By Iryna Kulaha
ANNOTATION
The article examines the essence and principles of the openness of education, its purpose, specifi cs and key directions of formation. The evolution of the development of open education institutions is examined and a comparative characteristic regarding the traditional higher education system is presented. The article proposes a review of the most competitive modern open education institutions, their advantages and specifi c features. Basic trends of the current stage of the development of on-line education have been systemized.
Key words: open education, on-line education, fundamental technologiesї, open on-line courses.