The Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno organized training using information and communication technologies
More than 900 online lessons are taught daily by teachers at University.
Since the beginning of this week, the classrooms and corridors of the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno have been unusually quiet: until May 8, the educational process to ensure a safe environment has been transferred to virtual space. Teachers say almost all students “attend” online classes regularly.
“The entire educational process, while maintaining its content and quality of training, has been transferred to the university’s educational portal and organized online,” said Marina Kolotsey, the head of the educational-methodical department of the Yanka Kupala State University. - In order to use widely this form of work in the organization of the educational process, our university has been ready long time ago. The fact is that the educational portal of the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has been functioning for more than 10 years. And today it is not only a repository of information, where all the educational and methodological complexes in each discipline are concentrated, but also a convenient platform for communication between teachers and students.
In addition to the educational portal, the university also uses other online platforms for virtual communication between teachers and students: WebEx, Zoom, Skype, as well as social networks. By the way, the schedule of academic disciplines remained unchanged, only some adjustments were made: now, in the schedule opposite each discipline, a virtual platform is indicated instead of the class number, and laboratory classes that require the use of special equipment have been postponed to a later time.
- The university has all the conditions for conducting remote classes. We have both an educational media complex and classrooms in the scientific library, which are convenient for teachers to work with, ”explained Marina Kolotsey. - In addition, if necessary, the university is ready to provide both technical and advisory assistance to those teachers who have difficulty in organizing the educational process in a new format. For all teachers, step-by-step instructions have been prepared, they are posted on the educational portal of the university. These instructions provide detailed instructions on how to give a lecture, practical, seminar or laboratory lesson, as well as how to conduct an online test. Thus, today we have provided technically and methodically all forms of training and knowledge control.
Since the second semester is the time of preparation for term papers and dissertations, the curriculum also provides for consultations both online and offline. At the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, they are sure that the quality of the educational process will not suffer.
“It’s customary for me to conduct lectures in the webinar format,” Natalya Valko, assistant professor of general physics, shares her opinion a few minutes before the start of the next online lecture. - My students are mainly future programmers, and it can be said that they are even more interested in working this way. Now we communicate with students almost continuously.
Student Mikhail, who was present at the lecture of the teacher Natalia Valko, in turn, noted that the content of the training did not change at all. All materials are available, feedback has been established with the teacher, which means that both students and university staff continue to work effectively. Moreover, everyone is trying to get the most out of the situation. So, university employees see a plus, first of all, in the fact that in the next two to three weeks they will be able to increase significantly their level of ownership of information and communication competencies.
