Evaluating the Efficiency of Online English Course for First-Year Engineering Students

Abstract

This research aims to prove the effectiveness of the distant course “Engineering. General introduction” developed for the first-year engineering students of the Institute of Aerospace Technologies on the Moodle platform and used as the main online learning tool during the quarantine, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The course comprises the following topics: Engineering, Robotics, Smart Materials, Technology, History of Flight, Igor Sikorsky. The students’ activity in the course has been analyzed and compared with the survey results. To evaluate the students’ (N=34) perceptions towards the course, its benefits and drawbacks, as well as the possibility of using additional educational technologies, we have designed the questionnaire which includes 12 closed and open questions. The results show that 73,5% students think that Moodle platform is a good decision to provide e-learning education, which is consistent with the students grading history: 46,1% of students had 60-80% progress; 53,9% coped at 80-100%. The interactive modules “Forum” and “Glossary” promote developing students’ collaborative skills. The drawbacks mentioned by respondents are the problems with the Internet connection and lack of face-to-face communication. The conclusion is made to implement video conferencing tools in the learning process. Based on the research findings, the recommendations for educators regarding remote learning process optimization have been proposed.