Google cloud services as a way to enhance learning and teaching at university

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of a cloud-based learning system implementation as a powerful strategy for future specialists’ training at higher educational establishments. Using cloud computing in self-work management of the university courses is essential to equip students with a workload of appropriate educational materials and variable activities for professional training. Theoretical and empirical research methods were applied to select the appropriate services and tools for organizing students’ self-work at university. Critical analysis of scientific literature, synthesis of the data, didactic observation of the educational process, designing of the skeleton for university courses, questionnaires enabled to facilitate the study of the issue. G Suite has been chosen to enhance the quality of training of prospective specialists at a higher educational establishment. This paper introduces the outcomes of the project on applying Google Classroom in the management of students’ self-work while studying university courses. The focus of the first stage of the project was on testing pilot versions of the courses with the aim to work out the requirements and recommendations for incorporation general blended learning model of university courses. Particular attention is drawn to the designed model of the university course based on the curriculum with the necessary components of blended learning in the G Suite virtual environment. Cloud-based higher education is considered as a prospective tool for design of university courses with the need for further research and implementation.

Keywords

• cloud technologies
• G Suite
• Google Classroom
• higher education
• blended learning
• students’ self-work