Інформаційні технології і засоби навчання (Apr 2020)
A WEB RESOURCE MAP FOR A UNIVERSITY COURSE IN THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Abstract
ICT and the Internet have revolutionized education, in terms of opportunities for distance learning, independent study and resource sharing in particular. However, these new opportunities are not equally utilized across university curricula, with much slower progress in the Humanities than in STEM disciplines. The paper looks at how teaching the History of the English language, a mandatory course for university students majoring in English, can be enhanced through the use of web resources. The use of high quality study resources can help solve a threefold task: shifting the emphasis from the lecturer to the student; raising students’ motivation and engagement in the course through independent work and research; and increasing the content quality of the course. The authors developed a map of the Internet resources that can be used in the course in the History of the English language. The map has four segments: digital texts; online dictionaries and translation tools; videos, podcasts, textual materials, databases, timelines, etc.; and online activities. Each of the segments offers a list of the Internet resources which can be recommended for the course. The authors see the major benefits of using these resources in facilitating students’ preparation for lectures, practical classes, tests and examinations, changing their overall attitude to the History of English, which is traditionally stigmatized by students as insurmountably hard to master, helping students to see that the course can be engaging and even fun, motivating them to explore the history of the language they study on their own. The critical assessment of the web resources available for the course has revealed that the Internet can offer little for the online activities segment of the developed map, which defines the necessity for academics to invest their effort in developing and sharing exercises, practical assignments, tests and other activities to assist students in mastering the course and provide tools for knowledge assessment.
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