THE IMPORTANCE OF E-LEARNING FOR MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES STUDENTS

The pandemic situation in Slovakia has shown that e-learning teaching within educational institutions has not received sufficient attention so far. The purpose of the paper is to stress the importance of e-learning application in foreign language teaching as well as show the possibilities of creating new educational portals for university students using professional foreign language texts. The KEGA project “Innovative Methods and Forms of Education for Needs and Development of Language and Communication Skills within Technical Professional Foreign Language Study Material” is still ongoing at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities. The aim is to emphasize the importance of foreign language training for future engineers, and at the same time to look for modern and innovative mixed methods of education, which includes the use of e-learning. The paper compares the study results of more than 200 students in different study programmes at the Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies in Prešov Technical University of Košice achieved during the academic year 2020/2021. The research findings prove that the experimental group of students from different study programmes achieved the best study results in those manufacturing technologies e-tests which are closely connected with their study programme. The results confirm that English teaching focused on tailor-made professional texts and topics within the engineering levels of studies was effective. Teachers also identified the strengths and weaknesses of students within tasks to practice language competencies. By applying e-tests students were able to improve their language skills, which can be practised in selected foreign companies or in their future careers as engineers, technicians, managers or computer programmers.

Svešvalodu mācības: vienotas pieejas meklējumos

Based on the analyses of scientific literature (Krashen, Terrel 1983; Krashen 1989; Widdowson 1996; Larsen-Freeman, Long 1999; Kramiņa 2000; Larsen-Freeman 2000; Nunan 2015; Ellis 2003; Forrester 1996, 2006; Cummins 2001), it is concluded that different theories about language studies have their strengths and weaknesses. These theories generally analyse language acquisition processes, their factors of influence, language teaching and learning. Language acquisition takes place simultaneously with the cognition of the surrounding world. By trying to find answers to questions on what language is, in what circumstances it is acquired on a certain level, ideas emerge, which transform into methodological guidelines. Each of the explored theories offers a solution to more effective language acquisition. However, the theory of whole language acquisition has been taken as the basis for integrated language skills development; the four skills are viewed separately. Publishers usually produce a series of “skills books”, textbooks and exams also follow these categories. The question of the criteria of competence assessment remains unanswered. Exams continue to test foreign language acquisition skills. Language teachers need help in order to understand the general principles and become independent in their work. It is important to link these ideas and use a common framework in organising a successful foreign language study process. The research suggests that a common foreign language study approach should be developed and implemented in practice. The planning and organisation of the study process should take into account unified competence acquisition criteria and levels.

INTERNET TOOLS USE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY DURING REMOTE LEARNING

The article analyzes the implementation of modern internet tools into the foreign language learning process during remote studying process. The paper presents the influence of modern digital technologies on the educational process and its participants concluding the inevitable necessity of using digital tools for effective organization of online study. Developed in the second half of the 20th century, CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) systems have been successfully used in the language learning environment. Providing teachers and learners with some obvious benefits like better personalization, higher motivation and automation, early CALLs demanded a lot of resources and were quite complicated in developing, installing and using. With the technological progress and emerging of the Internet, these systems evolved into modern digital user-friendly tools turning conventional learning process into entertainment environment. Modern web based learning systems has provided the unlimited possibilities for learners and teachers alike. Language learners can design their own studying process by choosing a school, a place, time, and pace for their study. New technologies have benefited teachers greatly providing them with effective tools for creating, storing and delivering their studying materials. The benefits and drawbacks of the modern internet-tools for developing different language skills as well as for summative and formative assessment has been analyzed in the paper.

MICROSOFT TEAMS AS A TOOL FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY AT UNIVERSITY

Рассматривается понятие и принципы дистанционного обучения. Определяется значение интернет-технологий для изучения иностранного языка. Характеризуются функциональные возможности онлайн-платформы Microsoft Teams. На основе анкетных данных анализируется опыт дистанционного обучения в Тюменском государственном университете в рамках дисциплины «Иностранный язык» на базе MS Teams. Проводится соотношение между инструментами MS Teams и параметрами занятия по иностранному языку. Определяются значимые для изучения иностранного языка функции платформы, а также возникающие трудности. This paper presents the concept, principles of distance education and its relationship with the terms online-learning and e-learning. The author determines the importance of Internet technologies for foreign language learning and the formation of foreign language communicative (often professionally oriented) competence as the main task of this subject. The article gives the reflections of the functionality of the Microsoft Teams online platform to create a unique online learning environment. The issue is addressed by analyzing the survey data on learning foreign languages online via the MS Teams at the University of Tyumen. The specific objective of the study is to juxtapose the MS Teams tools with the parameters of organizing classes in foreign languages such as interactivity, multimedia, the implementation of the learner-centered approach, the teaching and learning materials used, teaching methods and forms, the creation of an authentic environment and the formation of various types of speech activity. In addition, the study defines the most significant MS Teams functions, in particular, storing educational materials, having feedback, video communication (online-meetings), working in teams and channels, MS Teams tests, working with co-editing files etc. The author identifies the difficulties that arise (namely technical, psychological, physiological, methodological difficulties and problems in perceiving information), their possible causes and ways to overcome them. The article ends with conclusions on how MS Teams integrates into the foreign languages learning process.

Lockdown Learning: Changes in Online Foreign-Language Study Activity and Performance of Dutch Secondary School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused lockdowns and sudden school closures around the world in spring 2020, significantly impacting the education of students. Here, we investigate how the switch to distance learning affected study activity and performance in an online retrieval practice tool used for language learning in Dutch secondary education. We report insights from a rich data set consisting of over 115 million retrieval practice trials completed by more than 133 thousand students over the course of two consecutive school years. Our findings show that usage of the tool increased substantially at the start of lockdown, with the bulk of study activity occurring on weekday mornings. In general, students’ progress through the material was largely unaffected by lockdown, although students from the highest educational track were somewhat more likely to be on or ahead of schedule than students from lower tracks, compared to the previous year. Performance on individual study trials was generally stable, but accuracy and response time on open answer questions went up, perhaps as a result of students being more focused at home. These encouraging findings contribute to a growing literature on the educational ramifications of distance learning during lockdown.

Stumble or fall? Responses to moving language learning online at Durham University during the 2020 pandemic

This chapter offers a chronological narrative of the steps taken by the Centre for Foreign Language Study (CFLS) at Durham University to move language teaching, learning, and assessment online following the announcement of the global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. This includes immediate steps to suspend classroom teaching, a move to online assessments, preparations for teaching of summer language courses, and steps to convert existing curricula and teaching materials for online delivery in 2020-2021. The chapter concludes with some lessons learned, and plans for the future.

Teaching English As A Foreign Language To Students With Learning Disabilities

Foreign language study is an increasingly prominent part of education everywhere. Not only are high school students nearly always required to study a foreign language, but many lower and middle schools have added foreign languages to their curricula, whether as enrichment or a requirement. While it has long been recognized in the learning disabilities field that foreign language study would be a terrific challenge to learning disabled students, somehow this fact has been widely ignored in the field of foreign language instruction and in schools in general until very recently. The following article looks into the ways to teach foreign languages to students with learning disabilities.

THE ROLE OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO NON-LINGUISTIC STUDENTS

The article analyzes the current stage of foreign language study in higher educational establishments. Student interaction and collaboration are considered as essential elements in the development of communication skills. Principal approaches to the definition of collaborative learning are analyzed in the article.The author analyzes advantages of collaborative learning in the process of foreign language study, including development of students’ communicative abilities and active participation in the learning process, fostering learners’ autonomy and creative thinking skills, development of students’ self-learning and cooperation abilities.A detailed description of collaborative learning activities in the process of teaching English to non-linguistic students is presented in the article. Keywords: collaborative learning, collaboration learning activities, student interaction, teaching a foreign language, non-linguistic students, teaching strategies, learning in cooperation, work in group, educational technology.

Study on Construction of Top-ranking Foreign Language Profession under the Guidance of Ideology and Politics

As college students are the main force in the building of our country, we should highlight every profession for college students, and enhance the teaching effect of every class. That said, it will make direct impact on the morality of society in the new era. With the more prominent tendency of economic globalization and the rapid development of Internet, the culture of our country has been effected by the Western culture to some extent. Faced with this tendency, the Ministry of Education in our country has put forward the new requirement for the construction of "double world class". Foreign language study is one of the core lectures in the Technician Training School. We should adhere to the role of guidance of ideology and politics and speed up the building process of top-class profession. That is how we can upgrade the teaching of foreign language in college.