Distance Learning Technologies in Foreign Language Teaching: Assuring Education Quality

Introduction. For the effective organization of the educational process during distance learning of foreign languages in the conditions of a pandemic, special technical, psychological, and pedagogical retraining is required for the transition to distance learning for both teachers and students.Purpose setting. Thus, it is necessary to study the current state of distance learning in foreign languages, both in Russia and abroad, and analyze the prospects for the development of this form of education, taking into account factors that positively affect the acquisition of a foreign language. To date, a lot of attention is paid to distance learning, as, probably, none of the many ways of learning using technology. Modern research in education, and in particular in information and communication technologies, tends to use technological resources to the maximum and use them effectively in pedagogy. In the field of foreign language teaching, much has been done to cover various languages of the world, but attempts are constantly being made to find new solutions, taking into account the specific needs of language learners.Methodology and methods of the study. This article is based on our experience of creating and implementing distance English courses at the Siberian Institute of Management – a branch of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, which uses distance learning and provides academic programs both traditionally and remotely. The article presents the technological aspect of the distance learning system, common to all courses and discuss the main features of teaching a foreign language. The process of developing and implementing English language courses is considered from the point of view of the overall design of the course, the choice of teaching materials, technological and pedagogical processing of course materials, the role of the teacher, support and motivation of students, assessment of academic performance, evaluation of the course and key differences between the two methods of provision that need to be taken into account.Results. The article notes shortcomings and difficulties of a technological and pedagogical nature, as well as problems and new steps in improving English language courses.Conclusions. In conclusion, the complexity of the related technological, organizational and, no less importantly, pedagogical problems is emphasized, but we also hope to provide a reliable starting point for more ambitious projects related to distance learning and teaching foreign languages.

Under the Geriatric Initiatives of the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, USDHHS, Geriatric Education Centers (GEC) are established to ensure quality health care for older adults through geriatric and gerontology education. Distance Learning (DL) technology is an approach GECs are using to keep up with the demands for training and other resources. A questionnaire was distributed to 44 GECs to determine use of DL methods. Based on 33 responses, a return rate of 69%, 15 GECs offer a range of DL geriatric training programs. Eighty-five percent intend to have training programs using DL technology by the year 2000. GECs also use DL technology to conduct meetings, plan conferences, hold clinical consultations, conduct research, and disseminate information. Formal faculty training on DL is offered at six Centers; however, 15% are unable to access advanced technology. Results show a range of available DL geriatric educational resources and a strong interest to expand resources using DL technology. Financial support and sustainabil-ity of programs are important concerns. Recommendations are discussed, and the findings provide a beginning database on DL activities among GECs.

This study investigated foreign language (FL) teachers’ experiences of the virtual classroom during COVID-19 lockdown. The sample consisted of 405 FL teachers who participated in the survey which aimed to measure FL teachers’ perceptions of TPACK, virtual classroom activities, online self-efficacy, student engagement and encountered obstacles. The findings indicate that teachers working in remote areas practice fewer virtual classroom activities and thus perceive low student online engagement. The article discusses the differences between FL teachers regarding the FL they teach, i.e., differences in student online engagement exist between the FL taught, and differences in virtual classroom activities depend on the FL taught. In addition, school stage predicts FL teachers’ online self-efficacy and the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of TPACK and school size exists.

This article is about language development of a foreign language (FL) teacher and is centred around the concept of teacher professional competence. Although the definition seems clear and indisputable, no publication has been traced that would clarify what a FL teacher language competence is. It immediately leads to diverse and sometimes contradictory views of content and language skills a FL teacher is supposed to demonstrate. I use this fact as a starting point and make an attempt to provide my view of a FL teacher language competence and essential elements that comprise it. My contention is that besides ‘general language’ and language awareness, a FL teacher should demonstrate skills in classroom and out-of-classroom communication. I support my view by coming out with a tentative and, at the moment, rather schematic description of FL teacher language competence. I consider this as the first step toward the definition of language teacher language competence to be followed by substantial empirical research which, hopefully, will contribute to a valid and more detailed description of the concept in question.

The relevance of the research is due to the necessity to form and develop the speaking skills of Faculty of Foreign Languages students with a blended form of education and insufficient development of theoretical and technological tools for the effective implementation of this process. Blended learning is considered as a special type of educational activity, in which there is an alternation of traditional and distance learning technologies. We believe that blended learning has a significant potential for organizing the process of foreign language education in general and teaching speaking to students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages in particular. The specifics and advantages of the blended form of education for foreign language education are highlighted, as well as specific methods, techniques and tasks that can be successfully implemented in the process of teaching speaking in a blended format of education are given. The purpose of the study is to present the technological aspects of teaching speaking to students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages in a blended format of training and the development of educational and methodical support aimed at the implementation of this process. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that it analyzes digital resources that can be effectively used in the process of teaching speaking in a blended educational format, and also provides examples of specially designed exercises for the development of speaking skills that can be used in the process of training future specialists in foreign language education with a combination of traditional and online forms of education.

The article considers the peculiarities of providing English-language training of (future) aviation specialists for professional self-realization and performance of professional duties with the use of modern distance learning technologies. The specifics of distance learning are revealed. Terms and concepts, forms of learning are provided. Distance learning technologies, namely: psychological and pedagogical, information and communication, web-environment provide an opportunity to implement the process of distance learning in educational institutions. There are also two strategies for organizing distance learning: asynchronous distance learning and synchronous distance learning. During the planning and organization of distance learning a great role is given to the independent work of cadets. There are also IT elements that a lecturer and a cadet should be able to use in professional interaction. It is noted that Internet technologies, the ability to use Internet resources have a special place in the formation of professional self-realization of a future aviation specialist and providing innovative approaches to the educational environment. The main tasks of English language training in the educational language centers of the Flight Academy of NAU are: improving language skills and strengthening the communicative competence of the teacher / instructor to teach the professional disciplines in English, teaching professional English, preparation for the general English exam at level B2. The use of distance learning technologies in the English-language training of future aviation specialists requires a high level of knowledge, both theoretical and practical. It is necessary to interest and direct students to the use of innovative methods in order to build their professional capacity to use information and communication technologies in their further professional self-realization. Key words: distance learning, English language training of an aviation specialist, ICT, Internet resources, innovations, professional self-realization.

The article describes the experience of implementing media educational technologies in the process of training future mathematics teachers. The current situation in education dictates new requirements for the training of students of higher educational institutions, which consist in the fact that acquiring only special knowledge is not enough in order to be a competitive graduate, it is necessary to develop such abilities of the individual that reveal his individuality and creative potential to the greatest extent. The educational process can be improved by the modernization of the education system and the emergence of innovative learning technologies. The use of media educational technologies in the process of training future mathematics teachers improves the individual learning of students, their motivation and creative ways of creating media tools and increases informational competence in general. The modern educational space cannot be imagined without the use of Internet technologies, where electronic educational resources help to form the necessary qualities in students in an informational and educational environment. Therefore, the use of media educational technologies to increase information competence in the process of training future teachers in the educational activities of a higher educational institution is more relevant than ever. This means that teachers have a completely different approach to imparting knowledge. Using electronic educational resources of the new generation and technological methods of media education, teachers will be able to build courses in an active, interactive mode, in distance learning, in synchronous, asynchronous, and as it happens today, as well as during military operations in Ukraine. In this regard, it is necessary not only to form a modern and well-organized system of theoretical knowledge and skills of teachers, but also to prepare for the effective application of this knowledge in pedagogical activity and to overcome the difficulties that arise when using it. knowledge in practice. According to the results of the obtained empirical data, the effectiveness of the use of media educational technologies in distance learning during the training of future mathematics teachers has been proven.

The article describes the results of developing and testing interactive multimedia teaching materials to support reading of the most widely read French book in the world - The Little Prince (fr. “Le Petit Prince”), a philosophical tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.The paper views an electronic educational resource (EER) as a hybrid training course, catalyzing college students’ external motivation in the process of foreign language teaching / learning. The paper substantiates the didactic potential of WEB - technologies in FLT based on the principle of developmental education, which presumes students’ learning autonomy, independence and creativity. Web-technologies described in the article are used for creating interactive multimedia training materials on the basis iSpring programs for developing training courses for contact and distance learning. The effectiveness of electronic educational resources is assessed on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation system with regard to the following criteria: the students’ subjective satisfaction with the course program, practical skills the students acquire in the process of developing the resource, the time required to master the materials developed. The article proves that the training platform contributes to intensifying FL teaching / learning process and activates the students’ internal and external motivation. The paper argues that networking experience is in demand not only because it is a model to follow, but also an indicator, or mirror that allows to assess one’s level of professional competency, and come up with some new ideas for future projects.

In the context of global changes in education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number and capabilities of distance technology, the availability of the Internet worldwide raises the importance of the issue of studying the use of distance technology in education, including foreign language learning. The paper finds that the distance learning process is carried out using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous tools, while maintaining flexibility and convenience and expanding the quality and efficiency of both methods of communication. The most effective forms of organizing foreign language classes with the use of distance technologies have been identified. Factors that should be taken into account when working with distance technologies in the process of learning a foreign language are identified: interface, the ability to present a variety of materials, including audio and video, presentations and links to useful Internet resources, automatic calculation of response statistics and activity monitoring. A brief description of some techniques and methods of teaching English remotely is given, their specificity is analyzed. The author also presents the main disadvantages and advantages of using distance technologies by teachers in the process of learning foreign languages, as well as outlines the prospects for their further effective use. It is emphasized that the advantages of distance learning technologies, such as the availability of materials, their ease of usage and the ability to manage the learning process are undeniable. It is stated that there are three main principles on which the distance education system is based: learn from native speakers, learn from authentic material, learn for free. The author also emphasizes that teacher’s feedback is an important factor in distance learning. It was found that a well-organized educational process using distance technologies can make learning a foreign language more effective and attractive to all motivated and modern people, regardless of their age, location and financial capabilities.

Active teaching methods are widely used in the pedagogically organized cognitive process in various educational disciplines. This article aims to analyze how active techniques can be integrated and effectively used in the educational process in a foreign language in the conditions of distance education at a higher educational institution of Qazaqstan. The study is of a qualitative nature of the documents analysis (lesson workshops) in professionally-oriented English, collaborated on the Moodle LMS for adult students-translators who studied in the information and communication environment (remotely) in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years. The article describes and explores some possible techniques for the active work of students studying in the university system using distance educational technologies (DET), modern methods for enhancing the educational activities of distance students in learning a foreign language, such as Kolba Method, discussions, criteria table for discussions, intelligence maps. This paper demonstrates the fundamental possibilities of teaching foreign languages remotely in an active form, allowing one to effectively learn a foreign language, to develop professional and intercultural-communicative competencies. The practical significance of the article lies in the idea of teachers using active teaching methods in preparing classes in a foreign language for distance students. Considering the complexity of organizing distance learning in foreign languages, which requires the active participation of students, we hope that this article will contribute to the development of distance technologies for the purpose of teaching foreign languages and will be useful to teachers working in the distance education field to develop high-quality and effective teaching materials and electronic courses in order to optimize and improve the competencies of students. Key words: Active methods, distance teaching & learning, e-learning course, foreign language (FL)

Nowadays foreign language is not just a part of nation's culture, it is also the guarantee of student’s successful career in the future. The achievement of high level proficiency of foreign language is not possible without fundamental language training in higher education institution. Most of them in our country provide students with at least two or even three foreign languages. In the context of higher school reforming, important changes in the educational technologies of foreign language teaching are envisaged. Modern language education is also gradually being modernized, introducing a modular rating system for teaching foreign languages. Interdisciplinary integration, democratization and economization of education determine the manifestation of innovative components in the teaching of the foreign languages. All this requires the formulation of the new claims for teaching and a foreign language teacher in the Free Economic Zone. At the current stage of society development, the purpose of foreign language teaching in higher education institutions is students' mastering of communicative competencies that will allow them to implement their knowledge, skills and abilities to solve specific communicative tasks in real life situations. The introduction of the new effective methods of foreign language teaching in the process of preparing students of humanities and technical specialties has become not only desirable but also necessary. Innovative orientation requires teachers to master and apply the pedagogical innovations, as well as stimulate the search for new forms and methods of educational process organization. High-quality language training of students is impossible without the use of modern educational technologies. The most effective are the professionally-oriented foreign language learning, the project work in teaching, the application of information and telecommunication technologies, the work with educational computer programs in foreign languages (multimedia system), the distance technologies in foreign language learning, the use of Internet resources, the foreign language teaching in the computer environment (forums, blogs, e-mail, etc.). Nowadays, the methodology of the use of computer programs is being developed actively getting more used. Computer programs offer ample opportunities to improve the process of foreign language learning, increasing its efficiency. The computer program provides the perception of information through auditory and visual channels, so it also allows you to organize teaching and control the foreign language acquisition in different modes of independent search and at different levels of complexity. Foreign language teaching means are important to ensure the full and effective organization of students' learning in the classroom to master foreign language activities.

In the last decade renewed interest has been focused on modern foreign language programs in American schools.' Statistics show a phenomenal growth in the teaching of foreign languages at the elementary level. In 1952 only eighty-nine communities had some foreign language teaching in the public elementary schools as compared with 2,443 in 1959-1960.2 Texas has strong ties with the Spanishspeaking world, both culturally and geographically. In many areas of the state large segments of the population are Spanish-speaking. Breunig's survey in 19591960 showed that Spanish is the only language taught to any appreciable extent in the public elementary schools of Texas.: Yet this same survey lists Spanish programs in only 136 schools, kindergarten through grade six.4 In view of the continuing emphasis being placed on the teaching of foreign languages at the elementary level, there seems to be a need for reevaluation of the foreign language programs in Texas elementary schools. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of the teaching of modern foreign languages in selected public elementary schools of Texas during the school year, 1962-1963. The sampling consisted of the 282 public school systems whose high school or high schools are members of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It was on the assumption that the systems accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools represent quality of program at all levels, that these systems were chosen to comprise the sampling of this study. Post cards with attached reply cards were sent to the superintendents of these systems to determine if a modern foreign language is taught in their elementary and secondary schools. A return of 254, or 90.1 per cent, was received. Questionnaires were sent to the sixtythree systems which reported FLES programs. The questionnaire was composed of thirty-two closed-end and three open-end items and dealt with the following topics: (1) the scope of the FLES program; (2) the qualifications of persons presenting instruction; (3) methods, techniques, aids, testing procedures, and special features of the program; and (4) evaluation of the program by the reporter. Useable replies were received from fifty-four, or 85.7 per cent, of the systems. The data were analyzed primarily according to the total number of responses. Where size of school system was found to be a significant factor, the data were cate-

The rapid development of technology from day to day has manifested itself also in the field of education, and therefore it has become compulsory to include new regulations in education. In this fast-paced development, technology is coming into prominence both in distance education and traditional education. In this context, the technological organization established has an important role in the emergence of success perception. Since computer has begun to be used in the field of education, in addition to traditional education, the distance education has become in a more effective and productive education for foreign language learners. In this study, the distance learning, traditional education, teaching environments and perception of organizing as academic achievement are explained. The study has been carried out in a private university in the academic year of 2016-2017. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perception of success between distance education and traditional education in the foreign language education. This study examined the perceptions of administrators, lecturers and students towards the distance learning and traditional learning in order to evaluate the academic success of organizing in foreign language learning. The qualitative data analysis was used in this study. Administrators and students reported that they were prepared to facilitate individual study and improve their work skills with distance learning in the foreign language learning, but that the lecturers were not in the same position with the administrators and students in distance education.

This article aims to apply Stenhouse’s process model of curriculum to foreign language (FL) education, a model which is characterized by enacting principles of procedure which are specific to the discipline which the school subject belongs to. Rather than to replace or dissolve current approaches to FL teaching and curriculum development, this article seeks to improve and enrich communicative and task-based orientations with an additional criterion for assessing the educational worth of the tasks through which these orientations are developed. Unlike the objectives and competences models, principles of procedure provide an intrinsic justification of school curriculum by enacting the epistemological structure of any given area of knowledge in the educational process. Accordingly, the article will first justify the need to come up with a process model of curriculum for FL education which is built around such principles; then, it will formulate a basic framework that reflects the logical structure, concepts and epistemological perspectives of the language studies, as a first step to allowing these to enter the FL classroom and orient the teaching conducted in it; finally, it will present three tasks whose design was inspired by the abovementioned framework, and which were put into practice with Primary education English as a Foreign Language learners during the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 academic years.

Distance education in foreign languages in the United States has grown in a piecemeal, uncoordinated fashion, and it remains marginal to both distance education more generally and to the bulk of foreign language instruction throughout the country. One handicap, arising from very limited demand in business for foreign language skills, is the lack of the innovative development in the corporate sector of the kind that advances other distance learning. A major national need for adult-oriented, individual language-learning facilities remains unmet, particularly materials and facilities for remediation and maintenance of decaying language skills. Within the formal education system, distance education reaches a small fraction of all language learners and has less impact on current instructional practice than might be expected. To remedy this situation, attention must be given to upper-level skill instruction, the production of flexible modules of less than full course length, extension into the less commonly taught languages, the provision of opportunities for interactions rich in cultural context, and the adoption of a common research agenda.