On November 11-12, 2021, (Kyiv, Ukraine) the II Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation «Професійний розвиток фахівців в умовах цифровізації суспільства: сучасні тренди» (PDDig-2021) was held online. The lecturers of the Department of Sociology and Mass Communication of Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University also took part in the meeting. Among them were Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor Irina Hrabovets, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor Liudmyla Chernous, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Professor Liudmyla Kalashnikova in cooperation with Viktoriia Chorna (Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology and Political Science of Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University).

      The following scientists addressed the participants of the conference with a welcoming speech: Mykola Oleksiiovych Kyrychenko, Rector of the State Institution of Higher Education “University of Education Management”, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine); Petro Yuriiovych Saukh, Secretary-Academician of the Department of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Philosophy, Full Member (Academician) of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Vice-President of the Ukrainian Academy of Acmeology (Kyiv, Ukraine); Richard Buggett, President of Organizational Development Consulting (Texas, the USA); Mariola Mirovska, Head of Social Policy, Social Work and Tourism Department of the Jan Dlogusz University in Czestochowa (Czestochowa, Republic of Poland), Professor, Doctor habilitated; Bogdan Mokhnatski, Rector of the Higher School of Occupational Safety in Katowice (Katowice, Republic of Poland), Professor, Doctor habilitated.

   The Plenary Session outlined the main directions of the conference, discussion issues, advantages and risks of digitalization of the education process. Actual reports were made by: Mykola Oleksiiovych Kyrychenko, Rector of the University of Education Management, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Ukraine “Innovative potential of the state institution of higher education “University of educational management” in open globalized information society”; Tamara Mykhailivna Sorochan, Director of the Central Institute of Postgraduate Education of the University of Education Management, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of “Digital twin of the postgraduate education institution as an ecosystem of vocational development”; Melinda Thompson, Director of Distance Learning Department of the Graduate School of Theology of Abilene Christian University (Abilene, Texas, the USA), Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor “Building a community of inquiry in online environments “Encouraging participation in a safe online space”; Harry Skidmore, CEO and Executive Chairman of Aberdeen Technology Company, Member of the Board of Directors of James Avery Company (Texas, the USA) “Digital trends for education in the current time and possible future trends” and other.

     Lecturers of the Department of Sociology and Mass Communication Irina Hrabovets, Liudmyla Kalashnikova and Liudmyla Chernous as well as Viktoriia Chorna from Petro Monyla Black Sea National University spoke at the section with a report on “Gamification as a trend in the organization of professional training of sociologists in distance education: the analysis of practices”. The urgency of the chosen topic is due, on the one hand, to the process of rapid development and active introduction of information and communication technologies in the vocational education system, on the other – the coronavirus pandemic, which accelerated the introduction of distance learning, requiring changes in teaching methods and approaches. The main research method was the analysis of cases of introduction of gamification elements within the practice-oriented competence approach of teaching students the educational program “Sociology of Mass Communication, Journalism and Advertizing”, implemented on the Moodle platform at Kryryi Rih State Pedagogical University and Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University.

     The proposed elements of gamification of educational classes allowed reducing psychological and physical load during the online learning, to form personal trajectories of educational activity by adjusting its pace without time and space restrictions, promoted self-education, activation of creative potential of students, development of their ability to make independent decisions under conditions of risk and uncertainty. In the concept of game learning, the student from the object of educational activity becomes its subject. The activity of the teacher comes to the fore, as its main mission is to create conditions (regulation of the educational process, its organization, preparation of tasks, formulation of questions and topics of discussion, counseling, control of time, etc.) to initiative student activity. The main effect of the introduction of gamification elements is the possibility of organic integration of “cooperation” pedagogy principles with the method of active learning. The potential of gamification in the professional education of sociologists is still insufficiently studied, requires in-depth critical analysis and identification of both positive and negative aspects in its introduction into the educational process.

     We sincerely thank the organizers of the conference for a meaningful and exciting open discussion!