Integrating online services into English language teaching and learning: the case of Voki

The article deals with teaching English as a foreign language with the use of modern Internet technologies. The emphasis is upon the online application Voki and beneficial ways to implement it in the classroom. The article also presents an overview of classroom activities using Voki aimed at developing students’ communication skills

Intelligent adaptive testing system

Modern learning is impossible without automated knowledge testing systems. At present, the most progressive are adaptive testing models in which the complexity of tasks varies depending on the correctness of the patient’s answers. This article describes the development of an intelligent adaptive testing system using a fuzzy mathematics device. An intelligent adaptive testing system has been developed; the module that implements the expert system uses the production base of the rules. The input parameters of testing are the percentage of correct responses, the degree of correctness of the response, the duration of the response, and the number of attempts. The output is a change in the current level of training of the student on the basis of which test questions of related complexity are selected. As a method of logical inference, the Mamdani method is used which consists of six operational actions: phazification — conversion of exact values of input variables into values of linguistic variables through belonging functions, this served as the basis for designing a fuzzy base of rules of the expert system; aggregation of sub-conditions — determination of the truth of conditions for each linguistic rule of the fuzzy inference system; activating sub-conclusions — finding the degree of truth of each of the sub-conclusions in the linguistic rule; accumulation of conclusions — finding the belonging function for each of the output linguistic variables; defazzification — finding a numerical value for each of the output linguistic variables. A developed intelligent adaptive testing system (ISAT) is presented that allows, based on the analysis of test results, to determine the current level of training of students, to adapt the material to the level of their training. This system allows you to dynamically present questions of appropriate complexity in real time. When using the developed intelligent adaptive testing system, students will be provided with questions of the appropriate level of complexity, this will allow building an individual learning trajectory. The introduction of a predefined system will ensure the implementation of a personalized approach for organizing the learning process; will increase the accuracy of assessing students’ knowledge. The use of the technology of fuzzy expert systems allows for automated, intelligent control of students’ knowledge

Collaborative learning at engineering universities: Benefits and challenges

This paper concerns the cutting edge educational approaches incorporated into syllabuses of the most progressive Russian higher technical schools. The authors discuss one of the active methods in teaching foreign languages – collaborative learning implemented in e-courses. Theoretical and historical aspects of this approach are addressed, as are its suitability for engineering education and possible ways of introducing collaborative learning into e-courses. Collaborative learning technology offers wide prospects for teachers of foreign languages as it enables the use of various patterns of interaction, promotes discussion, opinion exchange, peer assessment and building an e-learning community, fosters the development of e-culture and netiquette, and prepares future specialists for work in their professional sphere under the new conditions imposed by society’s technological and cultural development. This paper describes real pedagogical experience of teaching English to students using the platform Moodle, focusing on the capacity of different Moodle instruments for designing group work tasks. Recommendations are given for their usage and the results of implementing a collaborative learning approach into certain e-courses offered at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are presented

Game technologies as a means of increasing the educational motivation of university students

Game technologies allow bringing the educational process as close as possible to professional activities, activating the cognitive interest of students in the study of professional disciplines. The purpose of the article is to analyze the experience of implementing gaming technologies in the preparation of students of higher educational institutions to increase their motivation for learning. Game technologies are a set of methods and techniques for organizing the educational process in the form of various games that stimulate cognitive activity. They allow you to simulate a real workflow and consolidate theoretical material. Motivation is defined as a set of internal motivations that explain the student’s behavior, orientation and activity in the educational process. Motivation acts as a continuous choice and decision-making based on weighing behavioral alternatives. The article presents a study of the impact of gaming technology on changing students' motivation. As a tool for the study of motivation, we used Dubovitskaya methodology for the diagnosis of motivation. The study reflects the impact of gaming technology on changing student motivation. The implementation of gaming technologies in the training of students of a higher educational institution helps to increase the motivation of students to study professional disciplines, the formation of professional competence

APPROACHES TO THE FUTURE ENGINEERS FOREIGN COMMUNICATIVE CULTURE FORMATION

Purpose: The main aim of the article is to define the approaches to the formation of future engineers’ communicative culture. The main research method used while working on the article is analysis of the domestic and foreign publication space for critical consideration of different ideas on the pedagogical problem of the future engineers’ foreign language communicative culture formation process. Methodology: In this study Content abstraction, generalization and the comparative method was applied. Result: The approaches (cultural, connectivism, technological, axiological, communicative, environmental approach) will help to the formation of the communicative culture of future engineers in the process of foreign language training. Applications: This research can be used for engineers and companies. Novelty/Originality: In this research, the model of approaches to future engineers' foreign communicative culture formation is presented in a comprehensive and complete manner

The Industry 4.0: Competition between Business Models – the New Essence of Competitiveness

The article is aimed at substantiating the impact of the enterprise’s business model on its competitiveness. In view of the lack of objective importance of the technology itself, it is necessary to determine how the business model through commercialization allows disclosing of the latent value of innovation and proving the company’s ability to compete in the market, using a sustainable business model. Both analysis and generalization of the previous developments in the definition of efficiency of business models and indicators of enterprise competitiveness allowed to allocate 18 metrics. On the basis of data of 10 leading high-tech companies of the world, factorial and correlation analyses on the defined metrics were carried out. The result of the research is allocation of key components of business models that directly impact competitiveness of enterprise. It has been determined that companies that build their business models based on research and development of innovation products with sustainable marketing support of such actions have the best indicators of competitiveness, especially in long-term period. However, in the short term such companies also have a competitive advantage in terms of financial indicators and market share

Evaluation of strawberry cultivars as sources of high winter hardiness and productivity

Background. The realization of high productivity potential in strawberry plants significantly depends on their adaptability to soil and climate conditions of their cultivation. Winter hardiness is the most important trait in the central part of Russia. With this in view, the purpose of this study was to identify sources of high winter hardiness combined with high productivity and yield potential among the studied cultivars.Materials and methods. The research was carried out at the primary variety testing site of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK), Orel Province, in accordance with the published program and methodology of fruit, berry and nut variety studies. The testing covered 23 domestic and foreign strawberry cultivars. An Espec PSL-2KPH climate chamber (Japan) and a Polair refrigerator cabinet (Russia) were used for artificial freezing.Results. Winter hardiness of strawberry cultivars was assessed under artificial freezing conditions. Cvs. ‘Korona’, ‘Tsaritsa’, ‘Solovushka’ and ‘Sara’ were the most winter-hardy cultivars. The study of the cultivars in the field made it possible to identify the most productive and large-fruited ones: ‘Alba’, ‘Azia’, ‘Bereginya’ and ‘Tsaritsa’. Cv. ‘Tsaritsa’ combines high winter hardiness and high yield productivity and yield potential, being a valuable source of these traits in breeding practice. According to a set of indicators ‘Tsaritsa’ is promising for large-scale cultivation in the Central Black Earth Region of Russia

Lack of GAGA protein in Trl mutants causes massive cell death in Drosophila spermatogenesis and oogenesis

Drosophila protein GAGA (GAF) is a factor of epigenetic transcription regulation of a large group of genes with a wide variety of cellular functions. GAF is encoded by the Trithorax-like (Trl) gene, which is important for the formation of various organs and tissues at all stages of ontogenesis. In our previous works, we showed that this protein is necessary for the development of the reproductive system, both in males and females of Drosophila. Decreased expression of the Trl gene led to multiple disorders of spermatogenesis and oogenesis. One of the significant disorders was associated with massive degradation and loss of cells in the germline. In this work, we carried out a more detailed cytological study to determine what type of germ cell death is characteristic of Trl mutants, and whether there are disturbances or changes in this process compared to the norm. The results obtained showed that the lack of GAF protein causes massive germ cell death in both females and males of Drosophila, but this death manifests itself in different ways, depending on the sex. In Trl females, this process does not differ phenotypically from the norm. In the dying egg chambers, signs of apoptosis and autophagy were revealed, as well as morphological features that are characteristic of the wild type. In males, Trl mutations induce mass germ cell death through autophagy, which is not typical of Drosophila spermatogenesis, and has not been previously described, neither in the norm nor in other genes’ mutations. Thus, GAF lack in Trl mutants leads to increased germ cell death through apoptosis and autophagy. Ectopic cell death and germ line atrophy are probably associated with impaired expression of the GAGA factor target genes, among which there are genes that regulate both apoptosis and autophagy

Особенности прохождения фенологических фаз интродуцированных сортов земляники садовой в условиях Орловской области

Relevance. The study of the timing and duration of individual phases of the development of strawberry cultivars of different ecological and geographical origin in these climatic conditions is of great practical importance. The purpose of the study was the determination of the timing of the main phenophases of introduced strawberry cultivars in the Orel region, the compliance of the phenorhythms of the studied cultivars with climatic conditions, as well as the ranking of the cultivars by the terms of flowering and maturation.Methods and materials. The article presents the results of phenological observations for the period 2016-2019. 34 strawberry cultivars of domestic and foreign selection were studied. The research was carried out at the VNIISPK site of primary variety study.Results. Based on long - term observations, on the time of entry into the flowering and fruiting phase, the cultivars were ranked into early, medium and late-maturing. The influence of effective temperatures on the onset of phenophases was analyzed. The sum of effective temperatures necessary for the beginning of flowering of strawberry cultivars of different maturation periods in the conditions of the Orel region was determined. For the onset of strawberry flowering, it takes from126.68 to 260.37°effective temperatures. Early cultivars need the sum of effective temperatures of 126.68-197.55°, cultivars of middle maturation need 146.31-225.44°, late cultivars - 159.93-260.37 depending on the year of study. Fruiting occurs at the sum of effective temperatures in early cultivars from 351.73°C to 465.43°C, in middle-maturing cultivars from 390.96 to 535.44°C, in late-maturing cultivars from 450°C to 649°C.Актуальность. Изучение сроков наступления и продолжительности отдельных фаз развития сортов земляники садовой разного эколого-географического происхождения в данных климатических условиях имеет большое практическое значение.Целью исследования являлось определение сроков прохождения основных фенофаз интродуцированных сортов земляники в условиях Орловской области, соответствие феноритмов изучаемых сортов климатическим условиям, а также ранжирование сортов по срокам цветения и созревания.Материал и методы. В статье представлены результаты фенологических наблюдений за период 2016-2019 годов. Изучено 34 сорта земляники садовой отечественной и зарубежной селекции. Исследования выполнены на участке первичного сортоизучения ФГБНУ ВНИИСПК.Результаты. На основании многолетних наблюдений по времени вступления в фазу цветения и плодоношения сорта ранжированы на ранние, средне- и позднеспелые. Проанализировано влияние эффективных температур на сроки наступления фенофаз. Определена сумма эффективных температур, необходимая для начала цветения сортов земляники разных сроков созревания в условиях Орловской области. Для наступления цветения земляники требуется от 126,68 до 260,37° эффективных температур: ранним сортам – 126,68-197,55°, сренеспелым –146,31-225,44°, поздним – 159,93-260,37 в зависимости от года исследования. Плодоношение наступает при сумме эффективных температур у ранних сортов – от 351,73°С до 465,43°С, у среднеспелых – от 390,96 до 535,44°С, у позднеспелых – от 450°С, до 649°С