Today's education faces modern challenges in the context of profound methodological and content changes in the world. Global realities have a fundamental impact on education processes, research and projected outcomes. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and thanks to the development of information tecnologies, the learning proccess is being currently organized in a hybrid manner, with combination of face-to-face and distance learning modalities.  In 2010, the Government of Armenia adopted a decision to approve the procedure for distance learning of Higher, Postgraduate, Vocational education specialties(1).

 The objective of our current research was to study the state of distance learning in the context of hybrid education at ASPU and particularly:

 to determine the positive or negative phenomena recorded during the distance learning;

to identify the main difficulties faced by the teachers and students;

 to identify the problems that arise during the online classes;

 to evaluate the opportunities of the media platform operating today;

to determine in which cases it may be preferable to live meetings;

to point out sensible ways of organizing online learning and media tools;

to develop practical suggestions.

We were also interested in the views of the study participants on the effectiveness of education due to distance work.

 There are various theoretical and conceptual approaches discussing distance learning, its challenges and opportunities. Some of the most pressing issues in online education are composed in the collection of essays, edited by  Terry Anderson <>(2008). In the essay<>Heather Kanuka, the academic director of the University Teaching Services at the University of Alberta, lists a number of issues related to the effectiveness of distance education. <

D. Garrison's comprehensive research <>(2003) provides practical models for educators to use the full potential of e-learning (3). A unique feature of the book is that the authors focus less on the ever-evolving technologies and more on the search for an understanding of these technologies from an educational perspective. In Pascal Roubides's  research, a broader view of distance learning is offered, allowing perspectives about distance learning, its potential,  challenges, and specific outcomes of some distance learning implementation to be voiced (4).

Ormond Simpson in his book <> reveals the organizational problems of distance education and outlines strategies for increasing student retention, providing useful case studies and examples to illustrate how these strategies can change institutional policy and practice(5).

Mariam Gevorgyan, the Head of the Education Quality Assurance and Management Department of ASPU, in the article <>  points out the educational obstacles of distance education (6, 139).

In November 2015 ASPU signed an agreement with Google to use the Classroom platform of the <> application in the e-learning courses for all educational programs, which provides the opportunity to receive educational materials in electronic format, contact the lecturer directly via e-mail; receive additional electronic materials related to the classes, videos, slide shows, perform some of the current tasks through e-learning; have a personal email address on google mail platform in a common aspu.am domain (7,46-51).

With a view to explore the process of organization of distance learning from different perspectives, to test its effectiveness and to identify various problems, and to help improve the process in the context of hybrid education at the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan, we conducted a research, with utilization of 2 types of methodological tools: focus group interview and questionnaire. We invited different representatives of the field of education to the Focus group interview: 6 lecturers lecturing at different faculties of the ASPU, the head of the Education Quality Assurance and Management Department, 2 educational experts and 3 teachers from different schools (12 specialists in total). All of them, due to their work experience, knew the topic under discussion and could represent competent opinions, contributing to the implementation of the research and the solution of the given problem. We did not seek to reach an agreement through this discussion, the aim was not to obtain large-scale information, but to get information from different respondents about the various aspects of distance education and to talk about its priorities. During the interview, the participants of the research commented on the registered advantages and disadvantages of distance education; pointed out what is particularly detrimental to the effectiveness of education due to distance work; identified the main difficulties that the teachers and students had faced; presented the problems that arise during the online classes; assess the opportunities of the media platforms operating in the ASPU and generally in the country today. The respondents' answers revealed to what extent the duration of the classes is sufficient to learn the provided new educational material, and especially which methodological tools are making the classes more effective. Different opinions were raised regarding to cases, when distance learning may be preferred to face-to-face meetings. In the concluding part of the interview, education experts pointed out reasonable ways of organizing online learning and media tools. Following that, a questionnaire was developed consisting of 14 questions, to which 34 lecturers from 10 faculties of our university and 62 undergraduate and graduate students were asked to answer. The obtained data was analyzed and its results were evaluated, generating constructive conclusions and recommendations.

1. At present it is a priority to develop students' subject-specific, personal, communicative, collaborative, cognitive, media literacy, critical thinking skills and abilities to work independently towards full self-realization in the conditions of distance learning at ASPU. 2. The results of the surveys conducted during the research confirm the necessity for studying the social needs of the students and the availability of necessary information and educational resources during the organization of distance education. 3. The development of research results and their analysis reveal that it is necessary to carry out regular monitoring of distance education, control of the results and provision of feedback through utilization og modern effective tools in accordance with the student-centered principles at the ASPU. 4. We consider necessary the development of media literacy of the teaching staff, the regular training of lecturers in accordance with the modern requirements of distance learning. 5. The results of the research confirm that the effectiveness of distance education is conditioned by the development of lecturer-lecturer, student-student interpersonal communication ethics, personal-professional value system, distance education culture. 6. The research confirms that today the Armenian State Pedagogical University mainly provides the necessary socio-cultural, material-technical, moral-psychological conditions, which contribute to the development of general and professional competencies necessary for achievement of final results for a 21st century student. 7. We consider it necessary to develop a concept and procedures for organization of distance education at the ASPU according to international standards for quality assurance of education and ensure the normative regulation of distance education at the university. 8. Recommendation: The developments in the field of distance learning create necessity for ongoing discussions by industry professionals on the various manifestations of these processes and joint development of methodological recommendations related to the psychological, pedagogical, social, organizational-managerial, health and technological aspects.

1.Decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on Establishing the Procedure for Higher and Postgraduate Vocational Education Specialties https://www.arlis.am/DocumentView.aspx?DocID=56573 2.The Theory and Practice of Online learning /edited by Terry Anderson/ (Second Edition). 484 pages. https://www.aupress.ca/books/120146-the-theory-and-practice-of-online-learning/ 3.E-learning in the 21st Century: A framework for research and practice. London: Routledge Falmer. Garrison, D. R., (2003). https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203166093/learning-21st-century-randy-garrison 4.Innovation Management in the Educational Trajectory of the Student During the Covid;19 //Lipai T.P.1, Minasyan S.M.2 , Gevorgyan M.R.3// Labor and Social Relations». Peer-review edscientific journal. Moscow. RF. 2021. 179p. http://id.atiso.ru/files/tiso_1_2021.pdf 5.Distance Learning: Perspectives, Outcomes And Challenges (Education In A Competitive And Globalizing World)- by Pascal Roubides Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nova Science Pub Inc. April 13, 2017.‎ English.‎ 291 pages. https://novapublishers.com/shop/distance-learning-perspectives-outcomes-and-challenges 6.Student Retention in Online, Open and Distance Learning (Open and Flexible Learning) 1st Edition. by Ormond Simpson. https://www.routledge.com/Student-Retention-in-Online-Open-and-Distance-Learning/Simpson/p/book/9780749439996 7.On the Preconditions of Introduction of Digital Technologies Process in the Educational Process in ASPU after Kh. Abovyan./ Main Issues in Modern Russian Studies Scientific Methodological Journal. Yerevan. 2016. https://aspu.am/website/images/journal/rusagitutyun_2.pdf 8.10 Advantages of Online Classes, Jaclyn Gulinello, an instructional design intern at Touro College, NY https://blogs.onlineeducation.touro.edu/10 advantages of online classes/