Transforming the cognitive conditions of online learning in higher education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2026.31.1.02

Keywords:

artificial intelligence, cognitive learning conditions, cognitive load, digital technologies, information hygiene, information noise, online learning

Abstract

The current stage of higher education development is characterized by a deep digital transformation, accompanied by the active implementation of online and distance learning. The availability of information, the increase in the number of digital stimuli and multitasking significantly change the nature of the cognitive activity of higher education students, which significantly affects the cognitive conditions of the educational process, in particular, on concentration of attention, cognitive load, information processing and the ability to self-regulate educational activity. The growth of information noise, multitasking, the constant presence of digital distractions, and the use of artificial intelligence tools are shaping a new cognitive reality of learning that requires scientific understanding. Therefore, the task of higher education is to reorient the educational process from the transmission of knowledge to the development of students' cognitive competencies, in particular the skills of conscious thinking, concentration, information hygiene, and self-regulation in the digital educational environment. This problem becomes particularly important in conditions of long-term distance learning, which increases the cognitive load and the risks of superficial assimilation of educational material.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Natalia Tverdokhliebova, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", Ukraine

  • Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety, National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Nataliіa Yevtushenko, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", Ukraine

  • Ph.D. in Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety, National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kharkiv, Ukraine.

References

Barratt, J. M., & Duran, F. (2021). Does psychological capital and social support impact engagement and burnout in online distance learning students? The Internet and Higher Education, 51, 100821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2021.100821

Deng, L., Zhou, Y., & Broadbent, J. (2024). Distraction, multitasking and self-regulation inside university classroom. Education and Information Technologies, 29(18), 23957–23979. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12786-w

García-Morales, V. J., Garrido-Moreno, A., & Martín-Rojas, R. (2021). The Transformation of Higher Education after the COVID disruption: Emerging challenges in an online learning scenario. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 616059. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.616059

Grabovska, S., & Musakovska, O. (2020). Informatsiine perevantazhennia: psykholohichnyi rakurs [Information Overload: The Psychological Area]. Psykholohichnyi chasopys – Psychological journal, 6(7), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.31108/1.2020.6.7.2 [in Ukrainian].

Gulich, O., & Chetveryk, V. (2025). Generative artificial intelligence as a tool for psychological and motivational support in foreign language learning. Educational Challenges, 30(2), 248–261. https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2025.30.2.19

Hasynets, Y., Vakerych, M., Solnyshkova, S., Pustovoichenko, D., & Kuruts, N. (2024). Transforming Higher Education in the Digital Age. Futurity Education, 4(2), 263–278. https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2024.06.25.14

Haverkamp, Y. E., Bråten, I., Latini, N., & Strømsø, H. I. (2024). Effects of media multitasking on the processing and comprehension of multiple documents: Does main idea summarization make a difference? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 77, 102271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2024.102271

Kostić, J., & Ranđelović, K. R. (2022). Digital distractions: Learning in multitasking environment. Psychological Applications and Trends, 5, 301–304. https://doi.org/10.36315/2022inpact070

Kostikova, I., Holubnycha, L., Sytnykova, Y., Shchokina, T., Soroka, N., & Tarasova, S. (2023). University Teachers’ Psychological State During the Stress of Online Education after Pandemic in Wartime in Ukraine. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 18(13), 152–162. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i13.39825

Krylova-Grek, Y., & Shyshkina, M. P. (2021). Online learning at higher education institutions in Ukraine: achievements, challenges, and horizons. Information Technologies and Learning Tools, 85(5), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.33407/itlt.v85i5.4660

Liu, M. (2023). Paying attention to the online learning environment: the importance of a low-noise environment. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, 32(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/32/20230073

Pérez-Juárez, M. Á., González-Ortega, D., & Aguiar-Pérez, J. M. (2023). Digital Distractions from the Point of View of Higher Education Students. Sustainability, 15(7), Article 6044. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076044

Pshenychna I. (2022). Vykorystannia informatsiinykh tekhnolohii u protsesi formuvannia navychok samostiinoi osvitnoi diialnosti zdobuvachiv vyshchoi osvity [Using information technologies in the process of forming skills of independent educational activity of higher education students]. Osvita. Innovatyka. Praktyka – Education. Innovation. Practice, 10(8), 47–53. https://doi.org/10.31110/2616-650x-vol10i8-007 [in Ukrainian].

Pundiev, V. V. (2024). Dynamika vplyvu informatsiinoho stresu na zdobuvachiv vyshchoi osvity [Dynamics of the informational stress influence on higher education students]. Mentalne zdorovia – Mental health. 1, 62-70. https://doi.org/10.32782/3041-2005/2024-1-10 [in Ukrainian].

Romero-Rodríguez, J.-M., Hinojo-Lucena, F.-J., Kopecký, K., & García-González, A. (2023). Digital fatigue in university students as a consequence of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Educación XX1, 26(2), 165–184. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.34530

Skulmowski, A., & Xu, K. M. (2021). Understanding Cognitive Load in Digital and Online Learning: A New Perspective on Extraneous Cognitive Load. Educational Psychology Review, 34(1), 171–196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09624-7

Sych, T. V., Khrykov, Y. M., & Ptakhina, O. M. (2021). Digital transformation as the main condition for the development of modern higher education. Educational Technology Quarterly, 2021(2), 293-309. https://doi.org/10.55056/etq.27

Tverdokhliebova, N. Ye. (2025). Personal transformations in the process of professional self-realization. Law and Safety, 1(96), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.32631/pb.2025.1.02

Tverdokhliebova, N., & Yevtushenko, N. (2025). The use of artificial intelligence in the individualization of student learning in higher technical educational institutions. Educational Challenges, 30(2), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2025.30.2.09

Downloads

Published

2026-04-15

How to Cite

Tverdokhliebova, N., & Yevtushenko, N. (2026). Transforming the cognitive conditions of online learning in higher education. Educational Challenges, 31(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2026.31.1.02

Issue

Section

Original articles