Higher education in a frontline city during the Russian-Ukrainian war: cumulative effects of prolonged online learning

The article reveals the peculiarities of online learning at universities in a frontline city Kharkiv during the Russian-Ukrainian war; the effects of prolonged online learning for students are studied. The empirical part of the article is based on the results of a study conducted in November-October 2024 through in-depth semi-structured interviews with twelve higher education experts (department heads, deans, and professors from six Kharkiv universities). It is emphasized that the cumulative effects of prolonged online learning for students in the frontline city of Kharkiv have manifested themselves in a deterioration of the quality and results of students’ learning; difficulties in their academic socialization and involvement in research cooperation with teachers. The duration of online learning also negatively affected the teachers’ satisfaction with their professional activities in the absence of live communication with students in university classrooms. It is emphasized that the quantitative indicators of students’ academic performance at the universities of the frontline city of Kharkiv did not decrease due to the lower requirements for students’ academic performance, the possibility for students to use auxiliary learning materials when taking tests or writing exams online, and the inability of some students to participate in the learning process due to objective circumstances during the war. Despite the negative effects of online learning in the universities of the frontline city of Kharkiv, it is important to partially preserve online learning (in the context of blended learning) after the war, which will help the development and maintenance of professional contacts with Ukrainian teachers/researchers who are migrants and will enrich the social capital of frontline universities.