Distance education system

Introduction

1. Interactive interaction between teacher and students

2. Organizational and methodological models of distance education

3. Organizational and technological models of distance education

4. Main types of technologies in educational institutions of a new type

5. Methods of distance university education

6. Information technologies of distance learning

7. Learning tools in distance education

8. Forms of distance education

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

The term "distance education" means such an organization of the educational process, in which the teacher develops a curriculum, mainly based on the student's independent learning. Such a learning environment is characterized by the fact that the student is mostly, and often completely separated from the teacher in space or time, at the same time, students and teachers have the opportunity to communicate with each other using telecommunications. Distance education allows residents of regions where there are no other opportunities for professional training or high-quality higher education, no university of the required profile or teachers of the required qualification level to study.

Since the mid-70s, educational institutions of a new type began to appear in many countries, called "open", "distance" universities; "electronic", "virtual" college. They have an original organizational structure, use a unique set of pedagogical techniques, economic mechanisms of functioning.

The term "interactive interaction" is widely used both in domestic and foreign pedagogical literature. In the narrow sense of the word (in relation to the user's work with software in general), interactive interaction is a dialogue between the user and the program, i.e. exchange of text commands (requests) and responses (invitations). With more developed means of conducting a dialogue (for example, if it is possible to ask questions in an arbitrary form, using a “key” word, in a form with a limited set of characters), it is possible to choose options for the content of educational material and the mode of operation. The more opportunities there are to control the program, the more actively the user participates in the dialogue, the higher the interactivity. In a broad sense, interactive interaction involves a dialogue of any subjects with each other using the means and methods available to them. This assumes active participation in the dialogue of both parties - the exchange of questions and answers, managing the course of the dialogue, monitoring the implementation of decisions, etc. A telecommunications environment designed to communicate with millions of people is a priori an interactive environment. In distance learning, teachers and students will act as subjects in interactive interaction, and e-mail, teleconferences, real-time dialogues, etc. will be the means of implementing such interaction.

External training. Education, focused on school or university (examination) requirements, was intended for pupils and students who, for some reason, could not attend stationary educational institutions. So, in 1836, the University of London was organized, the main task of which in those years was to help and conduct exams for certain certificates, degrees, etc. for students, students who did not attend regular educational institutions. This task has been preserved to this day along with the stationary training of students.

Education at the same university. This is already a whole system of education for students who do not study stationary (on-campus), but at a distance, in absentia or remotely, i.e. based on new information technologies, including computer telecommunications (off-campus). Such programs for obtaining various certificates of education have been developed in many leading universities in the world. Thus, the New University of South Wales in Australia provides distance and distance learning for 5,000 students, while it has 3,000 full-time students.

Cooperation of several educational institutions. Such cooperation in the preparation of distance learning programs makes it possible to make them more professionally of high quality and less expensive.

Autonomous educational institutions specially created for the purposes of distance education. The largest such institution is The Open University in London, on the basis of which in recent years a large number of students have been studying remotely, not only from the UK, but from many Commonwealth countries. In the US, an example of such a university is the National Technological University (Colorado), which prepares students for various engineering specialties in conjunction with 40 engineering colleges.

Autonomous learning systems. Education within such systems is conducted entirely through TV or radio programs, as well as additional printed manuals. An example of this approach to distance learning is the American Samoan television project.

Informal, integrated distance learning based on multimedia programs. Such programs are aimed at teaching an adult audience, those people who, for some reason, could not complete their school education. Such projects may be part of a formal education program, integrated into that program (examples of such programs exist in Colombia), or specifically oriented towards a specific educational goal (for example, the British Literacy Program), or specifically aimed at preventive health programs, such as programs for developing countries.

3. Organizational and technological models of distance education

Single media - the use of any one learning tool and information transmission channel. For example, learning through correspondence, educational radio or television programs. In this model, the dominant medium of instruction is, as a rule, printed material. There is virtually no two-way communication, bringing this distance learning model closer to traditional distance learning.

Multimedia - the use of various teaching aids: textbooks on a printed basis, computer programs for educational purposes on various media, audio and video recordings, etc. However, the transmission of information in one direction dominates. If necessary, elements of full-time education are used - personal meetings of students and teachers, holding final training seminars or consultations, taking exams in person, etc. This technological model will be discussed in more detail below. For the main object, we will take an electronic textbook (ES).

Hypermedia is a third-generation distance learning model that involves the use of new information technologies with the dominant role of computer telecommunications. The simplest form of this is the use of e-mail and teleconferencing, as well as audio training (a combination of telephone and telefax). With further development, this model of distance learning includes the use of a complex of such tools as video, telefax and telephone (for videoconferencing) and audio graphics with the simultaneous widespread use of video disks, various hyper-tools, knowledge systems and artificial intelligence.

4. Main types of technologies in educational institutions of a new type

The type of information technologies used in the educational process is considered as the first factor (integrated characteristic) of a distance learning university. In doing so, two important aspects must be emphasized.

Firstly, such an order of consideration of factors does not at all mean assigning the highest priority to technology in the organization of the educational process. No matter how powerful and perfect technological applications are, they should serve educational (pedagogical) purposes, and not vice versa. But on the other hand, one cannot underestimate the role of new information technologies, which often offer qualitatively new opportunities for the implementation of the educational process.

Secondly, the following list of the main technologies used in distance learning universities, of course, does not mean that any particular model should be characterized by the use of only one of them. A multimedia approach based on the use of several complementary information technologies seems to be the most effective in the field of education.

Distance education technologies used today can be divided into three broad categories:

non-interactive (printed materials, audio, video media),

computer learning tools (electronic textbooks, computer testing and knowledge control, the latest multimedia tools),

· videoconferencing - advanced means of telecommunication via audio channels, video channels and computer networks.

The means of online access to information via computer networks have given qualitatively new opportunities for distance learning. In the Russian Higher School, they are actively developing in the form of the use of electronic textbooks and the technology of exchanging textual information using asynchronous e-mail.

Developed means of telecommunications, the use of satellite communication channels, the transmission of packaged video images over computer networks have only recently begun to be used in the practice of distance education. This is due to the lack of a developed communication infrastructure, the high cost of communication channels and the equipment used.

Videocassettes are a unique tool for distance learning in almost any discipline. Without requiring large expenses for replicating educational videos, the video recorder has become widespread in all countries. Video cassettes are commonly used as components of teaching kits, partially replacing traditional lectures.

E-mail economically and technologically is the most effective technology that can be used in the learning process to deliver the content of the training courses and provide feedback from the student to the teacher. At the same time, it has a limited pedagogical effect due to the impossibility of realizing the "dialogue" between the teacher and students, adopted in the traditional form of education. However, if students have constant access to a personal computer with a modem and a telephone channel, e-mail allows for a flexible and intensive consultation process.

Videoconferencing using computer networks provides the opportunity to organize the cheapest average video quality. This type of videoconferencing can be used for seminars in small (5-10 people) groups, individual consultations, and discussion of individual complex issues of the course being studied. In addition to transmitting sound and video images, computer videoconferencing provides the ability to share control of the computer screen: creating drawings and drawings at a distance, transferring photographic and handwritten material.

5. Methods of distance university education

An important integrated factor in the typology of distance universities is the set of pedagogical methods and techniques used in the educational process. Having chosen as a criterion the method of communication between teachers and students, these methods (techniques) can be classified as follows:

Teaching methods through the interaction of the student with educational resources with minimal participation of the teacher and other students (self-learning). The development of these methods is characterized by a multimedia approach, when educational resources are created using a variety of means: printed, audio, video materials, and, which is especially important for electronic universities, educational materials delivered via computer networks. This is first of all:

interactive databases

electronic journals

computer training programs (electronic textbooks).

In interactive databases, data arrays are systematized, which can be accessed through telecommunications. Using these resources, course developers, for example, can maintain local databases for both students and teachers. Another solution is to provide access to external databases. The number of databases accessible via computer networks is growing rapidly.

Electronic journals are periodicals that are distributed to subscribers via computer networks. They are becoming an increasingly important source of information and learning.

Computer tutorials are software that can be used on a remote computer through a computer network. A communication session with a remote computer may be carried out using, for example, a dial-up connection or Telnet services on the Internet.

Methods of individualized teaching and learning, which are characterized by the relationship of one student with one teacher or one student with another student (teaching "one to one"). These methods are implemented in distance education mainly through technologies such as telephone, voice mail, e-mail. The development of telementoring (the system of "tutors"), mediated by computer networks, is an important component of the educational process in electronic universities.

Methods based on the presentation of educational material to students by a teacher or an expert, in which students do not play an active role in communication (one-to-many learning).

These methods, characteristic of the traditional educational system, are being developed on the basis of modern information technologies. Thus, lectures recorded on audio or video cassettes read on radio or television are supplemented in the modern distance educational process by the so-called "e-lectures" (electronic lectures), i.e. lecture material distributed over computer networks using bulletin board systems (BBS). An e-lecture can be a collection of articles or excerpts from them, as well as educational material that prepares students for future discussions. Based on the electronic bulletin board technology, a method of conducting educational electronic symposia is also being developed, which is a series of speeches by several authorities (“first speakers”).

Methods that are characterized by active interaction between all participants in the educational process (many-to-many learning). The significance of these methods and the intensity of their use increases significantly with the development of teaching telecommunication technologies. In other words, interactive interactions between the learners themselves, and not just between the teacher and the learners, become an important source of knowledge. The development of these methods is associated with the holding of educational collective discussions and conferences. The technologies of audio, audiographic and video conferencing make it possible to actively develop such methods in distance education. A special role in the educational process of distance universities is played by computer conferences, which allow all participants in the discussion to exchange written messages both in synchronous and asynchronous mode, which is of great didactic value.

In order to classify distance universities according to the pedagogical principles underlying their educational practice, it is advisable to single out the following principles of telematic education systems:

interactivity of the educational process

learning as a dialogue

learning adaptability

Flexibility of teaching material

“transferability” of material in distance education

student activity.

Distance educational institutions are usually based not on any one of these principles, but on their combination. Nevertheless, dominant ones usually stand out.

6. Information technologies of distance learning

The main role played by telecommunication technologies in distance learning is to provide educational dialogue. Learning without feedback, without constant dialogue between the teacher and the student is impossible. Learning (as opposed to self-education) is a dialogic process by definition. In full-time education, the possibility of dialogue is determined by the very form of organization of the educational process, the presence of a teacher and a student in one place at one time. In distance education, the educational dialogue must be organized with the help of telecommunication technologies.

Communication technologies can be divided into two types - on-line and off-line. The former provide real-time information exchange, that is, a message sent by the sender, upon reaching the recipient's computer, is immediately sent to the appropriate output device. When using off-line technologies, received messages are stored on the recipient's computer. The user can view them with the help of special programs at a convenient time for him. Unlike full-time education, where the dialogue is conducted only in real time (on-line), in distance education it can also go in a delayed mode (off-line).

The main advantage of off-line technologies is that they are less demanding on computer resources and communication line bandwidth. They can be used even when connected to the Internet via dial-up lines (in the absence of a permanent connection to the Internet).

Technologies of this kind include e-mail, mailing lists, and teleconferencing. With the help of a list server, distribution of educational information can be organized, personal communication between a teacher and a student is established using e-mail, and a teleconference allows you to organize a collective discussion of the most complex or difficult issues of the course. All of these technologies allow the exchange of messages between different computers connected to the Internet.

Of the on-line technologies, first of all, it should be noted chat, which allows real-time text messaging over the Internet. In the simplest case, a "conversation" takes place between two users. For a collective conversation, you need to connect to a special server - an IRC server. Then, when working, the user sees a screen in front of him, on which messages are displayed, indicating who sent this message. Most programs also allow you to call one of the users present to a "private" dialogue, closed from other users. To work with chat, there are a large number of programs, for example, MIRC. The effectiveness of on-line technologies is especially high when organizing network seminars and group consultations.

7. Learning tools in distance education

In distance education, teaching aids are implemented through new information technologies. Traditional textbooks, teaching aids, workbooks, etc. are widely used in distance education systems. In foreign systems of distance education, where the technical level of equipping the educational process is high, the share of printed publications is large (for example, in the USA - 85%, in Germany - 95%).

When developing didactic printed materials for distance education, it is necessary, as experience shows, to be guided by the following:

· teaching aids for the completeness of the content should be designed in such a way as to minimize the student's recourse to additional educational information;

When building the structure of educational material in the manual, it is advisable to use the modular principle;

detailed instructions for studying the material and organizing independent work should be given;

· Mandatory elements in the manual should be control tasks, explanatory dictionaries, questions for self-examination with answers, training tasks.

In general, the rational structure of the educational and practical manual on the discipline (course), intended for distance education, should include the following sections.

· Introduction to the discipline (history, subject, relevance, place and relationship with other disciplines of the program in the specialty).

· Curriculum by discipline (training course).

· The purpose and objectives of the study of the discipline.

· Guidelines for self-study of the course.

· Main content structured by sections (modules).

· Tests, questions, tasks with answers for the training (by sections).

· Final test.

· Practical tasks for independent work.

· Topics for small research projects.

· Explanatory dictionary of terms.

· List of abbreviations and abbreviations.

· Conclusion.

· List of references (basic, additional, optional).

· An anthology (digest) on the discipline, containing excerpts from textbooks, scientific and journal articles, methods and other educational materials on the subject of the course. J, Brief creative biography of the author of the manual.

It is advisable to build network educational materials as a network educational and methodological interactive complex, which belongs to the network electronic textbooks of the second generation with enhanced interactivity functions through the use of such Internet services as teleconferences and videoconferences.

The complex contains the following canonical didactic functional blocks: organizational-methodical, information-training, identification-controlling. The psychological and pedagogical functions of the complex are implemented through the presentation of educational material in the hypermedia environment, didactic interaction of students with teachers and with teaching aids through e-mail, "chat", tele- and videoconferences. The complex consists of the following didactic blocks:

1. Organizational and methodological. Substantially includes information about the goals, objectives of the discipline, its relationship with other disciplines included in the curriculum; a brief description of the content of the topics of the curriculum, the procedure and recommendations for studying the discipline with the help of the complex; a review of the literature and forms of reporting and control, the procedure for organizing interaction with the teacher. For the psychological comfort of students, the module is visualized and is a recording of the orientation lesson on a video cassette with subsequent digitization. The content of the module is duplicated by a text file.

2. The information and training block consists of modules equal in volume to the educational topic. The modules are made in the hypermedia environment. Each module is accompanied by tests for self-examination, and the entire block is accompanied by a final test for the course and exam tickets for the course. Hypertext links available in the educational text enable the student to get acquainted with a specially created electronic reader on the subject of the course, Internet information resources, and resources of the electronic library.

Computer training programs declared themselves as a means of education in the early 70s, during the appearance of personal computers, but still do not have a generally recognized, "legalized" name. The most common formulations are software and methodological complex, software for educational purposes, controlling training programs, etc. Such software is usually intended for use in the traditional educational process, in the training, retraining and advanced training of personnel, for the development of the personality of the student, intensification learning process and for other purposes.

The study of the content, methods and means of developing PSES allows us to highlight the main functions that they perform in the educational process:

individualize and differentiate the learning process;

To carry out control with diagnostics of errors and with feedback;

to carry out self-control and self-correction of educational activities;

free up study time by performing labor-intensive routine computational work on a computer;

visualization of educational information;

· to model and imitate the studied processes or phenomena;

carry out laboratory work under conditions of simulation on a computer of a real experience or experiment;

to form the ability to make the best decision in various situations;

develop a certain type of thinking (for example, visual-figurative, theoretical);

Strengthen the motivation for learning (for example, through the visual means of the program or interspersed with game situations);

to form a culture of cognitive activity, etc.

PSUN at the present stage include: electronic (computerized) textbooks, electronic lectures, controlling computer programs, reference books and databases for educational purposes, collections of tasks and generators of examples (situations), subject-oriented environments, computer illustrations to support various types of classes.

8. Forms of distance education

Teaching methods and means are among the essential characteristics of the didactic process. They can ensure the achievement of the required learning objectives if the necessary material and technical base is available for this, and the teacher will be given the right to choose the organizational side of learning, i.e. form (or type) of employment. The educational process in distance education consists, as a rule, of successively alternating periods of contact and non-contact time. Their duration is different. In some cases, the contact period in the learning process may be absent altogether.

In pedagogical practice, such well-known forms of education have been developed, such as lectures, seminars, laboratory classes, tests, term papers, tests, exams, consultations, independent work, etc. All of them take place with certain specifics in the LMS, both in contact and during non-contact periods of study.

Let us give some characteristics of the listed canonical forms of learning when they are used in LMS, meaning them, therefore, and as a form of distance learning.

Lectures are one of the most important forms of training sessions and form the basis of the theoretical training of students. The purpose of the lectures is to provide a systematic foundation of scientific knowledge in the discipline, to reveal the problems, state and prospects of progress in a particular field of science and technology, to focus on the most complex and key issues. Lectures should stimulate the active cognitive activity of students, contribute to the formation of creative thinking.

In methodological terms, a lecture is a systematic problematic presentation of educational material, any issue, topic, section, subject. A systematic course of lectures, which sequentially presents the material on the curriculum, includes, traditionally, introductory, installation, ordinary, review and final lectures. In distance education, orientation lectures are of particular importance.

The general requirements for a lecture in the LMS are preserved. These are scientific character, accessibility, unity of form and content, organic connection with other types of training sessions. The requirement of emotional presentation is also fully satisfied; it is achieved in audio and video versions, and even in "electronic lectures" presented in the form of text files, with the help of special signs. For example, a smile on the screen is displayed by a combination of characters that resemble a rotated laughing face.

Lectures in DL can be conducted in real and "unreal" time, frontally and individually. Television is used for frontal lectures. Computer videoconferencing can be used for an individual option for conducting classes, and if projection equipment is available, for projecting an image from a computer monitor onto a screen.

The first encounter with the material in writing, rather than directly from the teacher's message, is still preferable (although this does not coincide with the spontaneously established tradition of adult education). At the same time, the greatest didactic effect is given by the option when this is followed by a consultation, carried out, for example, by e-mail.

Seminars. They are an active form of training sessions and are widely used in teaching all academic disciplines. Seminars are built, as a rule, on the basis of a lively creative discussion, a friendly discussion on the topic under consideration. In fact, as many educators point out, the main drawback of seminars at the present time lies in the passivity of the listeners, in creating the appearance of activity through the preliminary distribution of questions and speeches, in the absence of a truly creative discussion.

Seminars can be held in distance education using computer video and teleconferencing. In the pedagogical aspect, the video version is no different from the traditional ones, since the participants in the process see each other on the screens of computer monitors. Videoconferencing takes some getting used to. There is some delay in the image on the screen when the participants move, some unusual interior stuffed with equipment affects, distraction, etc.

Consultations. This is one of the forms of directing the work of students and assisting them in independent study of educational material. Consultations can be individual and group. During the consultation, the individual properties of the listener as a person are manifested (his intellectual, moral qualities, and especially the characteristics of the psyche and consciousness of the student: attention, memory, imagination and thinking).

The LMS mainly uses consultations using such means as: telephone, e-mail, video and teleconferences. The choice of NIT tools will be determined by the existing composition of hardware and software equipment at the workplaces of the student and teacher. The most commonly used telephone and email.

Laboratory works. This type of occupation is more important for technical specialties. They can be carried out when remote access via computer networks to laboratory facilities or a central computer simulating an experiment is required, or when it is necessary to deliver a portable laboratory practice “at home”.

Studies of these areas have shown that the first direction (within the concept of a remote laboratory workshop) is preferable for didactic and economic reasons, which allows solving a significant part of the problems when conducting laboratory work in distance education, as well as implementing the concept of "training forms".

control measures. Control in the educational process consists in checking the progress and results of theoretical and practical assimilation by students of educational material. The assessment of knowledge, skills and abilities acquired in the process of distance learning is of particular importance in view of the lack of direct contact between the student and the teacher. The role and importance of objective and multi-criteria forms of knowledge quality control is increasing. A feature of control in LMS is the need for additional implementation of the functions of identifying the student's personality in order to exclude the possibility of training falsification.

Two types of control are used: procedural control and self-control. With routine forms of control, it is advisable to organize continuous communication in the form of input, current and output control. Self-control is carried out by students both with the help of computer training systems and elementary methods, by answering control questions or tests in sections of the curriculum.

The informatization process is a natural and objective process characteristic of the entire world community. It manifests itself in all spheres of human activity, including education. Largely due to this process, a new synthetic form of education became possible - distance learning, which incorporates the best features of traditional forms of education - full-time, part-time, external studies, and integrates well with them. One can pay attention to the trend when all known forms of education merge in the future into one single form with the predominance of the characteristics of modern distance learning. The use of video teleconferencing, the Internet and other data transmission systems as tools will “bring together” the teacher and student who are far from each other, bring distance education closer to traditional, to direct communication between the teacher and the student, the lecturer with the audience, group seminars, tested for centuries. That is why distance learning is often called the form of education of the XXI century.

Significant experience in distance learning has been accumulated in Russia and abroad. It becomes obvious that research and practical work on the problems of distance learning, methodological, methodological and technical support of distance education should be constant and continuous. You can be sure that the results of such work will bring real results in the modern educational process, and at the same time in the development of telecommunications systems.

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Having appeared at the end of the 20th century, distance learning by the beginning of the 21st century. has become one of the most promising and effective systems for training specialists in various fields of knowledge. In recent years, the term E-learning has spread in Europe, and then in Russia, which means the process of distance learning in electronic form, carried out via the Internet using various e-learning systems.

Criteria for choosing software for distance learning

Distance learning software is presented in the educational software market as simple HTML pages, as well as complex platforms with wide functionality. Among them are learning management systems (Learning management system, or LMS) and management systems for educational content used in corporate networks (Learning Content Management System, or LCMS). The main requirement for the means of organizing e-learning is the ability to simultaneously organize the management of the educational process and control the level of knowledge gained. The choice of software for distance learning is carried out in accordance with the specific requirements, goals and objectives set by the customer (or buyer) of the software.

The main criteria for selecting software tools forE- learningare:

• Functionality. It implies that the platform has the necessary options, including chats, forums, course management, student activity analysis, etc.
• Stability, i.e. the degree of stability of work under various operating modes and load, depending on the degree of user activity.
• The convenience of use. One of the most important parameters affecting the quality of the educational process.
• Convenience and simplicity of administration and updating of content.
• Price. It consists of the cost of purchasing the platform and further support.
• Modularity. A training course may consist of several micromodules (blocks) of educational material, which, if necessary, may be included in other courses.
• Scalability. The system should be flexible and able to expand both in connection with the increase in the number of students, and by adding new programs and courses.
• 100% multimedia. The technical capabilities of the system should provide the ability to use not only text and graphic files, but also video, audio, flash animation, 3D graphics, etc. as teaching tools.
• Support quality.

Technical solutions offered by leading and foreign software developers for distance learning

The circle of the main developers of platforms for E-learning is rather small. The leaders of the Western market are traditionally companies IBM, Saba Software, Adobe Systems Incorporated,Docent, WBTSystems. Companies stand out among Russian developerswebsoft, "HyperMethod", SRC ASKB, etc.

Depending on their main purpose, all platforms for organizing distance learning can be divided into:

• boxed services (in which there are both free ready-made solutions and paid ones);
• SaaSservices with a fixed rent for their use;
• platforms for holding various webinars and conferences.

Here is a brief description of the platforms for distance learning that are most often used to organize the educational process in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet.

1. Moodle

The development of Australian programmers has become the most popular and massively used in the world, incl. Russia, a ready-made platform for LMS. More than 18 million people are users of the system, and the number of courses created with its help is approaching 2 million. It is a ready-made boxed solution, it is completely free and can be freely downloaded from the Internet.

Platform features:

• accounting of students, the possibility of their personalization and differentiation of access rights to educational materials;
• creating and conducting online courses;
• keeping records and statistics on training;
• control and assessment of the level of knowledge;
• questioning and creation of surveys;
• possibility of integration with other information systems.

The main advantages of the Moodle platform:

• Availability
• Ease of use
• High performance
• Since the platform is distributed in open source, it is possible to adapt it to specific needs.
• Easy to install and update

Some disadvantages:

• the absence of the concept of a semester in the basic version of the system and, as a result, the inability to compile a final statement for all disciplines of the semester;
• the impossibility of creating study groups by levels, the creation of groups of trainees is possible only within the course.

At the same time, among the free platforms for distance learning, Moodle is the most successful software that is not inferior in its capabilities to paid programs.

2. web tutor

One of the most popular distance learning platforms by a Russian developer is WebSoft. Consists of several modules:

• distance learning management module (with a built-in editor of training courses, interactive exercises and tests / control questions);
• educational portal management module (has an editor of information materials, a repository of the organizational structure, manages and moderates forums);
• a gateway for exchanging information with other systems (the ability to download data from personnel accounting systems, integration with other platforms, data export to storage, etc.)

Benefits of the WebTutor Platform is the availability of ready-made courses, scalability, support for the SCORM format, which makes it possible to ensure the compatibility of components and their reuse in various training courses.

To disadvantages users attribute: not very convenient interface, poor customization of the service, the need to purchase additional modules (for example, the basic version does not contain a module for online conferences, but is a separate service).

3. IBM Lotus Workplace Collaborative Learning (LWCL)

Developed by IBM. It is a universal, reliable, flexible and easily scalable platform for organizing traditional distance e-learning, managing educational resources and materials. It can be used both for vocational training and advanced training in large companies and holdings, as well as in educational institutions.

Its functionality:

• wide opportunities for managing the educational process (both traditional and distance and mixed);
• creating calendars and scheduling training sessions;
• the ability to create and import educational materials, manage the catalog of courses;
• the possibility of compiling and tracking training programs;
• tracking the results of training and testing;
• the ability to conduct discussions and exchange messages.

To the disadvantages of the system include binding to IBM solutions and limited Russian-language localization.

4. Prometheus

Another development of Russian specialists. It is a ready-made (boxed) product or (at the request of the customer) the development of a training system for the needs of a particular customer, implemented using the Saas system.

The system has a modular architecture, so it provides good opportunities for expanding and upgrading the product.

The number of basic modules is quite large. The main ones are:

• a typical Web site, which is a set of HTML pages with information about the training center, the list of courses, disciplines and tutors;
• Workstation "Administrator". From this module, the administrator manages the system, grants access rights, registers new tutors, etc.;
• AWP "Organizer". Forms groups of students, registers students, controls tuition fees, distributes training materials;
• AWP "Tutor". Provides counseling to students, monitors progress, carries out tests, marks and sends a report on the progress of the student to his/her immediate supervisor;
• AWP "Listener". Provides the student with all educational materials, organizes the process of performing laboratory work, passing tests, and working on bugs.

There are also modules "Tracking" (for monitoring and creating a report on those who have read or viewed courses), "Course" (provides access for students to courses), "Registration", "Test", "Test Designer", "Accounting", "Reports", "Course Designer".

The platform has been successfully implemented in the largest Russian universities (including MESI, MAI, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, etc.)

To the disadvantages of platforms We can attribute the binding to Microsoft products and lack of scalability.

5. Shareknowledge

Developed by Competentum. It is a free boxed solution. The main advantage is the possibility of independent organization of the entire cycle of distance learning, from the development of courses, and preparation and conduct to the management of classes and monitoring the level of knowledge of students. Any text and multimedia files, as well as electronic courses that meet SCORM requirements, can be used as educational materials. Instructors have the opportunity to issue students tasks with fixing the time of issuance, the beginning and end of the task, etc. Assessment of students' knowledge is carried out using electronic tests.

Platforms for holdingonline- conferences, webinars and trainings

Separately, I would like to note systems designed for short-term distance learning in the form of conferences, webinars and trainings. The best, according to most users, platforms in this segment are:

• Webinar and Comdi platforms from Webinar-Comdi, which allow organizing online conferences with up to 500 participants;
• iMind platform, developed by Mind Labs. Designed for webinars and video meetings;
• "Virtual Class" from WebSoft (can be used as an additional paid module for the WebTutor platform);
• Acrobat Connect Pro, developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Provides ample opportunities for online conferences. Available in Premium Basic (for up to 5 participants and saving 10 PDF documents) and Premium Plus (for up to 21 participants and no upload limits).

In conclusion, it should be noted that any platform chosen for organizing distance learning will have its own advantages and disadvantages. The ease of use of the platform depends on the degree of its adaptation to your needs and the ability to use all the existing features and functions of the system.

The review for hrdocs.ru was prepared by Iren Sergeeva.

There are many platforms for organizing e-learning. We selected the best commercial platforms based on price/quality ratio, and also included open source (i.e. free) programs in our review, guided by the prevalence of the program, user reviews and the availability of a high-quality Russian-language support system.

Tool for developing electronic courses “1C: E-learning. Course Builder»

Software product “1C: E-learning. Course Builder is designed for:

• Creation of electronic courses and tests, knowledge bases
• Conducting training on a separate computer, on a local network and via the Internet.
• Control and analysis of learning outcomes.

The presentation of the program is given

Learning management system "1C: E-learning. Corporate University»

Open source software

Moodle - floor o content management system (CMS), specially designed for creating online courses. Moodle is a system that:

• Completely free;
• Open source and GPL license allowing any modification.
• Has high performance.
• More than 40 thousand registered Moodle websites, more than 18 million users, teachers - 2.4 million, 1.9 million distance courses.

Moodle has a simple, efficient, cross-browser compatible interface

Work on the demo version of the system .

EFront

The eFront system is available in several variants. The basis of the system is eFront Core, a system distributed with a free license that implements the main functions of the LMS / LCMS (Learning management system / Learning Content Management System). You can download it and start using the system right now. Other versions (see below) require a small cash payment.

eFront Educational additionally has the functions of paying for tuition and analyzing the availability of necessary skills. eFront Enterprise expands the capabilities of the system, offering functions for working with skills compared to lessons, tests and positions, employee history, organization structure management, skills analysis and selection of employees for a position, an advanced reporting system, etc.

Work on the demo version of the system.

The effectiveness of distance learning significantly depends on the technology used in it. The capabilities and characteristics of distance learning technology should ensure the maximum possible efficiency of interaction between the student and the teacher within the system. Difficult-to-use software not only complicates the perception of educational material, but also causes a certain rejection of the use of information technology in education.

The successful implementation of distance learning is based on the right choice of software.

In all the variety of means of organizing distance learning, the following groups can be distinguished:

copyright programs (Authoring Packages) - are most often some local developments aimed at the study of individual subjects or sections of disciplines. The teacher here develops and creates teaching materials. As a rule, such products are designed to create lessons with immediate feedback from the learner, and not to store information about the learning process for a long time. Such developments, on the one hand, are an indispensable tool for activating educational material during classroom classes, students' independent work; on the other hand, the lack of feedback from students and the teacher greatly reduces the effectiveness of their use;

learning management systems (Learning Management Systems - LMS) - designed to control a large number of trainees. Some of them are focused on use in educational institutions, others - on corporate training. Their common feature is that they allow you to follow the training of users, store their characteristics, count the number of visits to certain sections of the site, and also determine the time spent by the trainee on completing a certain part of the course. These systems allow users to register for a course. Registered users are automatically sent various kinds of information about current events and necessary reporting. Learners can be organized into groups. In addition, there is the possibility of testing knowledge and online communication;

content management systems (content) (Content Management Systems - CMS) - provides opportunities for posting electronic learning materials in various formats and a collaborative process of creating, editing and managing content. Typically, such a system includes an interface to a database with the ability to search by keywords. Content management systems are especially effective when a large number of teachers are working on the creation of courses, who need to use the same pieces of educational materials in different courses;

learning content management systems (Learning Content Management Systems - LCMS) - combine the capabilities of the two previous control systems and are currently becoming promising in terms of organizing distance learning. The combination of managing a large flow of learners, the ability to quickly develop courses, and the availability of additional modules allows learning management systems and educational content to solve the problems of organizing learning in large educational structures.

Learning management systems are characterized by a high level of interactivity and allow people located in different countries and with access to the Internet to participate in the learning process. With their help, the learning process can be carried out in real time.

There are a number of LMS systems that provide training via the Internet. Consider the main software platforms for organizing distance learning:

1) ILIAS- a free learning platform that allows you to create methodological and educational materials for distance learning, as well as organize connections and build interaction between teachers and students, test and evaluate the knowledge of the latter. ILIAS supports Russian. Unfortunately, this system does not differ in the speed of entry, that is, the system is not yet so intuitive. It has a beautiful interface, supports a large number of features, but understanding it right away is not so easy for both the student and the teacher. For work, the user needs to learn how to work with it, or modify it (adapt and simplify) to suit their own needs.

Rice. 1. ILIAS demo mode

2) ATutor- a free learning platform similar to the ILIAS system from Canadian developers. The system interface is simple and understandable. The system supports Russian, which is a plus. However, this does not apply to documentation. The start page of LMS ATutor is shown in Fig. 2;

Rice. 2. LMS ATutor start page

3) OpenELMS is a joint project aimed at organizing and implementing a distance learning system for use in commercial and educational organizations. This platform is a free software product. The OpenELMS LMS software is both comprehensive and fundamentally easy to use. The start page of the LMS OpenELMS is shown in Fig.3;

Rice. 3. LMS OpenELMS start page

4) dokeos is a free software product used by international companies, federal governments and universities. This platform was created to build distance learning websites. It is more suitable for organizations than universities, as it is focused on professional clientele, for example, on enterprise personnel. An example of the implementation of a lecture in LMS Dokeos is shown in Fig. 4;

Fig.4. Implementation of a lecture in LMS Dokeos

5) Sakai is a freely distributed software shell that is developed and used by the international community of major universities. This is a constantly evolving project. Sakai software includes many features for course development and course management system organization, as well as document management, forums, chats, online testing. The start page of LMS Sakai is shown in Fig. 5;

Fig.5. LMS Sakai start page

6) Moodle(English) Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment- modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment) - is a free learning management system. The system is focused primarily on the organization of interaction between the teacher and students, although it is also suitable for organizing distance courses, as well as supporting full-time education. The Moodle system has been translated into dozens of languages, including Russian, and is used by almost 50,000 organizations from 200 countries around the world. An example of the start page of the educational portal of the Altai State Technical University (AltSTU) based on LMS Moodle is shown in Fig. 6;

Rice. 6. Start page of the AltSTU educational portal based on LMS Moodle

The Moodle Learning Management System is a management system specifically designed to create quality online courses. In terms of its capabilities, Moodle compares well with well-known commercial distance learning systems. At the same time, this system compares favorably with them in that it is distributed in open source code - this makes it possible to customize the system to the specifics of a particular educational project, and, if necessary, to embed new modules into it.

Ample opportunities for communication is one of the strongest points of Moodle. The system supports the exchange of files of any format - both between the teacher and the student, and between the students themselves. The mailing service allows you to quickly inform all course participants or individual groups about current events.

An important feature of Moodle is that the system creates and stores a portfolio of each student: all the work submitted by him, all grades and comments of the teacher on the work, all messages in the forum.

The teacher can create and use any grading system within the course. All marks for each course are stored in a summary sheet. It allows you to control the "attendance", the activity of students, the time of their educational work in the network.

The modular structure of the system ensures ease of use of the system for students and teachers.

The presence of an open community, consisting of more than 50,000 users of the system and more than 3,000 implemented distance learning systems around the world, allows for effective exchange of experience.

According to numerous studies of the capabilities of various software platforms, the Moodle system turned out to be the sole leader. It should be noted that, given the continuous improvement of all systems, Moodle retains its leading position at the present time.

distance learning system(LMS, LMS) is an important tool in the work of e-learning specialists. LMS can be a major expense if you are looking for a reliable, versatile e-learning system that will meet all of your e-learning development needs.

You can get acquainted with the Top 20 Learning Management Systems (LMS) based on feedback from users of the systems.

Luckily, there are plenty of open-source LMSs out there, that is, available for free. You will be able to choose a dynamic, flexible system that will meet all your requirements, within the allocated budget.

The following 11 distance learning systems are free and may be of interest to you.

TOP 11 free distance learning systems for organizing e-learning

1. Moodle

Today, Moodle is undoubtedly one of the most popular open source LMS. user various toolbars, the ability to track student progress and multimedia support. The system makes it possible to create courses adapted for mobile phones, and is quite friendly to the integration of add-ons from third-party developers.

For those who want to make money with their courses, Moodle has an integration with the PayPal payment system, which makes the ordering and payment process simple and straightforward. Another important advantage of Moodle is the user community. Unlike many other free LMS, here you can almost instantly get answers to most of your questions by contacting the online technical support database.

In addition, the service offers a number of ready-made templates that you can use to save time and not create a course from scratch. Moodle may seem complicated and incomprehensible to you at first, but if you are looking for a program that gives the user the maximum amount of freedom, then do not be lazy and spend some time learning the Moodle interface.

2. E-STUDY - Electronic educational environment

The online platform for organizing distance learning E-STADI is a free Russian development of a team of like-minded people for the development of distance education.

To get started, you need to register on the site and create a "workspace" - a personal space of your company, which will host training materials and assignments for your students.

The difference from classic LMS is that the functionality is focused on practical work. Yo-Study, of course, allows you to publish educational materials, but most of the system is intended for all kinds of assessment and testing.

Yo-Study contains a sufficient number of tools for organizing training and testing:

"Workspace"
Course materials, announcements and assignments (cases) are published in the workspace. The workspace is created by the teacher/tutor/learning manager and can include several groups or courses. Students get access to the workspace by request.

"Test"
Yo-Study has a powerful functionality for testing, the test can be created on the website or imported from *.docx, having previously issued it in accordance with special rules. A detailed report of each test taker's responses is available. It is possible to limit the timing, time, number of attempts, the ability to switch between browser windows.

"File"
Uploading files/documents, which the teacher can then evaluate and comment on. The gradebook is automatically generated in the workspace, based on the created tasks and allows you to generate an Excel file.

"Magazine"
The journal is formed by the system on the basis of assignments created by the teacher. Grades enter the journal automatically when passing the test, this greatly facilitates the work of the teacher, and students always have access to the latest information.

"Forum"
When creating a "forum" as a task, it becomes possible to put marks next to the answer.

"Event Ribbon"
Events are collected on the corresponding page organized as a news feed, you can receive notifications about them by email.

Summary

Yo-Study is a new free e-learning environment designed to organize staff training.

Advantages:

Does not require installation / configuration;
the system is free;
easy to use;
powerful functionality for testing and evaluation;
does not require preliminary development of courses;
there is an English version.

Disadvantages:

Impossibility of self-improvement;
lack of SCORM support;
limited but sufficient functionality;

In general, Yo-Study deserves an excellent rating and is a good solution for small companies that want to organize staff training without any costs for the acquisition of LMS.

3.ATutor

This distance learning system has many useful features: from email notifications to file storage. One of the most striking advantages of ATutor is its client-oriented approach and easy and intuitive interface, which makes this system an ideal tool for those who are just starting to master the world of e-learning.

Atutor also offers the user a number of pre-installed themes to speed up the process of creating a course. And we can not fail to note the various assessment tools, file backup, statistics and the ability to integrate surveys.

4 Eliademy

For teachers and curators of training, this system is completely free, a small fee is taken from users if they want to take advantage of the premium account.

Eliademy offers eLearning course catalogs, assessment tools, and even an Android mobile app for those educators looking to develop mobile courses and target people who prefer to learn on the go. E-learning coordinators can easily and easily upload courses and send invitations to students via their email addresses.

5. Form LMS

From the analysis of the general level of knowledge to detailed statistics and reporting, Forma LMS boasts a fairly large set of available functions. The service also has various certifications, competent leadership support, and a wide range of virtual classroom management tools, including various calendars and event managers.

This system is ideal for corporate training programs and offers access to an active online community where you can find many useful tips on how to get the most out of this service.

6. Dokeos

If you're looking for a distance learning system with pre-made course elements, Dokeos, available free of charge for groups of up to five users, is for you. This system offers many ready-made templates and e-learning courses and of course authoring tools with which you can minimize the time spent on creating your course.

On their website, the developers offer the user a lot of useful information, including step-by-step video instructions for creating their own courses. The intuitive interface makes Dokeos a great option for newbies to eLearning and those who don't want to waste time reading instructions.

7. ILIAS

This distance learning system can be called the first open system that complies with distance learning standards such as SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004. This flexible universal system meets all the basic requirements for successful sales of copyrighted courses.

It should be noted that ILIAS is one of the few distance learning systems that can be used as a full-fledged e-learning platform, thanks to the ability to communicate within the team and transfer and store all documents. The system is absolutely free for all organizations involved in e-learning, regardless of the number of users.

If you have hundreds, if not thousands, of people studying with you, this system will help you significantly reduce expenses, since many other LMS charge fees depending on the number of users.

8. Opigno

The opportunities provided by the Opigno system cannot but rejoice. Certificates, class schedules, forums, authoring e-learning tools, a grading system and video galleries are just a few of the impressive list of features available to the user.

This distance learning system is written in Drupal, a popular content management system. This gives you the ability to manage your curriculum, track student progress, and integrate e-commerce with just one tool.

Opigno also offers the user online surveys, the ability to send instant messages and chat, which makes it possible to quickly provide and receive feedback and effective cooperation.

9.OLAT

Assessment tools for e-learning, social inclusion, and a learner homepage are just a few of the many benefits of OLAT. In this system, you will also find a schedule, email notifications, the ability to add bookmarks, file storage and certificates.

With OLAT, you can easily and quickly add new users to the system, as well as develop comprehensive e-learning courses. Another interesting feature is the ability to check browser compatibility. With just a few clicks of a button, you can make sure that the learning material is displayed correctly in all browsers. OLAT is ideal for multi-platform e-learning courses designed for various devices.

The iSpring Online online learning platform is used by both private business coaches and large companies with a developed network of branches: Alfa Capital, Lamoda, PwC, Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network. are used by both private business coaches and large companies with a developed network of branches: Alfa Capital, Lamoda, PwC, Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network.

This is an Internet service, which means that you do not need to download the program, install it on the server, or configure it. To get started, just register on the site, download training materials and assign employees. One person can manage the SDO.

Features of iSpring Online:

Unlimited storage. In the LMS, you can download an unlimited number of educational materials: courses, videos, books, presentations.

Course editor in PowerPoint. The company has an editor in which you can make an electronic course from a PowerPoint presentation with videos, tests, interactive games.
Mobile learning. Courses can be opened on a computer, tablet, smartphone, even offline, for example, on a train or plane.

Detailed statistics. The system collects detailed statistics and helps to monitor the performance of employees. Reports show what courses the user has completed, what passing score he/she has scored, how many mistakes he/she made in the test.

Webinars. You can show a desktop, presentation or video, write to a general and private chat. The system automatically sends participants a reminder of the next online meeting and informs about the change in the schedule - everyone does not have to write personally. Webinar recordings are saved.

Disadvantages:

iSpring Online has a free 14-day trial, but the system is generally paid. However, it is unlikely that less money will be spent on a free LMS: you will have to spend money on your technical support, hire programmers to administer it.

In the case of a paid platform, you get a full service: they will help you deploy and configure the training portal, upload materials, and start training employees. Any question technical support staff will solve by phone.

Open source e-learning systems give you the ability to create and effectively develop e-learning courses, especially if you are willing to spend some time learning all the possible features of the system. In some cases, the use of such systems can affect the learning curve, but the cost savings and freedom in choosing the appearance and content of the course, in the end, covers all possible difficulties.

If a distance learning system has its own online community, feel free to check it out before you make a final decision to use a particular product.

11. Teachbase.

The Russian development of the distance learning system Teachbase has been recognized by more than a dozen companies. The service is ideal for solving corporate training tasks, but it is also applicable to private trainers. Teachbase is a remote access system, which means that it does not need to be installed on a computer, maintained and configured. You will need internet access and a computer or mobile device to create (or take) a course.

The key feature is simplicity. Everything is intuitive, thanks to a visual interface. Creating and launching a course on your own will take even a beginner no more than an hour. Issues that have arisen are promptly resolved by the employees of the "Internet School" (creators of the service). Free technical support is available via a communication channel convenient for the client.

Despite the simplicity of work, Teachbase has wide functionality. Available Features:

- Personal account - for each of the participants. When you enter the service, the materials assigned for review are immediately visible.

- Testing after passing the material with the settings of the test parameters.

- Statistical reports for the course organizer to analyze and improve the course.

- User base with the ability to filter.

- Editors - educational materials can be processed directly in the system. By the way, the author is provided with free space on the server for remote storage of materials.

- Communication between users - using webinars, and other tools.

To get started with Teachbase, just register. You can start the course right away. The first 14 days from the date of registration are free - you can fully appreciate the benefits of the service and explore it. In the future, the tariff will depend on the number of participants. Most importantly, you pay only for active users.

There is also a free option to use Teachbase in the future. What is important - without any restrictions on functionality. Use the service for free if the number of active listeners is not more than 5 people per month. Few? Perhaps for some, yes, but for small companies, it is often quite enough.