To the question of blended learning implementation in the higher education language study

Modernization of higher education and its transition to a two- level system revealed certain problems in specialists’ training in foreign language field. Traditional academic tasks are being reviewed and expanded under the pressure of new challenges [1]. In the Russian education the need for e-learning is acknowledged at the government level. Under the law “On education in the Russian Federation” as for 29 December 2012 e-learning is defined as “organization of learning using information technologies, technical devices, telecommunication networks, which all are supposed to provide information transfer as well as students and teachers interaction [4].”

In the technical university, language learning is given an increasing role as foreign language knowledge is considered an integral part of modern specialist preparation. Today in Siberian Transport University traditional learning blended with e-learning is becoming common: electronic information environment has been built, being constantly improved. More than 10,000 students of the University are using training pack for their off-class study of the courses. There are 10 faculties at the University, providing specialists of different professional fields. Among the youngest faculties is “Information technologies in business”, educating specialists for information support of business processes, corporate information systems, transport systems, transport and logistics processes. There are several specialties in this faculty and one of them is “Applied Informatics" with a corporate transport systems profile. The area of professional activity of graduates is the following: system analysis of the applied field, development of projects of automation and IT development of applied processes and creation of information systems, development and implementation of corporate information systems (including transport).

According to the new requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards, among the other competences the graduates of “Applied Informatics” faculty are to speak a foreign language at the level allowing them to deal with personal and business issues. Such language knowledge both enables the graduates to collaborate with foreign colleagues with no interpreters involved and constantly improve their professional skills and abilities on the international arena. It should be noted that in technical universities there are insufficient hours provided for language learning.

In the Siberian State University for the “Applied Informatics” faculty, corporate transport system profile students are given only 3 academic hours a week, which is absolutely inadequate for the objectives set in the educational standards. So, the foreign language teachers’ main task is to create conditions which would ultimately enforce students to gain the required knowledge within quite a short period of time. The students of the above-mentioned faculty have 120 academic hours for the whole language study course, which amounts to 30 hours each semester for independent study. In the 21st century it is impossible to efficiently organize such students’ work without information technology. And here blended learning can play a significant role in the educational process as it is a mixture of online learning and classroom that contain some of the facilities of online courses with the presence of face-to-face communication. Implementation of blended learning technology will assist in providing the right language study environment both in the classroom and in any place to the students’ choice.

The English language course for the students of “Applied technology” faculty is divided into 8 modules, each containing from 4 to 6 lessons for each theme study. A modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Moodle) is open-source software that provides the ability to create, deploy and manage elearning websites and applications. Each student can log in on Moodle site and get acquainted with the interactive and video courses of English grammar, history, geography and political study. English teachers have an opportunity to check the progress of students and make comments if required. After the module completion, a complex test should be done. Students are handed in the instruction with the test procedure, its term, duration and score criteria and what should be done to get ready for the test. They can apply to the Moodle site for the necessary methodological material, containing grammar and vocabulary.

Blended learning technology implementation is impossible without profound preparation on the part of all the participants of the educational process – teachers and students [2]. It should be noted that students need some time to adapt and develop in a new environment. To overcome the possible problems, which may arise from this, a detailed algorithm of actions should be developed. It should include step by step instruction, containing the following information:

• •      Brief project description

• •     Course terms, its beginning and ending

• •      Steps

• •     Deadlines

Online component of this research is totally in the hands of students, where they can choose time and pace at which they will fulfill the task [3]. Students have to develop their own plan how to fulfill the task and reach the objectives set by the teacher. Responsibility and accountability on the part of each student is the key to success. One should not deny the important role of a teacher at each stage of task fulfillment, but what is more important is the collective work. Student may support each other by creating online forum, where students may leave their questions, concerning different educational themes and other students may give their answers, advice and link to necessary resources. In this case two very important issues may be solved:

• •      Students, requiring tips may receive the answers in a simple and

understandable form at any time;

• •      Students, giving advice, feel satisfaction from helping their group

mates and exchanging information.

Such collective learning, using all e-resources, immensely increases the motivation and knowledge of students in the language learning even in a quite small lesson amount creating a sense of community and belonging. Blended learning can become a productive way of gaining students’ learning experience, student-student interaction as well as student-teacher interaction and may become an educational model in the future.

• 1.    Besedina E.A. To the question of an entrepreneur university (Siberian Transport University) // Science. University. -2016. p. 59-62.

• 2.     Besedina E.A. To the question of blended learning and teacher’s role in foreign language study in higher education//Theory and Practice in Contemporary Science. -2016. -№ 7 (13). -P. 398 -401.

• 3.    Matvienko E.N. Organizational and pedagogical conditions of

  effective independent students study. // Herald of Siberian Transport University. Issue 31. Novosibirsk, STU press, 2014. P.179-183.

• 4.    Federal Law «On education in the Russian Federation as to 29.12.2012 № 273-ФЗ».