Неустроєва Г.О.

Викладач кафедри Міжкультурної комунікації та іноземної мови Національного технічного університету «Харківський політехнічний інститут».

The development of the system of distant learning and its prospects.

The development of the global computer network Internet has opened the new prospects of the evolution improvements of the world educational system. Today traditional methods of the formation are complemented by the new methods of the education, based on the usage of Internet, electronic-computer networks and telecommunication facilities. Distance learning, TV education, based on the Internet-technologies, execute a number of new functions and expect the realization of certain principles, amongst which is a principle of cooperation, integration and entering the world network community.

In modern conditions appears a necessity of the flexible system of education, by means of which person can have an access to the world resource of information and database, continuously during his life improving his own professional skills and which allows him to be a mobile, creative and active professional.

Advantages of the distance learning.

The advantages of the distance learning are conditioned by its new functions, expansion of the possibilities and service of the granting the educational services training, portioned on the different segments of the market and territory, as well as the usage of the system of the flexible continuous education, flexible graphs of undertaking classes in synchronous and not synchronous models. The main particularity of the flexible models of such an education is that they are not so hard specified by the temporary and distance frames of the education and contacts between a teacher and a student. This allows the teacher and the student to plan the time of the education and scholastic process more flexibly. Particularly this is important for the remote students and students, studying at the departments of the university in the other city.

Today distance learning is one of the most actively developing directions in the whole system of education. The existing possibilities of the hardware-software of the modern computers and Web-servers allow to develop the interactive programs for undertaking remote courses and getting education by means of the global network. Based on the Internet-technologies, distance learning increases its own possibilities and is considered as perspective system of the education, presenting itself syntheses of technologies of education, television and international network Internet. This new type of the education does not only promote the spreading of the knowledge for broad circle of potential students, but also actively forms the new market of potential users of the new knowledge and technology.

Mostly, the advantages of the distance learning reveal itself in teaching of humanitarian disciplines such as foreign languages that is conditioned by possibility of flexible combination of the theory and practice. New technology expects using the e-mails and television as the forms of the contacts of the student with the teacher in the combination with usual classes.

Distance learning is a facility, under which the students are found at the distance of the creator of the learning material; the students can learn in any place (the house, work, learning centre) without direct contact with the teacher. Remote education on the base of Internet-technology is a modern universal form of learning, oriented on the individual requests of the students and their specialization, and it gives a chance to a student to raise its professional level according to the individual particularities. In process of such an education a student during a certain period of time masters by itself in interactive mode all the material, passes tests, executes the tests under the direction of the teacher, realized by means of Internet and the other means of communication.

With the development of the electronic-computer networks technology remote education expects the usage of the Internet-telephony, e-mail and television as the forms of the contact between the student and the teacher in combination with face-to-face studying-consultation classes on the base of the flexible plan of the education. This allows using the various interactive forms of the education:

1.Undertaking classes and reproduction of the lectures for removed listeners;

2.Electronic access to hypertext book, material of the interactive reading and exercises, programs of the linguistically translation;

3.Electronic remote interaction of the students with professorial-teaching staff, interviews and learning-consultation classes (tutorials);

4.Business plays and concrete situations oriented on specifics of the professional activities and need of the real practical persons;

5.Television and computer conferences and others.

The most prospects of the distance learning are connected with the integration of the telecommunication and computer Internet-technologies, one of the types of which is an electronic interactive videoconference. Interactive training videoconference presents itself one of the most leading technologies of the distance learning and provides portioned on-line relationship between the student and the teacher, regardless of their geographical location. The interactive multimedia videoconference provides the standard specifications organizing global educational network to the students. The Association of the university employee’s digital information pathway leads to shaping the global universal educational network hypermedia, uniting the student and the teacher, the users and producers of the knowledge.

Historically distance learning got through the following stages:

1. Usage of one technology and absence of the direct interaction between the teacher and the student. The typical example is an education on correspondence.

2. Integrating of the different technology, stress on one-sided flow of information and on self-training; using tutor for interaction with the student. The typical example is open universities.

3. Broad usage of double-sided communication technology for interaction of the teacher with the student and the students with each other. The example is portioned systems of the distance learning, using Internet.

Accessibility to technologies is one of the most important factors under its choice. It depends on chosen target group and location (trained are found in the building, on worker place, in university, in learning centre). Technology must be available to all members of the target group, rather than be an additional facility for elected. Often accessibility to technologies is complemented by restrictions on place and time. The possibility appears to analyze accessibility of the printed materials, audio- and video cassettes, telephone, television set, computer, Internet for your conditions.

The expenses also are the most important factor while choosing the technologies. In the structure of the expenses it is important to select the expenses on preparation, production, distribution and delivery material, administrative expenses, communication expenses and others. A part of items of expenditure depends on a number of the students; a part depends on the volume of the learning material, some expenses present additional expenses, being fixed within the framework of the development and undertaking the learning course. The important feature of the expenses is the expenses on one student and for one hour of the learning process, which, in turn, are defined by correlation of the fixed and variable costs. It is clear that these expenses fall when the number of the students increases that makes learning economically profitable.

Teaching and education are less important for choosing technologies, but it is important for using in learning process since technologies differ on their features of presentation. The printed materials are more suitable for transmission of the text, diagrams and graph (as a rule, monochrome). Radio, audiocassettes, telephone are more suitable for transmission of the sound. The television and video cassettes are more suitable for transmission of the image and motion; computers are suitable for working with database, making the interactive programs and animation.

The interactivity is defined both by the scholastic material, and by the students. The first type to interactivities is for the best provided computer program, especially, with using multimedia. The second type to interactivities is provided by double-sided communication channel: audio- or videoconference, telephone, fax, Internet. The interaction of the student and the teacher can be both synchronous (simultaneous), and asynchronous (time-lagged).

As a whole Internet-technologies and electronic communication allow to move to a new stage of the development of cooperation and integration of the universities in organizing, learning-methodical and research area in the different regions of Ukraine. In this connection it is possible to speak of shaping on the local, regional and interregional, national and interstate level portioned educational Internet-community.

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