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DISTANCE EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITIES: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
K.V. Drokina, Candidate of Economics Sciences, Senior Lecturer Southern Federal University (Russia, Taganrog)
DOI: 10.24411/2500-1000-2020-11023
Abstract. The purpose of this article is to analyze the results of introducing distance education into the educational process of universities which is of particular importance and relevance in the modern world. The article presents the results of an analysis of the main advantages and disadvantages of distance learning as well as a survey of students conducted by the author on this topic. The urgency of the combination of traditional and distance learning formats in modern conditions has been substantiated.
Keywords: distance education, education system, universities, questionnaires, advantages and disadvantages of distance learning.
Currently, a significant part of higher education organizations uses distance learning technologies in the educational process. Moreover, this form of training is becoming more and more popular in connection with the current epidemiological situation.
The introduction of the distance education system revealed some problems: difficulties in obtaining feedback on the quality of educational services provided to students, the risks of problems associated with the technical characteristics of the equipment operability. The introduction of distance education in universities has transferred the competition between them to a higher, global level also. Thus, online learning has become an important element of the educational system in universities [1].
As a result of the analysis of the problems and the effectiveness of the implementation of distance learning, the following positive and negative aspects were identified.
The advantages of distance learning in universities, obtained because of the popularization of distance education, include the following:
1) The possibility of combining study with work [2].
2) Training anywhere at any time, which entails a reduction in time and material costs.
3) Expanding the target audience for universities by erasing territorial boundaries.
4) Individual training (choice of place, time, learning rate).
5) Mastering new technologies in the learning process.
6) Opportunities for self-education, reducing the dependence of the student on educational organizations [3].
7) Increasing mobility in the relationship between teacher and student.
8) Development of student self-discipline.
9) Access to electronic resources, including library funds.
10) Opportunity to receive education regardless of the student's financial and social status and the state of his health [4].
11) Requirements for high technical equipment of universities and training of highly qualified personnel in the field of information technology.
At the same time, as the practice of introducing distance learning into universities in modern conditions has shown, distance learning is not without its drawbacks, including:
1) Weak communication with the teacher due to the lack of personal contact between the participants in the educational process.
2) The inability to resolve emerging issues through personal communication.
3) Requirements for high self-organization and self-motivation of the student.
4) The need to ensure uninterrupted access to the Internet [5].
5) Weakening of "healthy competition" in the student environment due to the lack of the possibility of comparing individual achievements of students.
6) Requirements for the organization of the workplace (premises, equipment, elimination of distractions).
7) Insufficient implementation of the skills of building relationships in a team and speaking in front of an audience.
8) The lack of the possibility of introducing a distance format for all areas of study and specialties.
9) The weakening of teaching control over the process of mastering the material by students.
10) Difficulties in receiving feedback from the student by the teacher due to the lack of eye contact with the audience and the possibility of adjusting the teaching material in the process of its assimilation by students.
11) Additional costs of universities for the technical equipment of the distance learning process.
12) Fatigue from prolonged work at the computer.
Having analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning it should be noted that the Southern Federal University (SFU) has sufficient experience in using distance learning technologies that complement the traditional educational process. The Microsoft Teams platform used by SFU teachers and students provides ample opportunities for organizing the educational process from anywhere in the world.
The author conducted a survey of students studying at the Institute of Management in Economic, Environmental and Social Systems
of "International Business" regarding the choice of the most effective form of education. Many respondents (45%) preferred the traditional form of distance learning due to the available possibility of personal communication with teachers and students. At the same time 35% of the respondents preferred distance education due to the great opportunities for acquiring knowledge, as well as the reduction in time and material costs. 16% of respondents give priority to distance education only if they use all the opportunities provided by the distance education system and eliminate the shortcomings that arise in the educational process. 4% of respondents found it difficult to answer the question.
According to the respondents, the most important advantages of distance learning were the saving of time and financial resources, training students in comfortable and familiar conditions and improving their self-control skills.
The main disadvantages of distance learning were considered by respondents to be technical problems associated with an uninterrupted Internet connection, fatigue from long-term work with a computer, as well as insufficient qualifications of teachers, which does not allow using all the possibilities of distance learning.
Thus, we can conclude that distance learning allows you to gain knowledge regardless of status, age and territorial characteristics, which develops students' motivation for self-study.
of the Southern Federal University in the field
Bibliography
1. Drokina K.V. Trends in the development of the higher education system in modern conditions // Economy and business: theory and practice. - 2020. - № 6 (64). - P. 89-91.
2. Ignaschuk E.V., Kirichenko V.I., Kobylyanskaya I.N. Features of the introduction of distance technologies into the educational process // E-learning in lifelong education. - 2015. -№1 (2). - P. 63-67.
3. Anderson N. B., Gualco D. Design of Distance Learning Systems Using a P-3 Model: Purposeful, Participatory and Project-Based. - In EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology. - 2016. - P. 493-497. - Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
4. Aktaruzzaman M., Plunkett M. An Innovative Approach toward a Comprehensive Distance Education Framework for a Developing Country. American Journal of Distance Education. -2016. - №30 (4). - P. 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2016.1227098 (date accessed: 20.09.2020).
5. Chow A.S., Croxton R.A. Designing a Responsive e-Learning Infrastructure: Systemic Change in Higher Education // American Journal of Distance Education. - 2017. - №31 (1). -P. 20-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2017.1262733 (date accessed: 25.09.2020).
ДИСТАНЦИОННОЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ В ВУЗАХ: ПРЕИМУЩЕСТВА
И НЕДОСТАТКИ
К.В. Дрокина, канд. экон. наук, старший преподаватель Южный федеральный университет (Россия, г. Таганрог)
Аннотация. Целью данной статьи является анализ результатов внедрения дистанционного образования в образовательный процесс университетов, что имеет особое значение и актуальность в современном мире. В статье представлены результаты анализа основных преимуществ и недостатков дистанционного обучения, а также проведенного автором опроса студентов на данную тему. Обоснована актуальность сочетания традиционного и дистанционного формата обучения в современных условиях.
Ключевые слова: дистанционное образование, система образования, университеты, анкетирование, преимущества и недостатки дистанционного обучения.
