O.V.Pinchuk

I.G.Subbotkina

Teaching DL students.

Distance learning is growing area within Higher Education in Belarus helping to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. This form of distance education was first used successfully by the Open University of the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. The model established by the OUUK has been adopted by colleges in many countries. Distance learning programmes provide higher education that involves the transfer to the student’s location of the resources that form the main basis of study rather than the student moving to the location of the resource provider, together with the appropriate form(s) of communication.The whole programme must be delivered in this way in order to qualify for a differential funding model.

Distance learning encompasses a range of learning experiences from the traditionally understood correspondence course through to elements of a traditional on-campus programme requiring students to spend periods of time off-campus or at a distance, perhaps on a work-based learning placement. Students may have the support of a tutor as in the case of the Open University. Or, in many cases, may only receive support through the learning materials and telephone, email or other online contact. Homework assignment are frequently posted, and turned in, using e-mail. The virtual university is fast becoming a reality, as Universities throughout the world begin to use this form of distance education.

In delivering any distance learning programme, appropriate learning resources need to be developed and provided, even in situations where the programme exists in a traditional HE teaching environment. The absence of face-to-face contact between student and tutor, peers and support staff places additional demands on resources for distance learning. For example, information handed to students as adjuncts to lectures may not fulfil the required educational purpose when provided as stand-alone documents for distance students.

The distance learning programme team have a choice of delivery media for learning resources; electronic (web-based, CD-ROM or DVD), paper-based or audio-visual (audio or video cassette). There are pros and cons for each medium. Various factors such as the target student group or geographical distribution will influence the choice of media. However, there are elements of structure and content common to different media that help to promote effective learning.

The main benefits and drawbacks of the different media, the factors influencing choice and the development of appropriate resources independent of media must be taken into account in DL.

The delivery style and timing is appropriate for the specific client group undertaking a Module.

Distance learning students are studying in their own time (many will have full time jobs) and invariably on their own. Obviously, everybody learns at different speeds, so the amount of material presented for each session should represent a challenge for the average member of the likely client group, depending on the complexity of the material.

Learners have the appropriate experience to undertake the module successfully.

Tutorial and Counselling contact time is at a premium for distance learning students, therefore it is important that the admissions criteria are rigorously designed. One possibility is that, as part of the admission process, learners are asked to complete a diagnostic routine to establish prior learning experiences, possibly as a quicktest. Having established the level of competence in the planned topic, a good plan is to have some form of remedial learning programme to assist those who are diagnosed, at this stage, as being not quite ready to embark on the DL course.

The format for supplying information is interesting and challenging to the learner.

Simply transferring notes and slides onto the web is unlikely to achieve this objective for distance learners. Advice should be sought (if necessary) on including video and sound clips within the learning material. Again, dividing up the curriculum into a number of smaller sections, each requiring reflective activity (see above) will enhance the sense of self-progression.

To develop reading skills of scientific and technical literature it is very important to enlarge vocabulary and master grammar structures and forms which help in comprehension of different texts, articles and translation from English into Russian. The material was divided into 6 units (tests). Each unit contains some certain grammar and lexical material.

The grammar reference and practice book in English was developed by the teachers of foreign languages department № 2 to help the students of correspondence and distance learning faculty in doing their tests.

Lexical material is given in topical units. The absence of face-to-face contacts with a teacher is partly compensated by material for listening comprehension.

According to 5 years experience of working with distance learning students we can say that the knowledge level in English of the DH. students is rather high. The control of students progress confirms expediency of introducing distance forms of teaching foreign languages.

In addition to this material a new textbook “Language pack for correspondence students of economic specialities” was introduced to DH students in 2007.