Organisation of Independent Work of Students in Nonlinguistic Higher Education Institutions when Learning a Foreign Language on the Example of the Moodle Educational Platform

Abstract

This paper considers the experience of using the Moodle virtual learning environment and learning and course management system, as this educational platform meets conventional pedagogical requirements and current trends in teaching methods of various disciplines, in particular, the foreign language. One of the most successful ways to intensify independent work is to integrate Moodle into the standard educational process of a higher education institution. The purpose of the study is to determine the advantages of using the Moodle system for organising independent work of first-year students of the State Biotechnological University on the example of analysing distance learning for students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in the discipline “Foreign language (English) in professional activity”. The paper presents the academic achievements of foreign and Ukrainian researchers who focused their attention on determining the features of learning a foreign language using the Moodle educational platform; provides the developed set of tasks for independent processing of educational material when studying a foreign language in a distance learning format. The following methods are applied: theoretical, diagnostic, and the method of pedagogical observation in natural conditions of the educational process. The use of the Moodle distance learning system in the organisation of independent work of students ensures a high quality of assimilation of educational material and provides a wide range of opportunities for practising useful skills in the discipline. Completing the tasks given in this study provides educational applicants with the opportunity to improve their professional training, and develop skills for self-education, self-awareness, self-improvement, and lifelong learning