=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2643/paper38
|storemode=property
|title=Web-based online course training higher school mathematics teachers
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2643/paper38.pdf
|volume=Vol-2643
|authors=Kateryna V. Vlasenko,Sergei V. Volkov,Daria A. Kovalenko,Iryna V. Sitak,Olena O. Chumak,Alexander A. Kostikov
}}
==Web-based online course training higher school mathematics teachers==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2643/paper38.pdf
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Web-based online course training higher school
mathematics teachers
Kateryna V. Vlasenko1[0000-0002-8920-5680], Sergei V. Volkov2[0000-0001-7938-3080],
Daria A. Kovalenko2[0000-0002-1362-9241], Iryna V. Sitak2[000-0003-2593-1293],
Olena O. Chumak3[0000-0002-3722-6826] and Alexander A. Kostikov1[0000-0003-3503-4836]
1 Donbas State Engineering Academy, 7 Academic Str., Kramatorsk, 84313, Ukraine
2 The Institute of Chemical Technologies (the town of Rubizhne) of the East Ukrainian
Volodymyr Dahl National University, 31 Volodymyrska Str., Rubizhne, 93009, Ukraine
3 Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture,
14 Heroes of Heavenly Hundred Str., Kramatorsk,84333, Ukraine
vlasenkokv@ukr.net, sergei.volkov@ukr.net,
daria.kovalenko07@gmail.com, sitakirina@gmail.com,
chumakelena17@gmail.com, alexkst63@gmail.com
Abstract. The article looks into the problem of theoretical aspects of using Web
2.0 technology in higher education. This paper describes answers of 87
respondents who have helped to identify the most required types of educational
content for the integration to pages of the online course training higher school
mathematics teachers. The authors carry out a theoretical analysis of researches
and resources that consider the development of theoretical aspects of using web
tools in higher education. The research presents the characteristics common to
online courses, principles of providing a functioning and physical placement of
online systems in webspace. The paper discusses the approaches of creating and
using animated content in online systems. The authors describe the methods of
publishing video content in web systems, in particular, the creation and use of
video lectures, animation, presentations. This paper also discusses several of the
existing options of integrating presentations on web pages and methods of
integrating mathematical expressions in web content. It is reasonable to make a
conclusion about the expediency of promoting online courses, the purpose of
which is to get mathematics teachers acquainted with the technical capabilities of
creating educational content developed on Web 2.0 technology.
Keywords: Web 2.0 technology, online-course, training higher school
mathematics teachers.
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem statement and its topicality substantiation
With the emergence of web education which is defined by Нorton as “any purposeful
use of web technologies with the aim of person’s formation” [11], scientists have faced
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
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an important task which is to create a perspective new system of education. The usage
of teaching aids in the educational process, based on using Web 2.0 tools, has enabled
it [13; 14; 25]. Dina Rosen and Charles Nelson [27] have stated that these tools have a
great potential for education providing a new quality of students’ self-study. Yasemin
Koçak Usluel, Sacide Güzin Mazman [15] and Kulthida Nugultham [22] agree with
this idea. In their research they determine that using Web 2.0 in the educational process
can increase the motivation level and stimulate creative students’ skills, and in its turn,
it encourages the formation of self-education culture. Akhilesh K. S. Yadav and Amala
A. Patwardhan [39] have stated the actuality of Web 2.0 technology during education
while analyzing an economically profitable solution to the integration of their tools.
Among the conclusions, scientists have noted an insignificant usage of Web tools in
higher schools. Pavel Livotov [18] has raised issues connected with pedagogical use of
Web 2.0 technology. In the scientist’s opinion, in spite of all the barriers of involving
such services, web-oriented education is a rapidly growing educational area. With the
help of these services, we can offer a bright educational environment created with the
usage of different strategies and technologies of education. Gabriela Grosseck [9] has
related online systems to such environment, indicating the actuality of developing
theoretical aspects of using Web tools in higher education. Scientists have claimed that
it has to influence the creation of programs of future research and development of
scenarios concerning Pedagogy 2.0 for the higher education sector.
1.2 Analysis of the latest researches and publications
We have investigated the experience of scientists who have contributed to the
implementation of Web technologies to higher education. Carrying out such analysis
we have studied recommendations by Ricardo Torres Kompen, Palitha Edirisingha,
Richard Mobbs [33] who point out the importance of describing Web 2.0 tools and
services that may be chosen to collect and process the information. Under these
conditions, according to scientists, students’ formal and informal education is under
control during the whole life. This idea corresponds with the conclusions made by
Gintarė Tautkevičienė, Mindaugas Dubosas [31], who have agreed that continuing
education and knowledge refreshment should become an integral part of a student's
education. Scientists have emphasized the need to develop such Web 2.0 tools that will
encourage students’ desire for publishing and sharing the knowledge created by them.
Describing the assistance that should be provided by the teacher using Web 2.0 tools in
the education, Isidoros Perikos, Foteini Grivokostopoulou, Konstantinos Kovas and
Ioannis Hatzilygeroudis [24] have offered the development of online courses for tutors’
informal education that would ensure the enhancement of experience and skills of
higher school teachers.
So, each of the aforesaid scientists has recommended starting the implementation of
Web tools into education from their analysis. According to the experts, such an
approach will help to understand what every tool can offer for students’ education and
how they can be integrated into educational classes and remote courses of higher
schools.
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Following the conclusions made by scientists, we can see the usage of such an
approach to develop online courses with the purpose to prepare higher school
mathematics teachers [35; 37; 38]. The majority of conducted surveys among teachers
using the platform “Higher School Mathematics Teacher” [10] have confirmed our
decision to start the description of using only the questions that interest respondents the
most at the moment. So, this article aims to carry out a theoretical analysis of
peculiarities of developing educational online systems and to review several technical
capabilities to create educational content for the integration on the pages of online
courses training higher school mathematics teachers.
2 Method
We have held a survey of higher school mathematics teachers on using Web
technologies to provide online education. The analysis of respondents’ answers to the
survey questions published at the forum of the platform “Higher School Mathematics
Teacher” [10], has influenced the description of technical capabilities to create
educational content for the integration on the pages of online courses training higher
school mathematics teachers. Besides, we have carried out a theoretical analysis of
researches and resources, which consider the development of theoretical aspects of
using Web-tools in higher education. Since the development of online courses of the
platform involves the usage of a significant proportion of mathematical content, we also
analyzed methods for integrating mathematical formulas into web content and
developed a model for creating mathematical content on the pages of online courses.
2.1 Online course as a kind of electronic education
Electronic education is a general term to describe the areas of online education, web-
education, and education using technologies. Costinela-Luminiţa Ciobanu (Defta) and
Nicoleta-Magdalena Ciobanu (Iacob) [5] relate online-education (web-education) to
electronic education. According to scientists, computer-oriented education can be
considered as a component of electronic education that does not require constant
interaction with the teacher and other students.
Ciobanu [5] idea has been agreed with the results of the research by Tuncay
Sevindik, Necmi Demirkeser, Zafer Cömert [29] and Paulo Alves, Luísa Miranda,
Carlos Morais [2]. The scientists define online course as a kind of electronic education,
in other words organized purposeful educational process built on pedagogical
principles, which is realized on basis of technical tools of modern information-
communication technologies and represents logically and structurally completed
educational item, methodically provided by a unique complex of systematized
electronic tools of education and control.
Investigating the characteristics common to online courses while considering
technical support of online courses, we follow the positions developed by Ciobanu [5]:
─ the educational process is carried out in the virtual class;
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─ educational material is available on the Internet and includes the text, links to other
Internet resources, images, audio, and video material;
─ the virtual audience is coordinated with the instructor who plans the activity of
working group participants, discusses the aspects of the course using the discursive
forum or chat, provides additional resources, etc.;
─ education is a social process; the studying community is created through interaction
and cooperation between the teacher and working group participants;
─ tutors provide control over the participants’ activity, work with subgroups, audio,
and video interaction etc.
Besides, we have taken into consideration the recommendations FAO [6], DIGICOMP
[32] and Leicester Learning Institute [17] concerning the development of materials for
online courses. The developers of recommendations emphasize the importance of video
materials, animation, photo materials, audio materials, animated graphics, tables,
presentations, etc.
2.2 Principles of providing a functioning and physical placement of
online systems in webspace
Educational online systems as network software require the detection and description
of technical conditions of the use. Online systems, which are built using the client-
server architecture, are widely used at the moment. Thus, it is necessary to define
technical requirements to both the client and the server. Among the main factors of
educational online systems activity, Mark S. Frank, Keith Dreyer [8] and Borka
Jerman-Blažič [12] have distinguished its physical placement on the server. The quality
of hardware-generated and software of the server and width of the communication link
play a critical role in the quality of provided educational services.
Nowadays several main kinds of hosting are being widely used as a server.
1. Virtual hosting (Shared). It represents a server, the resources of which are equally
divided among the users. Using such kind of hosting is expedient for web systems
of a small scale with the number of visitors usually no more than 100 per 24 hours.
2. Virtual private server (VPS/VDS). It provides individual resources to every user.
With its help, it is possible to set up the operating system and other software. Such
hosting is used for projects of average visiting rate and processing degree.
3. Dedicated physical service. The user rents or organizes by him/herself the server by
hardware under independent control. Its use is expedient to develop resource
capacious projects with high requirements for information processing speed and the
number of visitors.
It’s necessary to take into account the fact that kinds of hosting 2-3 require the
appropriate qualification from the teacher or a specialist ‘s involvement to set up and
support system software of the server.
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2.3 Approaches to create and use animated content in online systems
Using animation in educational web content plays an important cognitive role while
studying any course, in particular, mathematics. The analysis of research results made
by Michael D. Byrne, Richard Catrambone, John T. Stasko [4], Orhan Ercan, Kadir
Bilen, Ayşe Bulut [7], Ramón Rubio García, Javier Suárez Quirós, Ramón Gallego
Santos, Santiago Martín González, Samuel Morán Fernanz [28], Thorsten Rasch,
Wolfgang Schnotz [26], Kateryna Vlasenko, Olena Chumak, Irina Sitak, Olga
Chashechnikova, Iryna Lovianova [36] has proved the efficiency of adding animation
to the educational information.
Using animation implies the stages of creation and placement. The stage of creating
animated effects requires founded choice of realization technology considering the
specifics of the objects to which the animation will be applied.
Nowadays there are several approaches to creating animation.
1. Animated GIF images. GIF image format differs from other raster graphic formats
by its special feature of animation maintenance. It is used for the images that have
up to 256 colours with a 24-bit RGB span. The animation is realized in the form of
a static frame sequence where every frame is a separate raster image with a time-
lapse created in between. The use of such format is expedient to create short-term
animation with a small number of colours. It is explained by the fact that a great
number of long-term animation frames considerably increase the physical size of the
file. This format does not support the sound and interactivity.
2. Flash animation. Nowadays it is a popular and powerful technology of creating
complete multimedia web use. It can use raster and vector images, build in the sound.
Due to the built-in Action Script programming language, this technology supports
the interactive constituent. With the emergence of mobile gadgets, technology use
has faced the problem of cross platforming and security vulnerability, which led to
the loss of use relevance. Starting from 2020 the company Adobe will stop
supporting Flash technology.
3. HTML5 animation. With the emergence of HTML5 standard, web developers could
create animation through direct programming with the use of JavaScript language
without using additional application programming interfaces or plugins. The
standard enables the creation of interactive animation with integrated audio content.
Separate libraries for animation such as Three.js and A-Frame are created to
facilitate the development process [20].
2.4 Video content publishing in web systems
The subject matter of online courses consists of various educational materials that are
used to increase the level of motivation among listeners. Video lectures are one of the
most popular kinds of such materials. There is considerable experience in using video
lectures while giving mathematics courses.
Ana-Maria Suduc, Mihai Bîzoi, Gabriel Gorghiu, Laura-Monica Gorghiu [30] and
Natalia A. Parkhomenko, Sergei A. Zolotukhin [23] believe that one of the greatest
advantages of using video in the educational process is that video lectures provide a
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personality-oriented approach to the education. The listener can learn the material
according to his/her pace of assimilating the educational material. We support the
researchers’ idea that video content has a major emotional impact on the listener in
comparison to the text.
There are various methods of adding video content to the web page. We offer to
review several of them.
1. Preliminary video publishing on services that provide video hosting services.
Video hosting is a web service that enables us to publish, store, review and promote a
video on the Internet. Nowadays the most popular video hosting is YouTube. It allows
downloading in formats such as avi, mov, 3gp, mpg, mpeg, mp4, mkv.
Besides YouTube, there are also alternative services, in particular, Vimeo,
Dailymotion, etc. The listed services provide functional opportunities similar to
Youtube but have their peculiarities. While integrating video content publishing on
video hosting to the web page, there is a possibility to both download their video and
add one of those stored at the service.
Among the advantages of such a method we can point out the following ones:
─ downloaded video files don’t take up space on hosting;
─ video content downloading takes place quite fast;
─ there are no strict restrictions concerning the size of downloaded files;
─ video is available for review both on your site and video hosting.
One of the disadvantages is that the process of downloading a new video file takes up
additional time.
2. Integration of video content published on social media pages.
This method of video integration is similar to the one described above except for the
fact that servers of social media are used as video hosting. We offer to state the main
characteristics by the example of social network Facebook.
The use of such a method enables to create a direct connection between the page on
Facebook and the web-page where the video is integrated. The posted video reflects the
name of the page, from which it was downloaded. It influences positively the process
of promoting the page on Facebook. We can point out the opportunity of setting up
video autorun among the advantages.
The disadvantage is the dependence between confidentiality settings of the
publication on Facebook and video publishing on the web page. In other words, if the
video was posted on the site page and then on Facebook, confidentiality settings were
changed and video publication stopped being publicly available, then there will be a
notification on the site that this video is not available anymore for reviewing.
2.5 Presentation publishing
While developing an online course we need to integrate PowerPoint presentations on
web pages. PowerPoint presentation is a complex mixture of text, graphics,
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explanations, modern functions of software and interaction in real-time with the
audience. According to Çiğdem Uz, Feza Orhan, Gülşah Bilgiç [34] such programs as
Microsoft PowerPoint allow preparing organized, visually attractive presentations that
can be easily remembered by listeners.
We have analyzed the research related to the influence of the presentation on the
students’ motivation level and academic progress while studying mathematics.
Different results are recorded in this research. For instance, in their article about the
influence of PowerPoint presentation on short term and long-term memory, Hossein
Nouri and Abdus Shahid [21] have determined that students’ attitude to PowerPoint
was positive and PowerPoint presentations have an impact on short term memory.
However, it is revealed that PowerPoint presentations don’t influence students’ long-
term memory.
Tutors can use presentations on web pages as a supplement to text materials, video
or audio content. Presentation slides can contain a succinct summary of the educational
material.
We offer to review several of the existing options of integrating presentations on
web pages.
1. Direct presentation downloading to the web site and publishing a link to it on the
page. The use of such a method enables users to download the presentation file to
their computer for a further acquaintance without any introductory review on the
web page.
2. Converting the presentation into PDF. The disadvantage of this method is that
animation, sound, and interactivity disappear after converting.
3. Converting the presentation into a video. The video keeps all the presentation
features, except for interactivity.
While giving mathematical concepts there is a necessity to publish a significant number
of presentations with their constant updates. More complicated integration methods
exist for this purpose. Among such methods, we can point out presentation publishing
with the use of Google Slides service. Among the advantages of using this method, we
can mark the possibility to edit presentations without a necessity to add them again to
the page. Such publishing does not require public access to the presentation on Google
Slides to build it in on the web page. The disadvantage is that a considerable part of
animated, sound effects, which were used in the presentation, disappear.
The alternative way of Google Slides service is the use of services for storing
presentations, for instance, SlideBoom.com, Projeqt, SlideShare.net, etc.
2.6 Methods of integrating mathematical formulas in web content
While publishing mathematical content in web there is a problem of displaying
mathematical formulas. Nowadays this problem does not have a general solution. Thus,
the question of displaying mathematical formulas is actual for discussion. We offer to
consider four methods of publishing formulas in web systems.
1. A mathematical formula as a static image.
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This method has been the only solution to the problem so far. MS Word is widely used
to create mathematical texts and it has an integrated formula editing program MS
Equation or MathType. The problem is that while transferring content to the web page
using copying the formulas are ruined. For the correct display, every formula should be
exported in raster image and should have a link to it in the web document. The
disadvantages of such display of formulas are the problems with scale-up, stylization,
and alignment of formulas to the text.
2. A mathematical formula as a result of generating structural code.
With HTML5 standard, the tag