SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESPONSIBILITY RISKS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The article seeks to explore the effects posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that triggered a global crisis in the area of education followed by drastic disruptions in the educational framework. However, a large-scale shift to distance learning via online platforms has mitigated the collapse risks in higher education and training. An emphasis is put that universities turned up almost ready for transition to remote learning in the COVID-19 settings. The research hypothesis is the statement that the implementation of monitoring of the actual level of e-learning performance and responsibility of higher education institutions enables timely response to the possible pandemic outbreaks and prompt actions to combat its severe consequences. The aim of the study is to identify risks of socio-economic responsibility for higher education institutions in the context of global structural challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. To attain the research agenda, the following methods have been employed: factor and cluster analysis, taxonomy method, and the dendrogram technique. The factor analysis revealed the key risk indicators; the cluster analysis identified 4 clusters which group the HEIs by the degree of distance learning performance and their responsibility; the dendrogram and taxonomy approaches facilitated visualizing of the actual and acceptable low distance learning performance and the degree of responsibility in HEIs. The results of processing the online reporting of 50 higher education institutions from the "Top 200 Ukraine" ranking over 2015–2020 and the results of academic staff and student questionnaires on the Google forms platform revealed 2 groups of risk indicators for socio-economic responsibility and 4 risk clusters for higher education institutions. The highest number of the universities under study (54% (27 out of 50)) refer to Cluster 3 with low level of distance learning performance and low degree of university responsibility. The dendrogram-based visualization of the results obtained has allowed to assess the current and boundary levels of distance learning performance and responsibility in the settings of COVID-19 pandemic. In case of deterioration of epidemic situation, the monitoring of distance learning components at higher education institutions provides for making appropriate adjustments as well as contributes to developing and implementing a strategy to enhance the University economic performance and its social responsibility in the area of distance learning at under the COVID-19 pandemic.