Features Of Distance Learning In Professional Education

The article presents the main directions of development of the education system in the context of its further informatization. The tasks of the open education system and modern technologies of distance learning are considered. The properties of educational materials intended for the implementation of such training are listed. The strategy for designing online courses is summarized. Some problems arising in the implementation of distance learning are indicated.

Do tutors make a difference in online learning? A comparative study in two Open Online Courses

Two free fully online courses were offered by Peoples-uni on its Open Online Courses site, both as self-paced courses available any time and as courses run over four weeks with tutor-led discussions. We tested the hypothesis that there are no measurable differences in outcomes between the two delivery methods. Similar numbers attended both versions of each course; students came from multiple countries and backgrounds. Numbers of discussion forum posts were greater in tutor-led than self-paced courses. Measured outcomes of certificates of completion, quiz completion and marks gained were very similar and not statistically significantly different between the tutor-led and the self-paced versions of either course. In light of little discernible difference in outcome between self-paced learning compared with courses including tutor-led discussions, the utility of the time cost to tutors is in question. The findings may be relevant to others designing online courses, including MOOCs.