The effectiveness of e-learning: online course requirements

The effectiveness of teaching and learning process is defined by a complex of approaches and tools which help learners with cognitive learning activities. Ensuring the effectiveness the parameters of virtual learning environment of the online course play a key role. The paper focuses on online course requirements developed in Tomsk polytechnic university. According to R. Garrison, N. Vaughan, K. Swan, conditions for student to content, student to teacher, student to student interactions in e-learning are specified in the parameters of the online course in the form of presence of the participants of learning process. They define three types of presence: cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence. Cognitive presence is described as the extent to which a group of learners are able to construct meaning through sustained communication. Cognitive presence requires attention, effort and conditions for active learning activity of students through effective student to content interaction. Teaching presence can be defined as the work of teacher that is done before and during the course including preparatory work in course development and supporting learners through student to teacher interaction. Social presence is the ability to project oneself socially and affectively and getting to know each other, students are encouraged to share who they are. Student to student interaction creates a climate of trust and safety. The system of three types of presence ensures integrity of learning process in e-learning when a teacher fulfills the following functions: forming the content, managing learning activity and building an online community. Each online course undergoes special evaluation before using in teaching and learning process. The TPU requirements include 50 criteria grouped into three sections that correspond to three types of expertise (content expertise, methodology and technological ones). Three types of expertise are expected to ensure creation of three types of presence. Each criterion has the grading system with a 1 to 4 scale. Evaluation parameters are clearly determined and correspond to the 1 to 4 scale. Consistently meeting the requirements a teacher who does not even have a degree in pedagogy can form a balanced high-quality learning environment creating cognitive, teaching and social presence in the learning process. In turn, the university ensures development and accumulation of high-quality educational content as the basis for an effective learning process with the use of e-learning technologies. The paper consistently justifies and comments the requirements for online courses to ensure student to content, student to teacher and student to content interactions. The implementation of these requirements is illustrated by the examples of the Bank of e-learning best practices’ development designed to support teachers of TPU to create online courses.

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