An evaluation of Ukrainian future teachers’ of humanities readiness for e-education

The article focuses on the students’ readiness for online education in Ukrainian pedagogical higher education institutions, since distance learning is not only a new learning technology for teachers-to-be, but also the object of their study and further application in the pedagogical career. The study employed the authors’ questionnaires for 120 faculty members and 320 students, observations and diagnostic tests. To assess the students’ current readiness for e-learning, the following criteria were employed: independence in the acquisition of knowledge, cognitive activity, mastering methods of online education activities. Characteristics of levels of students’ readiness for e-learning are given. The need for initial training of teachers and students to use distance learning technologies is confirmed. Analysis of research data revealed mostly medium and sufficient level of teachers’-to-be independence of learning, cognitive activity and experience of application of online educational activities. Basic conceptual positions and conditions for effective e-learning in Ukrainian pedagogical higher education institutions as prerequisites for students’ readiness for e-education are described.


Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic raging around the world has caused institutional and behavioral "shock effects" in various  (Rayuwati, 2020).
Distance education during a pandemic placed significant demands on the whole education system, the most on teachers (Mikušková et al., 2020).
Universities around the world were largely unprepared for a sudden switch to online learning prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Mitchell, 2020;Ochavillo, 2020;Prata-Linhares et al., 2020). The following reasons are viewed as essential barriers of rapid transition to remote teaching and learning:  lack of a certain provision: legal; methodical; financial and logistical; organizational process management, etc. (Dubey et al., 2020;Mishra et al., 2020); to deliver instruction (Google Classroom, Learning Management Systems and screencasting tools), there are still areas of concern related to assessments and the extent to which they engage students in meaningful collaboration (Gende, 2020).  year student).

The question "Do you think
Ukrainian society is ready for the introduction of distance learning?" showed that merely 8% of respondents believe that   Although young people are often described as "digital natives" and "millennial students" (Dede, 2005;Oblinger, 2003) and are expected to utilize digital tools when they study at a university (Pappas, 2017;Ubachs et al., 2017),    mastering methods of online education activities (Table 3).
These criteria are an assessment of both the actual process of distance learning in pedagogical higher education institutions and students' readiness for online education.
To determine the level of students' readiness for online education, we singled out the following levels: low, medium, sufficient and high.

Medium
Initial level of knowledge, a significant part (more than half) of educational material can be reduplicated reproductively with elements of logical connections; a student is able to perform a simple educational task with a teacher's assistance; familiar with the basic concepts of educational material; can independently make certain generalizations.

Sufficient
A student is able to apply the studied material in standard situations; can explain the main processes that take place and give his/her own examples to confirm some statements; he/she is able to independently perform learning tasks under the program; able to analyze information, freely applies it in practice; control one's own activities; independently corrects the mistakes specified by the teacher; individually determines methods of solving educational tasks; able to summarize and systematize educational information.

High
The student's knowledge, skills and abilities fully meet the requirements of the educational program. A student has stable system knowledge, independently determines the intermediate purpose of own educational activity, evaluates new facts, phenomena; able to independently find additional information and use it to achieve the educational goals, judgments are logical and wellfounded; able to plan personal educational activities, evaluate the results of own work; independently finds sources of information and uses it in accordance with the purpose and objectives of own cognitive activity; uses the acquired knowledge and skills in non-standard situations; able to perform tasks not provided by the curriculum.
Source: compiled by the authors. Table 2. Levels of cognitive activity and their characteristics.

Low
Cognitive abilities are mostly undeveloped, participation in educational and cognitive activities is minimal; there is no formed attitude to educational and cognitive activities; active behavior is possible only under strict external control; lack of meaningful needs; lack of skills and abilities to evaluate information.

Medium
Abilities are underdeveloped, but a student partakes in educational and cognitive activities; a student performs the simplest learning tasks; has the simplest motivation; not always aware of the need for activity; lack of interest; activity is subject to external "demand"; the simplest reproductive skills in evaluating information.

Sufficient
Abilities are well developed, but a student participates in cognitive activity only when necessary without any interest; has one's own opinion; possesses necessary skills and abilities; random interests and needs; selective cognitive perception; difficulties in formulating personal opinion.    "substantive guidance, support and counseling throughout their study process" (Guri-Rosenblit, 2018).     humanitarian specialties in pedagogical universitiesteachers-to-be.

Conceptual positions
Conceptual  used, but also in the cycle of pedagogical and professionally oriented disciplines.
While studying these disciplines students study theoretical aspects of e-learning technologies, perform practical tasks, acting both as e-course author and tutor.
The third conceptual position is the formation of cognitive experience, experience of mastering the means of activity, experience of creative activity of students' -teachers'to-be in the process of distance learning.
The fourth conceptual position is that while arranging online learning its specifics should be taken into account: the share of independent work is greater than in traditional education, therefore, educational material should be adapted and the content of distance education should be formed through systematic didactic design (Oliynyk, 2001).  (Zakharova, p. 46, 2005).
It should be noted that independent work of students during distance learning is impossible without quality advice from tutors.