Prospects for distance learning in Kazakhstani universities in the context of active digitalization due to the COVID–19 pandemic

During the COVID–19 pandemic, the Kazakhstani education system completely switched to online education. The so-called digitalization has embraced all spheres of social and economic life. Online learning has come to be seen as an alternative to traditional one. The restructuring of the education system took place with the help of digital technologies, which contributed to an increase in its competitiveness. Technological advances in Artificial Intelligence have become part of everyday life. The use of online learning technologies has helped to preserve the educational infrastructure. At the same time, learning from home and, as a result, unequal conditions in access to the Internet affected the quality of education, academic integrity, and motivation. The research aims to analyze the effects of distance learning on students and understand whether blended learning will become an effective education paradigm in the post-academic era. An extensive literature review of articles based on Elsevier, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases using keywords such as “digital technologies in education”, “blended learning”, “learning in the context of the COVID–19 pandemic” was carried out. A comparative analysis of the results of quantitative research among students of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory, Turan University and Al-Farabi KazNU is conducted. The research results demonstrate the attitude of students towards e-learning. There is a request for the introduction of blended learning, regardless of the educational programs.