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SHAPING BLENDED LEARNING IN RUSSIAN UNDERGRADUATE TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Abstract
The fast progress in science and technology causes the global changes in teaching and learning process and requirements to qualification of a modern engineer. To meet the modern era requirements, the high engineering education system sets an objective to prepare competitive specialists and to establish conditions for professional qualities elaboration and personal enhancement. International cooperation extension and globalization processes that require high-level communication skills determine the need for lifelong education. This is precisely why the need to develop foreign language skills for future engineers emerges as well as teaching and learning methods and quality. To reach these objectives educators search for new teaching methods and means. One of the most desirable means is information communications technologies and e-learning systems. The aim of this work is to describe the key factors of using blended learning in teaching foreign languages at Russian undergraduate technical education in response to the new vision of engineering education. The authors encourage educators and designers of language courses for engineers to pay attention to some challenges that are common for the majority of Russian technical universities: - the need to focus on the context of engineering and develop students’ meta-competences, - drop in classroom load for language courses in modern engineering programmes, - shortage of qualified educators in non-English-speaking countries that can teach engineering subjects in English, - the lack of blended-learning teaching methods and a compulsory career development system in the sphere of e-technologies, - availability of facilities and the level of desired flexibility of a future course. The article describes the experience of National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), where development of blended courses is greatly supported by the University administration. The authors describe different top-down initiatives that stimulate and encourage the development and launch of new teaching practices. The article also displays the meta-competences development and numerous benefits for educators and students rated for written and oral communication in English.
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