Almost all areas of life of a modern person have changed significantly under the influence of computer and information technologies, including the sphere of education. Teaching methods are changing. This evolution corresponds to the needs caused by the transformation of our society and the new expectations of our fellow citizens. Within a few years, information and communication technology (ICT) has become not only a new tool, but also a means of unlocking resources around the world. The article discusses the prospect of creating virtual universities. E-learning makes it possible to revolutionize the pedagogical approach, in which interactivity plays a large role, to diversify the tools used, to better adapt to the learning process of the student, who is more in control of his own learning. The student can learn at his own pace, depending on needs and opportunities, which is especially important at a time when learning is available throughout life. In addition, globalization allows students to choose courses around the world and create groups of students in different countries. The reasonable prices of new information technologies make them accessible to all institutions, including mainstream universities, which use them to enhance group learning and sometimes to provide distance learning programs.
e-learning
virtual university
aspects of online learning
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The dynamism of economic and sociocultural processes in society determines changes in the field of education. The development of information technology has led to the emergence of e-learning, during which learning takes place at a distance, when there is no direct contact between teacher and student, and contact is ensured using information and computer technologies. Distance learning is practiced around the world in the form of various models; its main components are virtual learning materials and communications.
Purpose Our research is to study the possibility of developing e-learning in our country, including the possibility of creating virtual universities.
Materials and methods of research. In our work, we used methods such as analysis and systematization of scientific and methodological literature and the modeling method.
Research results and discussion. The main countries that currently export online training services are: the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. In the United States, e-learning is growing at breakneck speed. Publishing giants are investing heavily in distance education. Virtual Campus is the largest education portal on the Internet and has released over 500 quality courses at low cost. In Australia, the National Learning and Flexible Learning Program is a five-year strategic plan with funding of €22.4 million per year. Of all Australian university students, 14% (or 95,300 people) are enrolled in distance education. In New Zealand, the government has established an e-learning steering committee made up of nine experts. The committee advises the government on actions to be taken to promote, develop and coordinate distance learning. Exports of education services in New Zealand are estimated to range from €380 million to €560 million per year. In Canada, education is a provincial jurisdiction. Most provinces have identified e-learning as a priority. 57% of Canadian colleges and universities offer online courses (ranging from 1 to 340 courses per institution), for a total of approximately 3,000 courses. In Japan, the Diet passed a fundamental law on learning in a networked society through advanced telecommunications technologies: the IT Basic Law. This law came into force on January 6, 2001. In the UK, the British government is investing heavily and concentrating its resources on two initiatives: the University for Industry and UK Universities Worldwide.
The European Community is implementing an action plan for e-learning. In May 2000, three working groups were created: with Member States, within the European Commission and with industry. The approval by the Council of European Ministers of Education on 12 February 2001 of the report “On the specific future challenges of education and training systems” makes it possible to develop a general plan of action. Thus, all countries quickly responded to the development of open and distance learning by allocating large loans and creating the necessary structures to support and organize their development.
According to a study by the World Economic Forum, Russia is only in 71st place (out of 75 developed countries) in the use of new technologies in education. Experts note that distance learning still accounts for no more than 17% of the educational market. Russia began to develop mass online learning later than other countries, but it has already become firmly established in the life of Russian universities. With the help of distance education, domestic universities actively attract foreign applicants and promote their own brand abroad. Distance (electronic) learning is legally permitted by Federal Law No. 273-FZ of December 29, 2012 “On Education in the Russian Federation”. According to the document, distance educational technologies can be used in any learning format. Students of distance learning universities upon graduation receive a state diploma (if the university is accredited). A national educational platform with online courses from the best domestic universities opened in Russia on September 1, 2015. The platform was called “Open Education”; There are now 230 courses available, and the number of registered students exceeds 390 thousand. Massive open online courses contribute to the dissemination of the results of the university’s research activities, the study and evaluation of new teaching and learning methods. There are a lot of options for receiving distance learning in Russia:
- Various short-term courses. This is an excellent option for those who want to deepen their knowledge and improve their level in a specific area.
- Interuniversity study centers. As a rule, such centers are not affiliated with any university and offer various options for distance programs. But this is not a full-fledged higher education, but rather an opportunity to improve existing qualifications.
- Internet resources. Such resources can offer both individual courses and full higher education.
- University programs. One of the founders of distance learning in Russia is considered to be the Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI), which was affiliated with REU in 2015. G.V. Plekhanov.
E-learning has a number of benefits. E-learning is open to everyone, there is access to information and knowledge without restrictions. Training takes place on site, and this saves time, money, and allows you to choose optimal training conditions (for example, at home). This benefit is very useful for people with disabilities. The teacher can address a large number of students, maintaining an individual relationship with each of them, while the student takes an active part in the training.
E-learning is practiced in the world in the form of various models; its main components are virtual learning materials and communications. It is based on interactive multimedia solutions that attract the student's attention, stimulate his ability to understand and interpret learning results. Multimedia solutions can be of the following types: audio (interlocutor, simulated companion); image (graphics, drawing, sketch, model); video (video file, video conference); text with references that allows you to consult other documents to analyze and interpret images, music, sounds, or videos and to further clarify textual content.
With many companies now expanding their international presence, e-learning is an effective solution for quickly training large numbers of employees around the world. During training, the student can evaluate at each moment his degree of mastery of new skills. In e-learning, it is possible to change training content or teaching methods quite reactively to promote knowledge acquisition.
The disadvantages of e-learning are the physical absence of the teacher; technical problems related to the operation of training systems (disruption of the communication network, failure of computers, terminals or servers, attack of electronic course documents by viruses or hackers, etc.). E-learning, as we see, has many advantages. The near future will see a shift from traditional learning to a distance learning environment.
Over the years, distance learning has contributed to the creation of education systems around the world. Universities must adapt to participate in new educational strategies. The creation of a virtual university should be aimed at achieving the following goals: to enable students to integrate new information and communication technologies (NICT) into their studies; satisfy requests for access to constantly updated knowledge; promote a new type of relationship between students and between students and teachers; promote collaborative learning; respond to growing demand for training; increase the material resources of the educational network by integrating the home computers of students, teachers and other employees of the virtual university.
In order to provide high-quality education at a virtual university, it is necessary to develop: a database that provides online registration of students; personalized access to the course website; receiving tests and exam papers by email or HTML form; computer correction of tests; recording and archiving of all work; display of individual results and group averages; consultations with students regarding their works reviewed by the teacher; Integrated interface for web, conferencing, chat, and email to quickly manage these features.
The implementation of a virtual university requires the creation of hardware and software infrastructure to provide a range of services to clients, facilitate pedagogy and facilitate the management of this information system.
Physical infrastructure. As an Internet provider for its students, faculty, and staff, a virtual university must create a stable infrastructure that offers unlimited Internet access. The current infrastructure with its modems, telephone lines, dedicated servers, multiple information servers is a set of extremely efficient and reliable solutions.
Software infrastructure. Managing hundreds of subscribers requires developing a database that responds to the team's real and specific concerns about customer expectations. Creating accounts, assigning passwords, and creating email addresses are automated operations that virtual university employees should perform without error. Any technical changes to the Virtual University must be communicated to all subscribers or only to the relevant party. The database should be used to review the list of users using virtual university modems, to determine the most active and most passive users (by number of calls, hours of use, bytes transferred) and recognize the behavior of virtual university students.
For teachers, a virtual university is a place for learning and experimentation, an opportunity to discover new ways of communicating with their students: email, discussion forums, video conferencing. These modes of exchange create new dynamics of communication and allow students to be more active in expressing their opinions or asking questions. For progressively thinking teachers, a virtual university is an opportunity to engage in educational projects and their implementation. All this involves training teachers in the effective use of ICT. To this end, a virtual university may plan to organize training courses on digital pedagogy in partnership with foreign universities and competent distance learning centers.
The target audience of virtual universities is represented by students and various public organizations who want to gain access to university knowledge, whether on a personal or professional basis. A virtual university can offer students the following services: cost-effective Internet connection for their home computer; functional email address; full Internet access in graphical mode; access to a virtual library; assistance in conducting documentary research; online help via email and chat; access to faculty web pages where students can find course notes, laboratory information, templates for their work, and useful pointers; communication capabilities for communicating with virtual university subscribers; the ability to download software useful for their learning.
Online learning can come in different forms. E-learning products can range from simple online delivery of current PowerPoint presentations to a comprehensive range of standardized off-the-shelf training software. Virtual learning can also be combined with traditional forms of learning.
Training is entirely online (without a teacher) - this type of training is similar to the service provided by a CD or training video. Training exclusively online (with a teacher) - this reference model of “learning portals” is rather intended for the general public. In this case, training can be asynchronous and synchronous.
In asynchronous learning, the student is given access to one or more tools (video, audio, text, virtual learning software) to use at their discretion. Further interaction with the teacher and members of the study group will take place via email or discussion forum. The advantages are that students can progress at their own pace; they can adapt the order in which they experience course elements and revise and deepen certain aspects of the course.
Synchronous learning is characterized by direct and real interaction between students and teachers, and does not exclude the possibility of virtual learning. For example, all students in a group simultaneously interact with their teacher and chat with each other, sharing applications, watching the same presentations or video conferencing (webcasts). The advantages are that students actively interact with teachers online; the class model is familiar to them; you can quickly create content ready for broadcast; group dynamics are established faster.
In blended learning (with online learning), students receive information technology equipment (Internet, CD-ROM) before undergoing traditional group learning. This shortens the session and allows group learning to focus on in-depth exchange of information. Between two group sessions, students continue learning through structured virtual exchanges and collaboration tools. The group meets in real time (synchronous mode: video conference, chat) and continues learning offline (discussion forum, exchange via email, textbooks). Academic research has shown that learning is better in a mixed format; Real-time virtual classrooms allow students to attend classes from anywhere; The learning format allows students to record and save the materials they learn during the course and return to them when needed.
Conclusions. Thus, for the further development of e-learning in our country and the creation of virtual universities, it is necessary to form a methodological base, organizational and managerial structure of distance education, develop a regulatory framework, develop theoretical, scientific and psychological approaches in collaboration with the traditional education system. And, of course, financial support for the material and technical base of e-education is necessary.
Bibliographic link
Gyulbyakova Kh.N., Maslovskaya E.A. ELECTRONIC FORM OF LEARNING: FEATURES AND PROSPECTS // Modern problems of science and education. – 2018. – No. 4.;URL: http://?id=27812 (date of access: 09/18/2019). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"
distance learning, or rather, e-learning (from the generally accepted term e-learning; in fact, the concepts of distance learning and e-learning are not equivalent, but in Russia they are usually interpreted the same way, so we will not break traditions) occupies a strong position in the modern education system, organically complementing full-time training and a variety of face-to-face trainings and courses. E-learning is actively used both in educational institutions and in enterprises and, according to IDC, in terms of popularity it will soon catch up with full-time learning. The world's leading analytical companies predict a great future for it and claim that the global market for distance learning systems is a source of great opportunities for sellers and investors. The best higher education institutions in the world have created e-learning centers that allow you to complete distance learning and receive an appropriate diploma; Corporate training centers of companies and government agencies are actively developing, and the annual income in the e-learning market in a number of countries is already in the billions.
The reason for such great interest in e-learning is quite simple. In the last decade, significant changes have occurred in the labor market: requirements for personnel have increased, IT technologies have begun to be widely introduced into almost all areas of activity, and the personnel themselves have become more mobile. Such changes have necessitated the creation of conditions for continuous, fast, flexible, and at the same time high-quality training, and since traditional training systems are not able to meet these needs, a search for alternative systems was required.
The main advantages of e-learning compared to traditional face-to-face training
Again, the educational process in distance learning consists of targeted and controlled intensive independent work of the student, who can independently determine the sequence of mastering subjects, study in a place convenient for himself, at an individual speed, and in some cases, at a time convenient for himself. Therefore, the main advantage of e-learning should be considered a certain freedom in terms of location, learning time and pace, which makes distance learning attractive for those users who, for one reason or another, do not have the opportunity to study full-time, but want to improve their educational level.
One of the most important advantages of e-learning is the lower cost of training, which, according to Cedar Group, is on average 32-45% lower. In exceptional situations, there is an even more impressive reduction in cost; in this sense, the calculations of specialists from the REDCENTER corporate training center are of interest. Taking as a basis a certain fictitious company with a total staff of 280 employees, 80 of whom are subject to training, REDCENTER specialists made calculations and came to the conclusion that if properly organized, distance learning can cost a company seven times less than attending face-to-face courses on similar topics (Fig. . 1). Therefore, it is not surprising that companies are increasingly choosing this training option as a priority when upgrading staff qualifications. This point is also important when obtaining an education at a higher educational institution if paying for traditional full-time education on a commercial basis turns out to be unaffordable. True, one should not consider the lower cost of distance learning as the main argument in its favor when obtaining a basic education at an academic university. The fact is that not every student, due to his or her personal characteristics, is able to receive distance education: there is a certain percentage of people for whom the only possible way to perceive educational material is the classroom form of education, and some may simply not have enough discipline and perseverance in organizing independent studies.
(source REDTSENTR, 2005)
An important advantage of distance learning is its greater efficiency; according to Cedar Group, learning time is reduced in this case by 35-45%, and the speed of memorizing material increases by 15-25%. True, this advantage does not always work; it all depends on the material being studied and the method of its presentation. For example, it is problematic to develop correct pronunciation while studying foreign languages remotely and without sufficient conversational practice; if the grammar of a language can be mastered remotely, then face-to-face communication is necessary to master oral speech. In addition, many specialists, including the rector of the IT Academy Igor Morozov, draw attention to the fact that greater effectiveness of training can only be achieved “with careful consideration of factors such as the structure of the course and the methodology for presenting the material being studied.”
Online learning makes it possible to improve the quality of education through the widespread use of global educational resources and an increase in the share of independent mastery of the material, and the latter is especially important because it gradually ensures the development of such qualities as independence, responsibility, organization and the ability to realistically assess one’s strengths and make informed decisions, without which is unthinkable for a successful career. In addition, according to Vladimir Tikhomirov (chairman of the Expert Advisory Council on e-learning, open education and the introduction of new educational technologies under the Committee on Education and Science of the State Duma of the Russian Federation), e-learning automatically leads “to early mastery of skills in the use of information and communication technologies.” technologies, which allows us to significantly increase the efficiency of using knowledge in the economy in the future.”
We must not forget that distance learning is the only way to get an education for those who, for a number of reasons (lack of time, the need to combine study with work, territorial distance from the university, etc.) cannot study in the usual full-time manner.
In general, according to Igor Morozov, distance learning turns out to be most relevant in cases “when the task is to train a large number of employees of a certain organization in a minimum period of time, and the organization itself has a geographically distributed structure and organizational changes are carried out quite often in it.”
At the same time, distance learning and full-time learning should not be pitted against one another; these are different, but complementary forms of learning, between which “there lies a fairly large area of mixed solutions, which often turn out to be much more productive,” says Igor Morozov. In practice, this means, for example, supplementing full-time basic education with the necessary online courses or using a combined form of training, in which part of the theoretical material that is more accessible for independent mastery is studied by the student remotely, and practical work and mastery of complex theoretical material take place in the classroom under the guidance of a teacher.
State support
UNESCO experts and governments of developed countries agree that meeting the requirements of the information society for the level of qualifications of people is possible only through the use of e-learning as a technology that orients students to a new style of education and develops their skills for further lifelong learning. Therefore, e-learning, which makes it possible to prepare the personnel needed by society in the required quantity in minimal time and at minimal cost, has been recognized as a priority in the course of reforms of educational systems in such leading countries of the world as the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Germany, France, etc., and even in UN level.
The latest report of the Commission on e-Learning for the President and Congress of the United States lists the creation and development of educational Internet resources, training of teachers and administrators of the educational process, and the development of high-quality e-learning content as the main tasks, and $6 billion has been allocated for their implementation.
The final report of the European Commission on Education and Culture for 2004 noted that 77% of European universities already have the necessary technical solutions and adequate teaching staff to conduct e-learning, and for 65% of universities, the development of e-learning is the most important priority of the present time.
The European Parliament has made many decisions on e-learning issues, including decision No. 2318/2003/EC of 05.12.2003 on the adaptation of long-term programs with the aim of effectively integrating information and telecommunication technologies into European e-learning educational systems.
The UN report on the state of e-learning in countries that joined the European Union in 2004 contained a list of universities and training centers promoting e-learning solutions and examined opportunities for cooperation in this area.
In Russia, the legal basis for the introduction of distance learning are the laws “On Education”, “On Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education” and the order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated December 18, 2002 No. 4452 “On approval of the methodology for the use of distance educational technologies (distance learning) in educational institutions of higher, secondary and additional vocational education of the Russian Federation."
Areas of use of distance learning
Today, distance learning firmly occupies its niche in the education market and it is possible to clearly identify areas where it is confidently positioned as an alternative to traditional education. We are mainly talking about the corporate sphere and the education sector: in the first, e-learning has no equal in terms of initial training of company employees, their certification and advanced training, and in the second, online learning is attractive to applicants as a possible option for obtaining an education.
Distance learning is becoming increasingly widespread today in government agencies, where it is indispensable for organizing and supporting a permanent system of continuous professional development for civil servants. Besides,
e-learning has also gained recognition in a variety of training centers that specialize primarily in conducting online courses in the fields of information technology and business.
In companies, enterprises and government agencies, online training allows solving issues of training and retraining of employees, which is especially important in the context of the introduction of new technologies, including information technologies, when training a large number of employees is often associated with significant costs. The relevance of e-learning increases even more if the company has remote branches, when organizing traditional training on site not only increases the cost of training by almost an order of magnitude, but also turns out to be technically more complex, if only due to the lack of the necessary specialists on site. In the public sector, in this sense, it is even more difficult the remoteness of certain structures is the norm here, and when introducing any technology or innovation in one or even several areas at once, the corresponding retraining of employees can turn into a highly costly task in terms of effort, money and time .
It is no less important for companies to maintain a certain level of competitiveness after all, according to the very correct statement of Henri de Geys (“The Living Book”), “the ability to learn faster than competitors is the only source of competitive advantage over them.” This circumstance also determines the emergence of a significant number of consumers of educational services interested in distance learning.
In addition, a number of industries (especially the service sector, retail and wholesale trade) experience high staff turnover, resulting in companies constantly having many new employees who need to be trained, and the organization of regular training in this case will actually mean throwing money away.
In educational institutions and training centers, distance and blended forms of learning make it possible to cover remote regions with training and reduce direct costs of training.
The degree of popularity of online learning for various structures and in different areas is very different. In corporate business, there is a clear preference for online courses. As for higher education, to obtain a bachelor's degree, most students prefer full-time study and complete any additional courses remotely. With further education, the percentage of people choosing online learning increases, both in core and minor disciplines (Sloan Consortium, 2005).
There is an ambiguous attitude towards distance learning in different areas. At the moment, it is most in demand in the corporate sphere as a replacement for traditional training and in the field of education when studying individual courses. In addition, this training option is gaining an increasingly strong position in the financial and IT sectors, in the retraining of civil servants, and in healthcare (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. Degree of popularity of e-learning in different areas
(source Sloan Consortium, 2005)
E-learning in the world
The development of the global distance learning market continues very actively, which is facilitated, on the one hand, by an increase in demand for educational services, and on the other, by the development of information technology and the growth in the number of Internet users.
The largest number of today's consumers of e-learning solutions are concentrated in the USA and Canada, and among European countries - in the UK, followed by Germany, Italy and France. In the United States, more than 200 universities and thousands of colleges offer distance learning, and the number of online courses is increasing by approximately 30-40% annually. In the UK, over 50 universities offer a variety of distance programs.
The number of online courses offered by other structures and aimed at the corporate sector is growing even more rapidly. For example, according to a recent press release from British Telecom, this company alone offers over 1.7 thousand e-learning programs for staff training.
The growth in popularity of e-learning is relatively stable. Thus, in the United States, judging by the latest report from the Sloan Consortium, the vast majority of higher education institutions reviewed confirmed an increase in the number of students choosing one or more online courses. The number of heads of educational institutions who recognize the promise of online learning is also growing, although much more slowly; in the United States over three years it increased from 48.8 to 56% (Fig. 3), while the number of opponents remained virtually unchanged.
Rice. 3. Attitude of heads of educational institutions to the prospects of e-learning
(source Sloan Consortium, 2005, %)
In total, according to Brandon Hall (http://brandon-hall.com/), at the end of 2003 there were about 100 million students of various e-learning programs in the world, and the total volume of the distance learning market was $9 billion. At the end of 2005, the number of distance learners grew to 130 million, and the total volume of the global e-learning market, according to preliminary estimates by Gartner, reached $33.6 billion.
At the same time, the US share occupies more than half of the market, approximately $18 billion (IDC data). Canada accounts for a significant share of the market, but in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region (including Japan), the distance learning market is still in its infancy and is growing at an insignificant pace; for example, in Japan, according to IDC forecast, in 2005-2009 the market growth will be on average 16.6% per year. For comparison: in the American corporate sector, in medium-sized companies, the e-learning market grew by 30% in 2005, and the growth rate in large companies was close to 35%.
According to forecasts, the positive dynamics in the global e-learning market will continue in 2006 according to Bersin&Associates, the volume of distance learning in 77% of companies will increase, and in the rest it will remain at approximately the same level. Growth in the education sector will also continue, although the growth rate, according to some analysts, will decrease somewhat.
E-learning in Russia
Let us note once that it is impossible to name exact data characterizing the volume of the Russian distance learning market due to their absence. There are several reasons for this. First of all, this market is just beginning to form, so analytical companies do not take it into account and, therefore, do not conduct official research on it. And this market is not particularly transparent, since Russian companies operating there do not openly declare their income. Therefore, we will have to judge the features of the development of the Russian e-learning market indirectly, analyzing data from different sources.
The year 2004 can be considered a turning point for the development of distance learning in Russia, when significant successes of a number of projects became noticeable. In 2005, the positive dynamics of the development of the e-learning market continued, and at the moment, distance learning of personnel has been successfully implemented at such large enterprises as Russian Railways, SeverStal, Norilsk Nickel, RusAl, VimpelCom , UralSib, Svyazinvest, etc. Distance learning opportunities were used in the retraining of employees of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Central Bank of Russia, Vneshtorgbank and a number of other organizations.
In 2005, Russia was able to attract attention at the international level On October 14, 2005, the International Association ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) officially announced the successful completion of testing of the domestic distance learning system SDT REDCLASS for compliance with the international standard SCORM 1.2. This standard is a globally recognized standard in the field of e-learning and is supported by almost all leading manufacturers of distance learning systems, and SDT REDCLASS became the first and so far the only Russian e-learning system certified at the international level.
As noted in one of the ROCIT press releases, in Russia, about 40% of universities currently provide the opportunity to receive education via distance learning. Leading Russian universities and large training centers (IT Academy, REDTSENTR, etc.) are offering an increasing number of courses in a variety of subject areas, there is an active process of localizing foreign content from leading suppliers, and Russian distance courses are being developed.
However, the main factor constraining the pace of development of the e-learning market, according to the rector of the IT Academy Igor Morozov, is still “the lack of good Russian-language electronic content, the need for which is very high among large companies.” In addition, insufficiently developed infrastructure and cultural barriers are serious obstacles for the regions.
The lack of data does not allow us to estimate the total number of consumers of distance courses in Russia. We can only say that their number is growing quite quickly. For example, in the System of Distance Business Learning for Entrepreneurs (SDBO a joint project of the National Business Partnership "Alliance Media" and the International Institute of Management LINK, http://businesslearning.ru/), the growth rate in 2005 was over 170%, and only by At the time of writing, almost 22 thousand students were registered in it (Fig. 4).
Rice. 4. Change in the number of users in the RBSS system, in 2001-2005,
(source SDBO, 2005)
Information regarding the popularity of distance education in the center and in the regions is very contradictory. For example, according to data from the IT Academy for 2004, 64% (that is, the majority) of distance learning students at this academy represented the regions, which is quite logical due to the independence of e-learning from place of residence. At the same time, according to the latest data from SDBO, it turns out that almost half of the students in this distance learning system live in Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Moscow region. True, this can also be explained by the center’s greater capabilities in terms of access to the Internet and greater awareness of the possibilities of e-learning.
The intensive growth of the IT market and the rapid implementation of information technologies in many areas, along with the readiness of enterprises for change, the lack of highly qualified personnel and the rather high educational needs of Russians, suggest high growth rates in the distance learning market. According to the forecasts of the IT Academy, the effective combination of traditional types of education and the latest developments in the IT field will allow the distance learning market to occupy at least 30% of the total volume of training, and in some industries even up to 75%.
The corporate sector, government agencies and personnel retraining centers should be considered the most promising in terms of implementing e-learning. The educational sector, which unites higher education institutions, is also quite interesting, although not for obtaining basic education (full-time education is preferable for this), but for the implementation of combined education options, when full-time students will study some subjects remotely. For obtaining basic education in Russian universities, the e-learning option appears to be of little promise for now, primarily due to a significant decrease in the number of applicants. In 2010, their number will be only 62% of the 2005 level, and it is not difficult to guess that the vast majority of applicants will prefer the familiar and long-proven option of full-time study.
Prospects for the development of e-learning
In the future, or more precisely by 2010, according to experts from the American Educational Research Association, two-thirds of all education will be carried out remotely. Most likely, this forecast should be considered too optimistic, but one thing is certain - e-learning has become a worthy alternative to traditional and in certain areas, primarily in corporate and government, it will be given clear preference, since this is the only way to quickly learn at minimal cost.
In the educational sector, as well as in commercial training centers, e-learning will continue to complement the traditional face-to-face training option, and in most cases, blended learning will remain the most appropriate, when some courses, depending on their specifics, are studied in the traditional way, while others remotely.
Topic: E-learning: status, problems, prospects.
Kuramshina Gulnaz Khalilovna,
primary school teacher MOBU Secondary School s. Starosubkhangulovo.
E-learning includes all forms of educational methods and tools, where the process of transferring knowledge and skills is provided by new electronic technologies, including computers and the Internet. E-learning processes include web-based learning, computer-based learning, learning through virtual environments and multimedia content - text, animation, streaming video and audio. E-learning includes more and more diverse forms, such as distance education, distance tutoring, classroom and extracurricular activities, various types of collaboration, including with an instructor or interactive objects such as a blackboard.
The modern school relies in its work on the electronic environment in educational and management activities. In modern conditions of informatization of education, there is a process of earlier integration of computer technologies into the educational process of primary school. One of the most important tasks of a modern primary school teacher is the ability to organize professional activities in an electronic educational environment. In accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard, the results of mastering the basic educational program of primary general education should be the ability to use information and communication technologies to solve cognitive problems; students mastering various ways of searching for information. Computers and information technologies help primary school teachers organize the educational process. The use of ICT in lessons in primary school allows:
- develop students’ ability to navigate the information flows of the surrounding world, master practical ways of working with information, develop skills that allow them to exchange information using modern technical means;
- move from an explanatory and illustrative method of teaching to an activity-based one, in which the child becomes an active subject of learning activities. This promotes conscious learning by students;
- to intensify the cognitive activity of students;
- conduct lessons at a high aesthetic level (music, animation);
- approach the student individually, using multi-level tasks.
This technology is effective at any stage of the lesson: when explaining new material, when consolidating, at the stage of monitoring the assimilation of the material covered.
The intensive development of computer technology, and with it software today, places very special demands on the training of teachers, both in practical and theoretical terms. After all, a teacher who is given the opportunity to use multimedia in the classroom should not think that a miracle will happen with the advent of a computer and a projector in the classroom. There are no miracles in education, as in any practical field of activity. An effective tool in inept hands acquires the opposite properties and begins to interfere and confuse. When using a computer in the classroom, you should really be aware of what the goal is being pursued and what means need to be used to realize it.
In my work I try to make full use of ICT tools in class and outside of class time. To better assimilate the program material, training is necessary. Children enjoy studying Russian and mathematics on electronic simulators. The classes are fun and children practice the necessary material in a relaxed atmosphere.
The teacher always spends a lot of time preparing various tests, cards for diagnosing and monitoring students’ knowledge. With the advent of computer technology, this work has ceased to cause problems, since you can print the test and scan the finished test work. The texts of the test papers are now on each child’s desk.
A teacher deciding on the use of a computer in elementary school must feel where and in what ways a computer can be useful. A computer is a good tool, but it affects the health and nervous system of the child. An elementary school student should not work on a computer for more than 20 minutes. Therefore, you need to use these 20 minutes as efficiently as possible. It is very important for a teacher to be able to choose priorities for a child’s learning and development at each age level. A modern computer in school becomes a teaching tool whose pedagogical capabilities exceed those of traditional means of implementing the educational process.
Modern software allows you to use both ready-made programs and those compiled by the teacher himself. To do this, it is not at all necessary to be a programmer; it is enough to have computer skills at the user level. Teachers at our school use knowledge and skills in the field of information technology, develop presentations, didactic and methodological materials to support lessons about the surrounding world, mathematics, the Russian language, and literary reading.
I believe that the use of a computer for teaching schoolchildren is a large area of manifestation of creative abilities for everyone who wants and knows how to work, can understand today's children, their needs and interests, who loves children and gives themselves to them. To ensure that students are actively involved in the learning process and not just passive spectators, I use the project method in my work. During the implementation of the project, schoolchildren learn to independently acquire knowledge and gain experience in cognitive and educational activities. Lesson-projects provide an opportunity to relieve overload from younger students. The project method in elementary school requires the integration of student knowledge in various subject areas: music, the world around us, fine arts, literary reading, local history, ecology, technology, and the Russian language. In various lessons and independently at home or in extracurricular activities, tasks are completed, proposed by the teacher or invented by the students themselves. This could be observing the world around us, drawing what they saw, composing stories, riddles, poems, and performing appliqué work. The project gives students experience in searching for information, practical application of self-learning, self-development, self-realization and self-analysis of their activities. Projects are aimed at collecting information about an object, analyzing it, and summarizing it. We included the work “Forest Dangers” as this type of project, in which students collected interesting materials about the dangers that lie in wait in the forest and give advice on how to avoid these dangers.
Presentation lessons are interesting and dynamic, when the entire course of the lesson is presented in the form of slides. This includes both an explanation of new material and a consolidation of what has been covered. Children look forward to lessons in the Russian language and mathematics, literary reading and fine arts if there is a computer in the lesson.
Together with my students, I actively introduce information technology in preparation for various extracurricular activities and holidays. Class hours, parent meetings, and matinees cannot do without a computer: presentations, slides, karaoke songs, watching cartoons and movie fragments.
The use of ICT allows you to create an emotional mood and develop emotional interest in the subject, organize independent work of students, implement a differentiated approach, develop students’ creative potential, logical thinking, self-control skills, provide students with educational materials, didactic and handout tools for teaching and monitoring knowledge.
In the future, I plan to continue working on accumulating material, developing and improving the methodology for implementing Information Technology, and searching for optimal methods and forms of their implementation.
Thank you for your attention!
