The article deals with the current problems facing modern higher education related to the teaching of natural science disciplines in technical universities. The article analyzes the influence of students' motivation, their interest in the educational process, and the reasons that affect the assimilation of the material. Ways to solve this issue in the context of a new coronavirus infection pandemic are proposed. The use of distance learning technologies allows you to solve some of the difficulties that have arisen. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.