to the pandemic and after the introduction of social distancing measures. Views of faculty and students on the importance of particular competences have remained divergent, and the specific priorities are changing. One noticeable trend is prioritizing the ability to adapt to new situations by both faculty and students.

Keywords: Humanitarian Education, Faculty and Students, Competences’ Rating, Social Distancing