Introduction. Radical transformations in the country contributed to the transition from the previous system of higher professional education to a diversified, open, decentralized, democratic and humanistically oriented educational system of higher education, corresponding to a market economy and involving the training of specialists capable of operating in new conditions. The educational reform contributed to the expansion of correspondence education, in the process of which the possibilities of modern information technologies, in particular technologies of various forms of distance learning, were actively used, which will transform the traditional subsystem of correspondence education, turning it into an element of the continuous education system.

Materials and methods. In the process of working on the research topic, scientific and methodological literature was analyzed, information resources on distance education were studied, aspects of the use of online tools in the course of training bachelor's, master's and a specialist in extramural education were analyzed.

Results. We came to the unambiguous conclusion that the subsystem of distance education with elements of distance learning is turning into the basic structure of universities. There is a need for a modern content of the concept of “distance education”, other terminology is also possible, for example, not correspondence education, but “correspondence-distance education (training)”. Such a renewed education assumes the use of traditional distance learning technologies and at the same time modern distance learning. The modern understanding of correspondence education, its implementation in a new format, first of all, will make it possible to overcome territoriality, which is the reason for the difficulty in providing those who wish with the opportunity to receive education and the lag of correspondence education from full-time education in a number of parameters.

It is thanks to the use of modern information technologies that the individual's opportunities for obtaining higher education at the levels of bachelor's, master's, specialist's and others are expanding.

Discussion. Modern information technologies make it possible to replace the “culture of assimilation” with “the culture of independent activity in the information (cultural and educational) space (search, processing, systematization, preservation, retrieval of information, etc.). This lays the foundations for preparing students at different levels of higher distance learning for research activities (subsystems UIRS and SRWS), modeling and design, for innovation.

The use of modern information technologies radically changes the activities of the teaching staff: the teacher begins to perform the functions of a methodologist, methodologist, consultant, facilitator, moderator. Information technologies facilitate the transition from formal (centralized and rigidly organized) education to non-formal (trainings, courses, short programs, etc.) and informal (spontaneous) education.

Using modern information technologies, at the same time, it is necessary to carry out activities for the development of the Federal State Educational Standard of higher education, based on a competence-based approach. The teaching staff providing educational services in absentia should be familiar with the method of rationalizing educational work, systematizing and generalizing knowledge, optimizing training, using generalized plans, developing generalized skills and abilities of independent work with various sources, applying the skills of organizing UIRS and research work, project and innovation activities.

To modernize correspondence education, it is necessary to develop a conceptual and methodological, regulatory and legal framework, as well as to update the educational and methodological support of distance learning.

It is important to develop a methodology for students' independent work in the correspondence department. The role of independent work is being actualized in connection with the need to move to a tiered system of higher education with the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard, based on competence-based and credit-modular approaches, on educational (pedagogical) technologies based not only on paper, but also on electronic media.

Conclusion. Let us note the presence of a number of modern approaches in the implementation of the use of information technologies in the preparation of bachelor's, master's and a specialist in extramural education. The changes associated with the use of information technology in education are undoubtedly positive, but there is something worth seriously considering. Without a clear model of independent work of part-time students at different levels of higher education (bachelor's, master's, specialty), without a clear definition of its content, forms, methods, assessment criteria and without a clear understanding of the role of modern information technologies in it, it is difficult to imagine a modern model of distance learning. training and it is almost impossible to show the quality of implementation of all applied educational programs.

The fact of transition from the previous system of higher professional education, corresponding to a centralized national economic complex, to a diversified, open, decentralized, democratic and humanistically oriented educational system of higher education, corresponding to a market economy, is noted;

The main advantages of distance learning have been determined, allowing to highlight both strengths and weaknesses in the use of certain Internet tools;

A number of methodological recommendations on the use of educational online platforms with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of distance learning are noted.

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