The Response of Ukrainian Teachers to Сovid-19: Challenges and Needs in the Use of Digital Tools for Distance Learning

The article features the results of a survey on the challenges and needs of the Ukrainian teachers in the implementation of distance education in the conditions of quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was carried out by the Comparative Studies Department for Information and Education Innovations of the Institute of Information Technologies and Learning Tools of the NAES of Ukraine in 2020. The study is based on the 607 responses of educators from all-over Ukraine to the online questionnaire conducted between March 27 and April 4, 2020. The content of the questionnaire covered the following topics: educational qualification of teachers, number of screen hours, problems with the access to necessary information, access to the Internet, digital tools that teachers use for distance learning, teachers’ needs in the professional development regarding the use of ICT. The obtained answers allowed providing recommendations for public education authorities, decision makers, institutions of secondary, higher and postgraduate education on the improvement of teachers’ digital competence, organization of online communication and Internet access on the workplace to digital tools for distance education. The recommendations are based on the responses of the international educational community and organizations (OECD, PISA, UNESCO, and Council of Europe) to COVID-19, in comparison with the Ukrainian realities reflected in the online survey. The novelty of the study presented in the article lies in the fact that it gives a response to the needs that Ukrainian teachers identified in the first weeks of the quarantine. It can be used to achieve long-term practical results in providing support for schools, teachers, school administrators and students in the organization of distance learning as well as in overcoming barriers to teachers' access to information on the use of digital distance learning tools.