Digitalization of Education: Students’ Perception of Distance Learning and Risks

Abstract

An important component of the interdisciplinary discussion of the technological transformation of society is the digitalization of university students learning, which has accelerated during the pandemic and caused a variety of assessments due to the numerous problems of its implementation. So far, there has not been a consensus on the relationship between distance learning opportunities and the associated socio-humanitarian risks that affect the identity and world outlook of modern students – generation of digital natives. The article deals with the stu­dents perception of the pros and cons of digital technologies, awareness of the impact of new technical means on an individual student and society as a whole. The analysis is carried out through methodological reflection of the so­ciological data of student surveys conducted in Belarus in 2021–2022. This anal­ysis revealed the different cognitive potential of using the online survey and free interview methods: in the second case, students could comment on the ques­tions themselves, while when using the online survey, in case of difficulties, stu­dents simply preferred not to answer. The identified trends raise the question of finding new methods of working with students that will allow them to be aware of the problems of digitalization.