The Institute of Postgraduate Education and Distance Learning Celebrates its 10 th Anniversary

The Institute of Postgraduate Education and Distance Learning commenced its activities in January 2015. Today, it consists of two centers (the Center for E-Learning and the Center for Postgraduate Education) and two departments (the Methodological Department of Distance Learning and the Department of International Programs and Marketing, which is currently inactive). This year, the institute celebrates its 10th anniversary.

On this occasion, we spoke with the institute's first director and leading specialist, Viktor Levchuk, Associate Professor of the Department of Theoretical and Practical Philosophy.

Tell us about the establishment of the institute and share your memories of its early years.

The idea of establishing the institute came from our former rector, academician Viliu Savbanovych Bakirov, who consistently paid attention to e-learning throughout the existence of both the E-Learning Center and the institute. In 2011, the university was making its fourth attempt to implement distance education, and this time, it was successful. To achieve this, a separate e-learning center was created, which was later merged with the School of Postgraduate Education.

That same year, a working group was formed under the scientific leadership of Professor Hryhorii Mykolaiovych Zholtkevych, to whom I am very grateful for his advice, recommendations, and assistance with staffing. At that time, we had strong support from the university administration, and I was very fortunate to work with such people. Together, we created the material base, without which the university would have faced much greater difficulties today.

I am grateful to the people with whom we started working, particularly Nataliia Berezhna, Hanna Tymchenko, Mariia Didenko, and many others. By 2015, we had already reached a level where we had 355 distance courses with enrolled students. This was just 2.5 years into the project. Today, there are approximately 6,000 courses.

I remember our first premises — much has been done since then. The institute started with a solid technical base, its own server, and a conference room for video meetings. However, the key to developing distance learning was the faculty. That was the main challenge. We managed to overcome it, though not without difficulties. Our university is quite traditional, with its own customs and rules, so people had different reactions to the institute’s activities: some welcomed us, others were cautious, and some believed it was not relevant to them. We proposed a reasonable blended learning system as an additional component of the educational process, using the internet to enhance experiences and provide students with access to global resources. Although some faculties were skeptical, we found support and launched a pilot project. For several years, we worked on course development, and as I mentioned earlier, we now have about 6,000 courses. This growth is linked to Tetyana Yevheniivna Kaganovska’s decision to transition all learning to Moodle. We had a well-developed system, which we successfully integrated into the educational process. About five years ago, we migrated all rector’s controls to Moodle and were satisfied with the results. This was followed by entrance exams for master’s programs.

None of this would have been possible without a strong team and the support of the administration: First Vice-Rector Volodymyr Aleksandrov, Yurii Kholin, who was a highly educated and professional person, and Vice-Rector Anatolii Udod. When I was invited to lead the merger of the E-Learning Center and the School of Postgraduate Education, I saw its significance — distance learning would not succeed without properly trained instructors. To date, over 1,300 teachers have completed our courses on how to work in the field of e-learning.

We designed the courses to provide full professional development, which every teacher must undergo every five years. It became particularly interesting when instructors started attending more frequently than required because circumstances demanded deeper knowledge and new technologies. We launched a process for certifying distance courses. The institute's creation and development are tied to the fact that our university has a strong community of educators who are interested in modern methods. Today, our entire learning process is based on distance education and integrated into the university's Moodle system. We have refined and optimized it.

What are you most proud of after so many years at the institute?

First and foremost, our team. Our university community approaches professional development and distance learning thoughtfully. But this is not my personal achievement — I am deeply grateful to the team with whom we worked. We trained faculty, developed methodologies, and, perhaps, there is no other institution in Ukraine with such a large number of instructors and students engaged in total distance learning. One challenge is that our cloud server is overloaded, causing delays, but this is due to the sheer number of students we serve.

I also consider it an achievement that in 2014, we launched the annual scientific-practical conference "Distance Learning—  A Path to the Future," with our university serving as the venue. Additionally, we have reached a high level in professional development for university instructors and secondary school teachers. We introduced an open lecture system led by top professors. Thanks to our efforts over the years, we were prepared for the crisis situations of 2020 and 2022. In 2024, our Moodle system has recorded over 9 million course views. I believe this is something to be proud of.

We also spoke with Hanna Tymchenko, Director of the E-Learning Center, one of the institute’s founding units.

Tell us about your journey with the E-Learning Center.

I joined the center when Moodle was being piloted. I enrolled in the "Distance Education Technology" course and immediately appreciated the atmosphere I found myself in — full of innovation, cutting-edge ideas, and a creative team. At that time, we saw the advantage of Moodle because it is an administrative system that eliminates the need for an intermediary like a dean’s office. Of course, it requires personnel oversight, but Moodle allows for the complete structuring of educational trajectories. I realized this was a breakthrough!

In 2014, the first conference on distance learning took place. I attended as a forward-thinking associate professor. I felt that this was a place where creative ideas, academic achievements, and inspiration in the IT field converged. I wished to work there, and after an interview with the director, I was offered a leadership position — my wish came true! The idea of uniting innovation around the university community had been realized. So, my advice to you: dream, dream, dream... and it will surely come true.

What do you consider the institute’s greatest achievement?

Firstly, that we have preserved our team. There have been changes — some left, others joined — but we have maintained a close-knit, friendly environment for many years. People need people — live conversations, hugs, shared visions. When we hold methodological seminars, even faculty who have already mastered everything attend just to see us and relive the atmosphere.

Secondly, we endured the pandemic and are persevering through the war. COVID-19 was a moral challenge. Being a biologist, I see the broader picture of disease, which made it even more difficult for me personally. Nevertheless, we worked hard to help our instructors adapt — training them, assisting them, recording video lessons. This effort provided everyone the opportunity to develop their skills in distance education. During COVID-19, we had a record number of participants on YouTube, with some videos reaching over 1,000 views in just one day. Even with 600–800 live viewers, such attendance was unheard of for offline events.

Thirdly, I am proud of our developments. After establishing the institute, we launched YouTube and Telegram channels, the "Karazin Video Lecture Series," and continued our core work in training educators. We remain a hub for practical scientific distance learning in Eastern Ukraine.

What is the atmosphere like within the institute?

Our institute is filled with the magic of learning and innovation. No single instructor can master everything, so we function like an orchestra, gathering specialists with diverse talents. Our goal is not to learn everything individually but to unite and make quality knowledge accessible. I always think of our team with affection. We celebrated New Year’s, Women's Day, and the institute’s anniversary together. I must credit our former director, Viktor Heorhiiovych Levchuk, who played bowling with us at corporate events and always had an "encouragement candy" in his pocket.

Our institute is for people and about people. It is a collaborative effort where everyone contributes. We may not have grown up in a digital world like today’s youth, but we strive to speak their language, to foster mutual understanding, and to resonate together in harmony.