BETWEEN INNOVATION AND FORMALISM: E-LEARNING AND DISTANCE EDUCATION IN BULGARIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

In recent years, the digitalization of higher education in Bulgaria has emerged as

a necessary and inevitable process, accelerated by external crises, demographic challenges, and

increasing competition in the educational sector. At the same time, institutional practice reveals a

significant gap between the potential of digital technologies and their actual implementation within

universities. In many cases, e-learning and distance education are introduced in a predominantly

formal manner—as a technical fulfillment of regulatory requirements—without achieving genuine

pedagogical transformation.

This article examines the key challenges arising from the existing legal and regulatory

framework, as well as from institutional practices in higher education that lead to ambiguous and

inconsistent use of core concepts such as "e-support," "e-learning," "blended learning," and

"distance education". Through a comparative analysis of these forms, the study identifies the

limitations of the prevailing techno-centric approach, in which investments in platforms and

infrastructure are not accompanied by adequate instructional design, assessment mechanisms, or

sustainable organizational support.

In response to the identified deficiencies, the article proposes an integrated model for a

hybrid educational ecosystem aimed at facilitating the transition from formal digital support to

strategic e-learning. The model emphasizes a unified technological environment, targeted

pedagogical transformation, and the use of learning analytics to monitor and enhance educational

quality. The paper concludes that sustainable digital transformation in higher education requires not

merely technological deployment, but a coordinated institutional policy aligned with the real

conditions and needs of Bulgarian universities.