Digital education, despite its many benefits, faces several challenges. These challenges affect various aspects of the educational process, including technical, pedagogical, and social issues.
One of the challenges of digital education is unequal access to necessary technology and the internet. It lies in technical equipment: students from low-income families and remote regions may not have access to computers or high-speed internet, creating a gap in educational opportunities. However, according to the national education quality survey conducted in 2020, only 2% of schoolchildren in Russia do not have access to the Internet.
Problems may lie in the lack of pedagogical support: digital technologies require certain skills, but not all teachers have them. In addition, technologies are developing rapidly, which requires constant updating of knowledge, retraining, and advanced training. Materials in e-courses may not be accurate, and online tests may not be flexible enough to assess student knowledge.
Discipline and motivation to learn are also important. Without direct supervision from teachers, students may lose concentration on their studies, using gadgets for purposes other than e-courses.
Security and privacy issues must be kept in mind — educational platforms must protect student data, while students must distinguish between legitimate platforms and scams that seek to profit from subscriptions to courses that offer no real training. In addition, security concerns extend beyond student data — in the open digital space, it's quite easy to obtain answers to assignments from third-party sources or through cyberattacks on the educational platforms themselves.
It is worth taking into account social problems - digital learning can make students feel like they are lacking face-to-face communication, negatively affect social skills, and constant use of screens can cause fatigue and stress.
The problems of didactic digital education require an integrated approach to solving them. This includes improving access to technology, advancing teacher training, ensuring the quality of educational materials, student motivation, data security, and psychological support. Addressing these challenges will maximize the potential of digital education and ensure it is effective and accessible to all students.