Education as an Open System in the Digital Society

Abstract

The article considers education as an open system that is implemented in digital society through distance education and the use of new information technologies. It has been characterized the researchers’ approaches to the interpretation of the studied concept. The need for a paradigm shift in education has been highlighted. It has been noted that the qualitative modernization of the educational sector is aligned with the development of the digital society, primarily the introduction of new types of education, including open education. It has been emphasized that open education should be built in accordance with the principles of open systems, occupying a significant place in the educational services market, as well as complementing traditional educational forms, thus becoming the basic form of self-education. The main characteristics of open education are accessibility, flexibility, parallelism, modularity, cost-effectiveness, internationality and coordination, which make it possible to get education regardless of place of residence, age, nationality, physical condition through the use of digital learning technologies. It has been determined that the leading trends in the development of open education are the progressive introduction of elements of open education into traditional educational practice; improvement of the system of education management and quality control; development and implementation of methods and means of open learning in the educational process.