Файл: p01

Abstract

As higher education in Ukraine struggles to modernize, distance education is a topic of great interest. Due to the fast technical progress within the engineering professions, the technical skills of engineers are often outdated. Ukrainian women engineers are more often denied opportunities for carrier development and advancement than their men colleagues. In the article it was presented the main steps, achievements and the first conclusions of the Project to Implement Distance Education to Ukrainian Women Engineers carried out in the network of Partnership Program of NTU “KhPI” and Iowa State University.

..............It is not enough practical experience in Ukraine of distance learning use [1]. NTU "KhPI" is one of the first Universities which tries to get this experience. It is rather difficult for Universities to find money for implementation of distance learning while its budgetary support is absent. So, our economic conditions are those, that projects connected to real distance education mostly carry out successfully with grants' support.

One of such opportunities is realizing now due to Partnership Program between NTU "KhPI" and Iowa State University with granting by Engineering Information Foundation (USA). In its frameworks NTU "KhPI" Center of Distance Education (CDE) realizes the project on implementation of distance education for professional perfection of women engineers in Ukraine. Our partners in this project are two gender organizations - Center "Perspectiva" working at NTU "KhPI", and Center IWISE working at Iowa State University. Main goal of the project is development and delivery of distance course for women engineers working at machine-building enterprises and design offices in Kharkiv and Sumy. .............

Within the project framework competition among University faculty on development and delivery of distance course on technical and economic disciplines has been announced. In this competition seven groups of authors won. It has served as start for more difficult work. It was necessary to acquaint faculty with foundations of distance learning. For this purpose some instructional seminars have been carried out. On these seminars faculty which must develop coursees got acquainted with methodological aspects of distance education and work in the virtual environment «Web-class KhPI». After preparation of courses' content faculty with the help of CDE collaborators have carried out structurization of course materials, its separation by modules, their placing into virtual educational environment, development of tests, practical tasks, multimedia elements, including virtual laboratory works. In result the following distance course were developed and open for studying (http://dl.kpi.kharkov.ua):

By development and delivery of mentioned system of courses the hybrid Web-CD model is used. It means, that courses' content are located on a compact disc, and all riches of network technologies are used mainly for support of interaction between professors and students. Such approach has enabled

The purpose of course system is increasing level of knowledge and engineering qualification of women engineers, promoting their career and professional growth. Each course teaches foundations of methods being most perspective and actively developing in engineering last 3-5 years. Thus the special attention is given to a practical orientation of course. Studying of mentioned courses is carried out in two stages - in the spring and autumn of 2003. As students it was invited women engineers from machine-building enterprises from Kharkiv and Sumy. Clearly, that people working at the industrial enterprises, have a small practical operational experience with information technologies and Internet. Therefore instructional seminars have been carried out. On these seminars students have received the first necessary skills of work in the virtual educational environment and Internet. Simultaneously it was offered to future participants of the project to fill in questionnaires on a theme: «What do I expect from participation in the Program?» Results of this questioning are presented on fig. 1.

Students' expectations were distributed as follows: 32 % set as a purpose to study new technologies, 29 % - an opportunity career growth, 20 % - increase professional level, and 12 % have for an object «lifelong learning ». Other inquiries, including perfect skills of work in Internet have specified 7 % of respondents.

Results of questioning show, that in the nearest future in Ukraine those programs of distance education which enable people to raise the professional level that is necessary for their career growth will have the greatest demand.

Special interest represents opportunity to realize practical management of development and delivery of distance courses' system which was given also with the project...............

Within the framework of Partnership Program between NTU "KhPI" and Iowa State University one of the few in Ukraine really working systems of engineering distance education, which has both engineering, economic and humanitarian components has been developed and started in operation.. Its use allows many Ukrainian engineers to increase professional level. At the same time faculty - authors of courses, and managers of the project can get experience which is extremely important and useful to the further work on increase of competitiveness of distance learning in the market of educational services.