S.I. Bochkareva¹
T.P. Vysotskaya¹
S.P. Golubnichiy¹
N.E. Kopylova¹
A.G. Rostevanov^1
1Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow

Keywords: physical education, electronic learning, electronic learning resource, distance education technologies.

Background. The key methods for the modern electronic learning resource (ELR) application in the educational process on the whole and the physical education service in particular shall be governed by the national policies geared to advance the information technologies for the social development and academic education improvement purposes. The national academic educational system gives a high priority to the theoretical and practical studies and focused projects for the ERL application in the modern educational systems.

Objective of the study was to analyze the notions and problems of the modern electronic learning resource promotion process with a special focus on the ELR application in the academic physical education service.

Study findings and discussion. Having analyzed the available study reports on the ERL issues we found many terminological inconsistencies, with the key terms including e-learning, digital education and remote/ distance education being applied rather discretionally and interpreted as synonymic by the education community. This situation is somewhat confusing for the education process actors (managers, tutors and students) since the popular terms fail to give a clear meaning and definition of the electronic education technologies. One of the most common notions for today is e-learning that is defined by UNESCO as the “Internet and multimedia assisted learning process”. It was in October 1999 in Los Angeles that the term e-learning was offered for the first time at a workshop of CBT Systems, a leading company providing distance education services for the IT specialists. UNESCO recommends the term e-learning being applied as it is – without translation due to its meaning being quite specific and not always authentic in translations.

As provided by the RF Law on Education Article 16 item 1, “electronic education means the educational service model designed to apply electronic databases with educational information for the relevant educational programs, with the relevant data process information technologies and technical tools plus the data transmission and telecommunication networks to secure the data flows and facilitate the trainee-educator communication”. The definition implies the trainee-educator communication in the e-learning process being either direct (live) or remote.

It should be noted that the valid education laws of the Russian Federation give no formal definition for distance education albeit offer instead the notion of distance education technologies (DET). The same law defines the distance education technologies as the “learning technologies mostly applying the relevant data transmission and telecommunication networks to facilitate the indirect/ remote trainee-educator communication”, i.e. clearly defining the communication format of the education process actors. This means that databases and electronic information and education environments may be applied for such communication on a discretional basis or not applied (i.e. in case of such communication being secured by the TV/ radio channels, postal/ facsimile service etc.). It should also be underlined that the notion e-learning does not give a clear specification for the communication format. Based on the above considerations, we would conclude that the notions of e-learning, digital education and remote/ distance education technologies are unlikely fully identical and shall be interpreted rather as different educational technologies. To analyze and offer the notions applicable in the electronic education field, we should first sort out the notions being commonly applied in this field.

Electronic learning resource (ELR) means the digital education database (storage of electronic documents) with its design, content and metadata on the latter. An ELR may include all data, information and software required for its application in the educational process.

Electronic document means the documented information in an electronic format facilitating it being used via the electronic hardware to secure its distribution via the information exchange/ telecommunication networks for data processing.

Electronic edition means the electronic document (or documentation) processed by an editorial service and intended for distribution in the edited form [4]. Electronic education edition means the electronic edition of systematized age- and learning-stage-specific theoretical and practical materials convenient for the didactic and learning purposes. It should be noted in this context that definitions of the notions of electronic textbook and electronic course commonly applied by the education communities are not standardized by the GOST standards.

The electronic education models have their pros and cons. Generally they are considered beneficial due to the obvious gains in the educational process effectiveness and intensity. The electronic education tools are essentially designed to speed up the learning process, make it more accessible and relevant by keeping it abreast with the rapidly developing information technologies to have the knowledgebase constantly upgraded.

We have collected a sound experience of the ELR modeling for the physical education programs that may be highly beneficial for electronic education projects. We used a teaching aid of our own design to produce the ELR model including e-documents and e-textbook designed with application of CourseLab software. It should be confessed, however, that the physical education specialists’ contribution to the ELR modeling process was limited by the natural lack of special programming competences and skills that are beyond their job-specific terms of reference. For this reason their ELR model was limited by the e-documents in the Word format. Further progress in the ELR modeling may be secured by the relevant multimedia data processing and presentation tools that should be developed with support of the relevant IT specialists – that means that the special task teams composed of the PE and IT specialists are recommended to be formed for the ELR modeling and advancement projects.

Practical experience of the ELR application in the physical education process showed the resource developers being in need of a permanent counseling and support from the IT specialists, since an efficient and timely update service is required to keep the resource relevant. Furthermore, the practical experience of the ELR application in the physical education process has showed its benefits for the educational process relevance, efficiency and physical intensity. Actual training sessions may be designed with an instructor giving a trainee a task to do a set of physical exercises for the warm-up part of the next training session. The trainee should apply the ELR recommended by the instructor for the training set formation purposes and design it with a consulting support from the instructor via email or social network whenever necessary to discuss and streamline the product. The cognitive and design toolkits offered by the ELR put the learning process on a more creative basis, boost the interest in and motivations for the learning process and progress.

Own creative contribution to the learning process helps the trainees be always fit for every training session and, hence, the educational process is managed on a more intensive and efficient basis, with the instructor-designed ELR being applied to advance the academic physical education service, inspire and activate the trainees, control their academic progress and build up their competences, skills and experience. A due database of didactic materials is required as a basis for the ELR-supported learning process to be efficient and effective.

Conclusion. One of the promising ways to advance the modern electronic educational system is to standardize ELRs and locate them in a national repository to secure due standards and a consistent electronic educational system for the country. A special priority in the efforts shall be given to the human resource quality for the educators to be proficient enough in the database formation, application and update to maximize the ELR benefits in the educational process; with the educators’ enthusiasm, emotions and interest being viewed among the key drivers for the service success.

References

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Corresponding author: Bochkareva.SI@rea.ru  

Abstract

The study analyzes the notions and problems of the modern electronic learning resource (ELR) promotion process with a special focus on the ELR application in the academic physical education service and the measures to improve the ELR standards. One of the promising ways to advance the modern electronic educational system is to standardize ELRs and locate them in a national repository to secure due standards and a consistent electronic educational system for the country. A special priority in the efforts shall be given to the human resource quality for the educators to be proficient enough in the database formation, application and update to maximize the ELR benefits in the educational process; with the educators’ enthusiasm, emotions and interest being viewed among the key drivers for the service success.