Integrating E-Learning into the Course of English for Science
Students
Creating a New Learning Environment in the Activity of Preparing
for a Conference on Speciality
Natalya Snytnikova
Department of Foreign Languages, Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk, Russia
Keywords: Blended Learning, Teaching English, E-Learning, Learning Environment, Scientific Conference.
Abstract: The paper deals with the problem of creating some kind of a blended learning environment for the science
students who learn to prepare for a scientific conference on speciality in English. The learning environment
is supposed to be effective, supportive, and friendly. In order to get that we have endeavoured to integrate
some features of e-learning in the course. The activity of preparation for the conference is described in some
detail. The materials and tools employed are considered. Among them there are materials found on the web
page APres created by the author. The web page has been developed to help the students to cope with the
problem of preparation for and carrying out the conference. The language skills and e-learning skills are
studied that are formed in the activity. The techniques and tools are described which allow our students to
work productively both individually and in collaboration with other students. Both e-learning and traditional
methods are involved in the course. Online communication in English is effectively exploited here to
promote language learning. Several programme applications are utilized (Google Drive, Google Docs,
Skype), which has proved to be useful for the process of preparation for the conference.
1 INTRODUCTION
What kind of a learning environment is to be created
in order to help students to study English effectively
and to gain the skills in English that are necessary
for them in their study and work these days? We are
going to examine this problem by considering the
case of preparation for a scientific conference in the
course of English for science students.
The students doing their degrees at the
Department of Natural Sciences (DNS) of
Novosibirsk State University (NSU) have a
compulsory course of English. Their major is
Chemistry. They are trained in their speciality at the
research institutes of the Siberian Branch of the
Russian Academy of Sciences. The students work
under the guidance of research scientists and
conduct real research work. That is they have to read
a lot of different texts on their speciality in English:
scientific papers, monographs, patents, etc. They
take part in scientific seminars and conferences.
They write scientific papers, conference reports, etc.
Thus they are supposed to learn how to
communicate in English orally and in written form.
During their course of English the students take
part in the activity of preparing for and carrying out
the round-table discussion «Materials Review. The
Latest Discoveries and Ideas Behind». This is a kind
of a training conference. Hereinafter it will be
referred to as “conference”. The activity of
preparation for the conference is a multimedia
project which is in itself a highly motivating use of
technology. This provides a meaningful and
motivating context to frame learning activities
throughout the course.
The learning that happens in the course is
problem-based. This kind of learning is based on the
concept that if you learn by doing then you will
retain the experience more effectively. This
approach is based on asking you to solve the
problem. In the course the students solve the
problem – they prepare and carry out a scientific
conference.
The web-based activities are widely used here.
They are a part of a blended learning environment in
which modern information and communication
558
Snytnikova N..
Integrating E-Learning into the Course of English for Science Students - Creating a New Learning Environment in the Activity of Preparing for a
Conference on Speciality.
DOI: 10.5220/0005492705580565
In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU-2015), pages 558-565
ISBN: 978-989-758-108-3
Copyright
c
2015 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)
technologies (ICT) both support class-based learning
and help to develop independent learning skills in
students. The web can be considered as an extension
of the English culture and society. By engaging in
web-based activities, the students can gradually
become the members of the community of English
language speakers (Warschauer, 2011).
The students develop traditional literacies and
electronic literacies in their course of English.
Electronic literacies are very important in many
languages. They are especially important in English.
This is because an estimated 85 per cent of the
electronically-stored information in the world is in
the English language (Crystal, 1997).
Our students are considered to be the “net
generation”. But that does not mean that they are
really technologically literate. This is particularly so
with teaching English to science students in Russia.
Our goal is to help them to gain the relevant digital
information literacy, which is supposed to help them
both to master English and to learn to prepare for
and participate in a scientific conference on their
speciality.
In our course electronic literacy skills are
integrated in traditional EFL (English as a Foreign
Language) classroom. A structured, project-based
approach is used. The project is a conference. The
learners are engaged in increasingly complex tasks
throughout the course. They can get appropriate
supporting from the teacher or from the other
sources, including online resources. The teacher
facilitates learning by moderating the activity,
providing advice about the goals of the activity, and
being a resource for the students.
The students use a blended learning
environment, by which we mean a combination of e-
learning or online learning approaches with
traditional / face-to-face methods. E-learning can
take many forms and is always connected to the
environment in which the course is based. The
following approaches are used in our course: 1)
blended learning, 2) groupware, 3) the world wide
web, 4) synchronous learning, 6) asynchronous
learning.
Blended learning focuses on the learner and the
learner’s needs. This helps learners choose what and
when to blend so it can be manipulated and
controlled by learners rather than teachers. The
teacher through effective facilitation supports
students in understanding what they are expected to
learn. Blended courses create enhanced
opportunities for teacher-student interaction,
increase student engagement in learning, and give
chances for students’ continuous improvement
(Garrison and Kanuka, 2004; Kenney and
Newcombe, 2011; Young, 2002). Blended learning
is also known as cooperative learning, which allows
students to work closely together to achieve desired
goals. The blended learning is the learning
environment that is richer than either only traditional
face-to-face or fully online environment
(Engelbrecht and Harding, 2005). In our course face-
to-face contact is not lost because the students and
the teacher meet in class and work together at the
preparation for the conference there as well as
online.
2 PREPARATION FOR THE
CONFERENCE «MATERIALS
REVIEW. THE LATEST
DISCOVERIES AND IDEAS
BEHIND»
The students do a lot of traditional exercises in their
course of English. They read and translate authentic
texts on their particular speciality, review some
important grammar points from general English
grammar as well as the grammar points specific for
the scientific texts. They also acquire scientific lexis
and phraseology. The texts are taken from the
traditional and electronic scientific journals,
monographs, etc. When translating the texts the
students use both paper and online dictionaries (for
example, www.yourdictionary.com/). The latter are
more preferable as they provide both quick search
and high quality sound. So one can hear the word,
read it and pronounce it after the computer. This is
crucially important for science students who study
English at the university as EFL.
The students read the texts and do the exercises
from the textbook “Study Guide on the Development
of Speaking Skills for Scientists” (Kostenko et al.,
1988). The texts describe the biographies of
outstanding scientists, the work of scientific
institutions, etc. Thus, the students get the
knowledge and skills that will help them to talk
about their scientific and practical work, about the
laboratory and institute they work at, about their
scientific advisor, etc.
There is a lot of information available
electronically. This makes cognitive demands on
language students. This also creates a rich setting for
the authentic tasks and projects that can promote
language acquisition. It has been recently recognized
in language pedagogy that there is the need to
encompass higher cognitive processes in the
IntegratingE-LearningintotheCourseofEnglishforScienceStudents-CreatingaNewLearningEnvironmentinthe
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559
learning task. The cognitive approach addresses the
need for students to be aware of their learning
processes, and to organise and structure their
learning themselves (Hanson-Smith, 2011).
2.1 Preparation for the Conference
The activity of preparation for the conference
consists of several sub-activities.
First, to prepare reports for the conference
«Materials Review. The Latest Discoveries and
Ideas Behind» the students use texts from the book
“Materials” by Robin Kerrod. The texts tell us about
various kinds of materials that are produced for the
purposes of science and industry and that can also be
used in our everyday lives. The topics are: 1)
precious metals, 2) alloys, 3) drugs and vaccines, 4)
dyes and pigments, 5) natural and synthetic fibres, 7)
explosives, etc. (Kerrod, 2002).
The students choose the texts that they like and
study them in detail. They work independently. The
texts are read aloud, translated into Russian and
thoroughly analysed. The students acquire subject-
specific lexical items and master their pronunciation.
Finally, they discuss the chosen texts with the
teacher.
Second, the Organizing committee of the
conference is formed. It consists of the Conference
organizer, three secretaries and a chairperson. The
Conference organizer is the teacher. All the
members of the Organizing committee have their
own duties. An important approach to learning is
employed here – working in small groups
(groupware). It is a part of the course. The group
takes part in a joint project – the preparation for and
carrying out a scientific conference. The students
work in collaboration to achieve a common goal.
The procedure of preparation for the conference
is as follows.
The teacher as the Conference organizer makes
up the “Call for Papers” and e-mails it to Secretary
1. Secretary 1 sends it to all the participants. Then
the students send the application letters to Secretary
1. Having received them Secretary 1 makes up the
programme of the conference on the basis of the
sample of a programme downloaded from the web
page Apres, which is located at the NSU web portal
my.nsu.ru.
In order to write their application letters the
students have to do the following. They go online,
get to the web page APres, find the sample of an
application letter, and download this sample. Then
they make all the necessary changes in the sample
inserting their personal data. In their application
letters they specify their name and surname in
English, their affiliation, the title of their report, etc.
After that they send the application letter to
Secretary 1. They have to meet the deadline.
Secretary 2 receives the programme of the
conference from Secretary 1, downloads the sample
of the “Invitation Letter” from the web page APres
and having worked up the wording sends individual
invitation letters to the participants. After that the
participants send their reports to Secretary 3 who is
responsible for making up the Book of Proceedings
of the conference.
The chairperson has to make up the “Scenario”
of the conference. In order to do that they have to
get a sample of the scenario and the list of phrases
that can be used by the Chairperson. All this can be
downloaded from the web page Apres as well. Then
they make up the scenario for the conference using
the sample, the list of phrases and the programme of
the conference which they have received from
Secretary 1. Secretary 3 arranges the book of
Proceedings including all the reports, the programme
and the Foreword of the Organizer. Then they print
the book out.
The students communicate online using several
software applications, which is incorporated into the
ongoing structure of homework as an integrated
process.
2.2 What Traditional and Electronic
Materials and Tools Are Used
The materials or learning resources take a variety of
forms and include: 1) interactive materials that the
students can access and interact with online; 2)
traditional materials (e.g. workbooks, textbooks and
lecture notes), 3) the materials especially created by
the teacher for the given course; 3) content that they
create themselves (e.g. PowerPoint presentations); 4)
resources which are simply available on the world
wide web (e.g. web pages, downloadable files, and
online databases).
Books are probably the major learning resource
for any student. The scientific advisers provide them
with the lists of books, articles, and monographs that
they should study. Students read scientific articles,
which they find online. Many journals allow
students to download or print a copy of articles but
you should check the conditions under which this is
provided (Clarke, 2008).
The teacher provides students with lists of books
and lists of websites that can be useful in the course.
The students have to identify those parts which are
most useful to them so that they can use those
CSEDU2015-7thInternationalConferenceonComputerSupportedEducation
560
elements in writing reports, preparing Power Point
presentations, writing e-mails, etc. The resources are
effectively integrated in the activities carried out in
the course of English.
The students write their conference reports
making use of the texts from the book “Materials”.
They also use special conversational gambits which
help to structure the report. The conversational
gambits are taken from the manual “Conference
Lexicon” provided by the teacher. At the conference
the students present their reports orally using
PowerPoint presentations. These presentations serve
as a kind of visual aids here. Presentation software
such as Microsoft PowerPoint is used.
When preparing for the conference the students
have to download from the web page APres the
following manuals for speakers and listeners:
“Conference Lexicon”, “Question-Answer
Techniques”, “Discussion Techniques”, “Listening
Strategies”, “Speaking Strategies”, and “Some hints
for a successful presentation”. The first manual
comprises the phrases that are both necessary and
appropriate in the setting of a scientific report. The
second and the third ones provide the samples of
question-answer and discussion devices to be used in
this setting. The manual “Listening Strategies”
contains recommendations for listeners, the manual
“Speaking Strategies” – for speakers. And the last
manual teaches students how to make the text of the
report for the conference, what language to use, and
how to deliver the report properly.
The manuals “Some hints for a successful
presentation”,
“Listening Strategies”, and “Speaking
Strategies” take use of the presentation skills rubric
which was developed by Stephen Hoyt for his
classes at the English Language Intensive Training
(ELIT) Camp hosted in Kazan, Russia in 2010
(Hoyt, 2010).
The following materials are being created during
the process of preparation for the conference: 1) Call
for Papers; 2) Programme; 3) Letters of application;
4) Invitation Letters; 5) Texts of reports; 7) Book of
Proceedings; 8) Power Point presentations.
The students cooperate in the activity of
preparation for the conference. Among other
applications they use Google Drive, which is a
personal cloud storage service. It is known to allow
users to store and synchronize digital content across
computers, laptops, and mobile devices. It produces
storage facilities, production tools, and coordination
support (Giemza et al., 2013). It is a repository cloud
service. The students are supported in creating an
account at the cloud service. The group of students
is formed to help each other to accomplish the task –
to prepare for a scientific conference. They work
together in order to learn and they motivate each
other as well. As the old Chinese proverb goes, “Tell
me and I'll forget, Show me and I may remember,
Involve me and I'll understand.”
The Google Drive is used to prepare the
programme of the conference, the Book of
Proceedings, etc. The teacher creates the primary
document, and from then on maintains control of
who can view, edit or comment on the file. Every
student of the group can do that after they have
managed to create their own user account. The
secretary responsible for creating the programme
puts the draft of the programme into the document
made up by the teacher. Then every student can get
access to the draft and check if everything is correct
with the wording of the topic of his/her report, the
spelling of his/her name, etc. The teacher also makes
the necessary corrections. After that the programme
can be printed out. The finished programme can be
further used by the Chairperson of the conference to
make up the scenario of the conference.
A set of productivity tools, the Google Docs
suite, is employed to collect, arrange, and edit the
Book of Proceedings. Everyone is involved in the
activity: 1) all students create their reports there; 2)
the teacher edits them; 3) Secretary 3 arranges the
Book, etc. So the students are able to create, edit,
share and collaborate, which can be done any time
anywhere. Documents can be accessed and edited
both online and offline. Real-time collaboration is
possible in the Google Docs suite, which means that
more than one person can work together, to edit,
chat, make comments and suggestions, and view
revision history. They can access, share and edit
content just from their web browser.
2.2.1 Assessment in the Course
The assessment of achievement is carried out. Such
kind of assessment “aims to establish what a student
has learned in relation to a particular course or
curriculum” (Brindley, 2011). At the stage of
preparation for the conference the following
documents are assessed: application letters, letters of
invitation, and written reports.
Let us take, for example, the application letter.
The sample of the letter is given, and all students
should apply it. The secretary who receives
application letters can assess them using the sample.
The sample of an application letter is as follows:
Dear Mr Ti,
I am Sergey Petrov from the Chemical
Department of Novosibirsk State
University.
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561
I would like to take part in the
forthcoming conference «Materials
Review. The Latest Discoveries and
Ideas Behind».
The theme of my presentation is
“Precious Metals”.
Yours sincerely,
Sergey Petrov
On the Google Drive e-portfolios of all students
are gathered and accumulated, which are to
demonstrate that the students know how to prepare
for a scientific conference, understand what is to be
done and are skilled to do that. E-portfolios include
a set of documents created in the activity of
preparation for the conference, both individually and
in collaboration with other students. The individual
documents are: the application letters, the letters of
invitation, the texts of reports, the threads of email
letters concerning the conference, and the Power
Point presentations.
2.2.2 Web Page APres
The web page APres is an electronic resource
created in order to be used by those who need to
learn how to prepare for and give a scientific report
at a conference, how to make a good Power Point
presentation, how to write an application letter, etc.
There are a lot of materials that can be used as self-
instructional materials on the page. They can
accompany and supplement the self-directed
learning.
APres consists of the following sections: 1)
General information; 2) Conference lexicon; 3)
Presentation techniques; 4) Conferences; 5) Photos;
6) Poster guidelines; 7) Notes for writers; 8)
Feedback. Section Conference Lexicon contains the
necessary conversational gambits and the manuals
for the speakers and listeners. Section Presentation
Techniques is dedicated to the ways of preparing
and delivering academic presentations. In Section
Notes for writers the samples of written documents
can be found such as an application letter and an
invitation letter.
2.3 E-learning as a Means of Creating
a New Learning Environment
In their course of English the science students of the
DNS NSU communicate online. Their
communication includes the reading and writing of
online documents via the Internet as well as
asynchronous computer-mediated communication
such as email. Face-to-face and e-learning happen,
which involve both group and individual activities.
Communication in face-to-face situations is a
mixture of speaking and listening while in online
learning it is about reading and writing (Clarke,
2008).The Internet is integrated in the classroom
here. It is viewed and exploited as a major new
medium of literacy that needs to be mastered on its
own terms for success in the twenty-first century
life.
Susan M. Zvacek in her work “Tech-Savvy
Students? Maybe Not ...” writes that students today
are supposed to have digital information literacy,
which means that they have to have relevant
communication skills and skills in information
seeking (Zvacek, 2013). They are to develop three
groups of abilities: hands-on (practical) skills,
conceptual knowledge, and intellectual capabilities.
In order to learn effectively you need an
environment that helps you to learn (Kochkareva,
2013). Learning requires the students to synthesize
information by combining and integrating
information from several sources. The environment
created in the course provides support for learners.
But it also “expects” some things from the learners,
too. These include peer support and communication,
tutor support and communication as well as
moderation of online communication and
assessment.
2.3.1 Using Modern Information and
Communication Technologies
Our students are technologically adept and ready to
use the huge number of resources available online.
But many of them do not have the ability to use
digital tools effectively. It is the teacher's job to
equip students with the opportunities to elaborate
relevant practical skills, conceptual knowledge, and
critical thinking abilities. This will enable them to
use various technologies widely.
Online activities in the course are well-planned
and purposeful. So they support the language
learning objectives, which are to be achieved. The
tasks that the the students are supposed to perform
are incorporated in goal-oriented research and
communication.
The students can use different media (e.g. video,
sound, text) in the course. Software and the Internet
provide much data which students may explore.
They have to organise the vast amount of data,
which is a difficult task. The teacher helps the
students to structure their learning so they could take
advantage of the available language resources. For
example, to help the students to improve their
pronunciation we recommend them to use the
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Pronunciation Power application
(www.pronunciationpower.com). Or they can use
the website Pronunciation of science by Macmillan
Dictionary, which allows to practise the
pronunciation of scientific terms
(www.macmillandictionary.com).
Students take part in a number of collaborative
activities while preparing for the conference. These
activities and their coordination are supported by
means of computer systems. The use of
collaborative software in learning creates a
collaborative learning environment (CLE). The CLE
supports students in both their individual and
cooperative work and helps them to evolve e-
learning skills.
2.3.2 Using Synchronous and Asynchronous
Methods of Learning
The students employ both synchronous and
asynchronous methods of learning. For example, the
synchronous method of text, video and audio
conferencing. The method is used by the members of
the Organizing Committee of the conference. One of
them sends a message which is supposed to be
discussed within the framework of the preparation.
All the others are logged on to the system and they
can see it and respond to it. Individual students are
located at many different places. They interact with
a tutor at the educational institute or with a student
who undertakes the facilitator's or moderator's role,
e.g. a secretary of the conference. Synchronous text
conferencing is presented in threads, which can be
referred to later.
The asynchronous method used is email. In the
asynchronous email group threaded discussions are
conducted, which in our case are series of email
messages that are linked to the particular topic – the
activity of preparation for the conference on
speciality at an English lesson. The key benefit of
asynchronous interaction is its flexibility and ability
to fit into everyone’s working day. Asynchronous
communication is sometimes called ‘the great
equalizer’ (Wepner and Mobley, 1998).
In this activity the applications of groupware are
used, which are applications that allow people linked
through a network (e.g., the Internet) to share
information and work cooperatively and
collaboratively. Students in groupware work with
other students sharing an application (e.g., Skype,
text conferencing, etc.) as a part of a synchronous
group project. They share an application and use
real-time text communication. The groupware is for
small groups of people who are to be competent
users of the shared application and communication
system. So it is ideal for the activity in question.
Internet-based activities incorporated in the
course of English are well supported by the medium.
They encourage interaction and collaboration as well
as autonomous decision-making. They are
sufficiently structured to allow learners to achieve
objectives without floundering or getting lost. Thus,
the Internet-based projects and activities can be
successful when they reflect in-depth planning and
integration (Warschauer, 2011).
Opportunities for online communication increase
students' motivation. That is because they feel that
they gain technical and language skills that will be
beneficial for them in the future. The use of both
traditional and electronic resources allows the
students to enhance their communicative abilities
both by individualising practice and by taking part in
the group work online.
3 WHAT SKILLS BOTH
TRADITIONAL AND
E-LEARNING ARE FORMED
In the activity of preparing for the conference
«Materials Review. The Latest Discoveries and
Ideas Behind» the students develop sets of practical
(hands-on) skills in e-learning. They are able to use
communication and collaboration tools (e.g., e-
mails, Skype, chat, etc.), word processing, data
bases, and search engines. These skills are focused
on productivity. The students learn how to use
advanced features of these applications and
supporting documentation.
Using the ICT they also are to have conceptual
knowledge, which implies that they understand
fundamental ideas connected to digital technology,
e.g., network structures, how search engines work,
what databases are and how they are organized and
what technology can and cannot do.
My students also develop intellectual capabilities
in order to deal with technological environments and
applications. This means that they learn to take part
in problem solving, collaborate with other students,
and evaluate information and information sources.
Computer-mediated communication provides
great opportunities for language teaching and
learning. It shifts the focus from language form to
language use in a meaningful context, and thereby
increases student motivation. Long-distance
exchanges make reading and writing more authentic
and collaborative. Rapid written interaction helps to
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achieve certain linguistic benefits, such as better
opportunities to process and try out new lexical or
syntactic patterns as compared to oral interaction
(Warschauer, 2011).
The students write a lot. This happens when the
students exchange emails, write application and
invitation letters, and conference reports. They write
for a real audience not just for educational purposes
so their writing becomes more reader-centred. The
reading skill is necessary when you browse the web
and have to be able to scan a text for the key points.
They write with the help of computers. So they have
to employ and develop their ICT skills. They use
Windows operating system or other operating
systems.
The word processor is used by the students, the
word processing being very helpful when you are
trying to integrate several sources together.
Computers can enhance all aspects of the writing
process. That is because they allow easy revision,
multiple drafts, and spell-checking, which can teach
spelling by raising students' awareness levels
(Hanson-Smith, 2011). The students also employ
visual displays – slides using Power Point
presentation graphics programme. All the tools
offered by this programme are used: word
processing, outlining, drawing, graphing, and
presentation management tools. On the slides the
students put the speaker's notes, the audience
handouts, and the outlines.
The students form and develop some specific e-
learning skills, e.g., the searching and navigation
skills for the world wide web. This is a complex set
of knowledge and skills, involving the understanding
of different types of search engines and search
techniques as well as the understanding of hypertext
links and the navigation features of browsers.
In order to be a successful e-learner the students
need to have a set of basic computer skills.
Computers can help you to keep records, present
information, and manipulate data. The ICT helps
you to locate sources of information on the Internet
and to communicate with teachers and other
learners. A range of new web applications are
becoming part of e-learning. They offer the
opportunity to find content and to create it.
The Internet is an enormous information
resource. When you want to find something there,
you have to be able to decide if the web's content is
accurate, reliable, and suitable for your purpose. So
you have to develop two sets of skills: 1) searching
for information, and 2) judging the quality of
information. To search for information the students
use search engines.
They develop different traditional language
skills: 1) reading skills – the skills to acquire
conceptual text structure, to highlight the primary
and secondary information in the text, to integrate
data, etc.; 2) listening comprehension skills and
speaking skills on speciality; 3) writing skills needed
to prepare reports for the conferences, abstracts of
the reports and to communicate by e-mail on
professional topics.
Thus, various skills both e-learning and
traditional language skills are developed in the
activity of preparing for a scientific conference in
English.
4 CONCLUSIONS
A new learning environment has been created in the
course of English for the science students in the
activity of preparation for a scientific conference at
the Department of Natural Sciences (DNS) of
Novosibirsk State University (NSU). e-Learning is
confined to formal learning here. Technology is
incorporated into a traditional course of English.
In our course the teaching of language skills and
new “electronic literacies” are integrated. The
electronic literacies incorporated in the course are:
1) communication that allows my students to
converse with each other by means of e-mail, text
conferencing and Skype; 2) construction, which
involves the ability to work individually and
collaboratively to write and publish information on
the Internet (Google Docs, Google Drive, etc.); 3)
research, which involves a number of navigation,
reading and interpretation skills.
The traditional language skills formed are as
follows: writing, speaking, reading, listening, and
translation skills.
The project is used in the course – the
preparation for a scientific conference on speciality
at an English lesson. It is a really authentic and
challenging task for the students. Accomplishing this
task the students use a lot of different electronic
tools and traditional tools.
The former are such software applications as
Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Word as well as
Google Drive, Google Docs suite, Skype, email, etc.
The latter are textbooks, workbooks, articles,
dictionaries, etc. Google Docs suite, for example, are
productivity and creativity applications that allow
our students create, edit, share, publish, and
collaborate in the activity of preparing for the
conference. They help the students to build
important skills that they need, both traditional
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language skills and e-learning skills. The teacher's
role in this blended learning environment becomes
that of guide and mentor encouraging the students to
take charge of their own learning.
Being a vast resource of materials the web is
widely used in the course of English. The Internet is
integrated here into collaborative, content-focused
project work. Technology becomes both an
environment and a tool for learning. The web page
Apres, located at the web portal of the NSU
(my.nsu.ru), is a part of the blended learning
environment created in the course.
In the activity of preparation for the conference
the students participate in computer-supported
cooperative work. Some kind of a blended learning
environment has been created. Recognizing the full
potential as well as the strengths and weaknesses of
the blended learning in general will take time and
patience.
We can only try to summarize some of the strong
and weak points of this set-up as we see it. The
strong points are as follows: 1) the students are
exposed to an authentic activity and are provided
with real opportunities to interact in the target
language; 2) the interaction is carefully planned
here: the interaction between the learner and the
content, between the learner and the teacher, and
between the learner and the other learner; 3) special
care is taken of convenience, flexibility, and
accessibility. The students can learn not only face-
to-face in class but also any time and anywhere.
The weak points, in our opinion, are as follows:
1) the students are rather immature. They cannot
cope with the demands put on them by the set-up in
question. They are supposed to be self-reliant and
responsible for their learning, but they are not able
to. They often cannot manage their time as well; 2)
the use of mother tongue during the student-student
interaction or when the students work in groups; 3)
the work is very demanding for the teacher because
it requires a lot of planning and extra work. But
then, all progress has a price and nothing comes free.
Digital information literacy skills are essential if
students hope to be competitive in today's
workforce. A well informed scientist who can use
various information resources and evaluate they
credibility serves the society in general and can push
scientific progress.
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