The WEB-BASED Distance Education

 

For the decades universities and colleges have been looking for ways of offering courses to students who do not have access to the university campus, usually because of physical distance. The World Wide Web (WWW) is beginning to see and develop activity in this regard and this activity increases dramatically every year. The Internet offers university courses to all registered students, complete with real-time seminars and exams and professors’ visiting hours. The Web is extremely flexible and its distance presentations and capabilities are always up-to date. The students can get the text, audio and video of whatever subject they are willing to have.

Many educational resources are available through the Web. Libraries are adding their catalogs and universities are posting information about degree programs in the Web. You can find research documents containing information about almost any subject. Very soon travelling to a library to find this information may become an out-of-day practice. Instead, students can find any information sources they need without leaving their desks.

The Internet may represent the most important educational resource in the world if every student has got a computer. This is not the case, unfortunately.The Internet, as it stands now, is an exercise in the expansion of inequality. By and large, the students who have got access to the Internet already have access to well-supported schools, well-paid teachers and well-stocked libraries. Students who do not have access to computers or the Internet often do not have else either. The problem of getting classrooms online is often made worse by the presence of board members, administrators and teachers who don’t recognize that the educational values of computers and online communications far exceed the cost. Web pages can offer access to a world of information around and exchange with other cultures and communities and experts in every field.

The possibilities of education on the Web are amazing. Many colleges and university classes presently create Web pages for semester class projects. Research papers on many topics are also available. Even primary school pupils are using the Web to access information and pass along news to other pupils. Exchange students can communicate with their classmates long before they actually arrive at their school.

There are resources on the Internet designed to help teachers become better teachers – even when they cannot offer their students the benefits of an on-line community. Teachers can use university or college systems or home computers and individual Internet accounts to educate themselves and then bring the benefits of the Internet to their students by proxy.

There are other Internet applications: scheduling, inter-personal communication, meeting, international conferences and congresses – can be particularly valuable to teachers, students and others with an interest in education. Many Internet and education specific resources make great inroads into creating information “on demand”.

 

 

Advantages	Disadvantages

 

Task 4. Translate the underlined sentences into Russian.

Task 5. Answer the questions.

1) Why did the Web–based Distance Education occur?

2) What does the sentence “The Web is flexible” mean?

3) Why is the Internet an exercise in the expansion of inequality?

4) In what way does the Internet benefit for the teachers?

5) Name the Internet applications.

 

Task 6. Study the way to paraphrase the sentences and do the paraphrasing of 3 sentences on your own.

For the decades universities and colleges have been looking for ways of offering courses to students who do not have access to the university campus, usually because of physical distance. The World Wide Web (WWW) is beginning to see and develop activity in this regard and this activity increases dramatically every year. The Internet offers university courses to all registered students, complete with real-time seminars and exams and professors’ visiting hours. The Web is extremely flexible and its distance presentations and capabilities are always up-to date. The students can get the text, audio and video of whatever subject they are willing to have.

Many years the higher educational establishments tried to find out the ways to provide education to the people who can’t get to the university campus.   The World Wide Web helps to solve this problem.   ____________________________________________________________________________________________     _____________________________________________________________________   _____________________________________________________________________

 

Task 7. Put the sentences in right logical order.

 

1. Everybody must understand the real benefit we can get from the Web.

 

1. The World Wide Web helps people of different abilities to get a good education.

 

1. There are many other Internet applications.

 

1. The possibilities for education on the Web are amazing – from the creation of your own Web page to the communication with other students from different countries.

 

1. The Web can provide the students with some educational resources, research documents and useful books.

 

1. The Internet can offer you a wide variety of resources for teachers to improve their skills.

 

Task 8. Retell the text «The Web-based Distance Education» (use the example on p. 15).

To improve your retelling it would be better to use the link phrases:

However, nowadays, to a large extent, I must say that, It is important to point out that, Let’s illustrate this point, firstly, secondly, thirdly and so on.

 

TEST “THE WEB-BASED DISTANCE EDUCATION”

 

Task 1. Rewrite the sentences with the Passive Voice.

Example: Someone will drive you to the airport.- You will be driven to the airport.

 

1. The Egyptians built pyramids.
2. They informed me about it.
3. They have sold their car to pay the debts.
4. They owe a lot of money to the bank.

 

Task 2. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Example: There are resources on the Internet available to every student and every teacher at the University. - В Интернете существуют ресурсы, доступные каждому студенту и каждому преподавателю в Университете.

 

1. The Universities have been looking for some ways to help students who haven’t got access to the University’s campus to get higher education.
2. One of the advantages of the Internet distance education is that many educational resources are available through the Web.
3. One of the disadvantages is that the Internet is an exercise in the expansion of inequality.
4. The Internet benefits for the teachers so to provide up-to-date materials for the lessons.

 

Task 3. Write/name at least 3 arguments for the web-based distance education in your own words.