The paper aimed to study the readiness of the existing e-learning environment for the organisation of English-language learning among Ukrainian and international students on the example of a technical university in Ukraine. The need for English-language training was explored by interviewing students with keen interest, level of English proficiency, motivation, preferred forms of learning, and a willingness to incur additional costs for such learning. About two-thirds of those surveyed showed interest in English-language education. About one-third of the students surveyed have the necessary level of preparation and are also prepared for additional financial expenses. About onethird of the students may also join English-language studies if they fulfil specific prerequisites. Expected employment progress is the primary motivation for joining the English-language program. The readiness of the existing learning environment was tested by analysing the organisation of access to Englishlanguage teaching materials, assessing the demand for different electronic resources, as well as the ability to take into account the learning styles of potential Ukrainian and international students in the educational process.
Learning environments imply any places where students strive for their academic
goals. Therefore, this term includes teaching strategies and methods, learning
technology and resources, means of teaching, including technical aids, modes of
learning, and connections to societal and global contexts [
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Currently, learning environments have extended from the physical to the virtual
and mobile due to the extensive use of information communication technologies
(ICT) and the Internet which both transformed learning and teaching in the academic
world [
The use of ICTs can improve the quality of education by increasing motivation and
engagement of learners, facilitating the acquisition of basic skills and enhancing
teacher training [
The main goal of institutions of higher education (IHE) is to provide high-quality
training of future specialists. At Kyiv National University of Technologies and
Design (KNUTD), the management system for IHE (MS-IHE), integrated with a
quality management system (QMS), manages various aspects of daily educational
activity [
In turn, the QMS is based on the automated control system (ACS), which was developed to manage data flows and control automation of all processes occurring at KNUTD. The objects of the QMS are the main components of scholarly activity: resources, educational processes and their outcomes
The ACS includes a few subsystems. In particular, the modular environment of the
educational process (MEEP) is functioning at the KNUTD [
The MEEP, operating at KNUTD, has been developed and optimised for use in the Ukrainian-language environment. At the same time, there are new challenges associated with changing the paradigm of the learning organisation. The main focus of the day is on student-centred learning. In other words, this means maximum consideration of the wishes or requirements of all stakeholders such as clients of the service (students) and customers of the graduates (employers).
One such requirement is the growing demand for English language training.
Today, however, virtually none of the country’s national universities has
welldeveloped English-language educational programs, except for some narrow medical
and technical fields [
The trend of increasing demand for English-language education is familiar to many
countries in the world [
The lack of English-language education programs also contributes to the outflow
of Ukrainian students to study abroad. In the period 2013-2017 the number of
Ukrainian citizens in the Polish universities tripled, in Spain, Italy and Canada
doubled, and in the Czech Republic, Austria and the United Kingdom increased by
41% [
Besides, students from other countries may be interested in receiving English
language education in Ukraine. For example, about 52% of Asian students are
educated abroad. Students from China, India, Korea (up to 77% of the total number of
such students) are on top of that [
There is also a demand for English-language teaching services from both
international and Ukrainian students [
The paper goal is achieved by solving the following research problems: i) investigation of students’ real demand concerning English-language learning, ii) identification of the problematic areas in the existing e-learning environment, and iii) exploration of how the existing system can be adapted to provide Englishlanguage learning.
The first task will be solved by conducting a survey of Ukrainian university students and analysing the results obtained in terms of distribution by years of study, faculties and forms of study.
Besides, the question remains how easily the existing learning environment can be adapted to the needs of English-language learning. First of all, this issue concerns the organisation of learner-centred learning, as well as the provision of students with English-language teaching materials.
Friendliness of the existing learning environment to the personal characteristics of students and openness to the adaptation will be clarified by studying the preferred learning styles of Ukrainian and international students. The supply of Englishlanguage textbooks to the library is limited primarily for economic reasons.
Therefore, the use of e-resources (lecture notes, presentations, study guides, etc.) and the organisation of their access through the learning environment is a top priority. 2 2.1
In total, 1414 students of the first-to-fourth courses of six faculties of KNUTD were interviewed. First-year students enrolled at the university in 2019, 4-year students – in 2016. The distributions of respondents by Faculties together with Faculties’ names (including abbreviations) and courses of study are given in Table 1.
The purpose of the survey was to identify the attitude of students to the opportunity to undergo English-language training at KNUTD, depending on their age and field of study. All questions of the questionnaire were divided into five clusters and concerned the following topics: 1. identification of students (gender, faculty, course and form of study); 2. financial support (assessment of current financial status and availability of scholarships and additional sources of funding); 3. level of command of a foreign language; 4. motivation to take part in English-language learning, and 5. foreign language skills and English-language learning preferences, including financial aspects. The last block of questions was the most extensive and essential, as it allowed ones to assess students’ existing needs for English language training. The data obtained will be presented in relative units (percentages) to neutralise the potential impact of different numbers of students on faculties or courses. The number of students in any sample will generally be attributed to the total number of students studying English. When studying a graduate school, the number of students, who have expressed an interest in postgraduate studies will be used as a benchmark. 2.2
The methodology of testing of existing electronic learning
environment
The most important details of the MEEP functioning at the KNUTD in the context of
the considered problems are as follows. Lecturers create electronic teaching and
learning complexes (ETLC) of all disciplines to fill the MEEP with necessary
information. An ETLC can include a syllabus and scheduled work program of a
subject. Also, it contains electronic textbooks, lecture notes, study guides and various
tutorials. They can be presentations, dedicated videos, dictionaries and glossaries,
reference books, etc. Similar systems were frequently described in the literature [
The improvement of the quality of educational activities of the university is the main advantage of the implemented MEEP. Maintenance of permanent communication between participants of the educational process demonstrates the effectiveness of MEEP use for all forms of learning. Teachers and students can communicate in a web-classroom environment with tutors, supervisors, an administrator-consultant and other members of the group through an online-chat or offline-email. Such tools as graphic chat, forum, bulletin board, testing, etc. are also actively used.
The existing learning environment allows the use of e-learning resources.
However, these resources are known to be sensitive to personality traits. They may,
therefore, be useful for some students and ineffective for others. Such a situation is
best reflected by the known correlations between students’ learning styles and
attitudes towards e-learning resources or progress in studies [
Therefore, the differences in the learning styles are analysed for students of different specialities and nationalities studying at KNUTD. The preferred styles of Ukrainian students of some specialities are compared between each other, as well as with the learning preferences of Chinese students. Chinese students are selected because they are studying in an English-speaking environment at a joint UkrainianChinese educational institution, Kyiv College. This institution is founded by KNUTD and the Qilu university at the Jinan City of Shandong Province.
The survey was conducted to identify the preferred learning styles of students. The
instrument, known as Index of Learning Style (ILS) and developed by Richard M.
Felder and Barbara A. Soloman (thereinafter Felder-Soloman’s model) [
The existing learning environment allows optimising the use of e-resources according to individual preferences. Then the ease accessibility of e-resources for English language programs becomes an essential issue. Organising access to paper copies through the library significantly increases the cost of English-language learning. Therefore, having a full range of necessary resources in electronic forms is critically important. This paper analyses available statistics of students’ accesses, normalised by the number of involved students, to e-resources related to the teaching of some special subjects at the Department of Professional Education in Technologies and Design. The dynamics of data retrievals in 2017-2019 are analysed for selected subjects and resources. Such analysis is necessary to test the preparedness of the existing learning environment to the introduction of English-language teaching and learning.
90 80 70
The questions asked in the survey relate to the prerequisites for English-language learning, the dominant motivation of students and the student’s preferences regarding the organisation of English-language learning, including financial aspects. The fundamental prerequisite for the organisation of English language training is the level of English proficiency among students. According to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), learners’ knowledge is divided into three groups (A, B, C), each of which is divided into two groups (Levels 1 and 2).
Students were asked to evaluate their knowledge according to this system. The questionnaire contained a detailed description of the requirements specific to each level of knowledge. Levels B and C, corresponding to an independent possession (Independent User) and free possession (Proficient User) were regarded as sufficient for mastering knowledge in English-language training. Therefore, the data for these levels were summarised, which simplified the overall picture.
Level A (Basic User) splits into half level A1 or survival level (Beginner and Elementary) and A2 (Pre-Intermediate level). It is usually insufficient for understanding lectures in a foreign language. However, the level A can be considered as a basis, which can be improved to the required minimum level B in the shortest time. The results of the survey are presented in Fig. 1 in the context of courses and faculties.
b a 4 90 80 70 60 % ,e50 g tna40 e c re30 P 20 10 0 1 2
Course 3
MCT
D
EB FI Faculty
CBT
EL Note that among university students, 89.6% studied English in the school. In comparison, all other foreign languages accounted for a total of about 10%.
Among those who studied English, about 10-13% said that their knowledge was at a zero level. This indicator remains stable for all courses (Fig. 1a). About 30% among the remaining students declare knowledge at level B or C; 60% (most) – at level A. Therefore, a third of students are well prepared for the perception of English-language education. About 60% can reach this level after some preparation.
Unlike the distribution of courses, the distribution of knowledge between faculties is less uniform (Fig. 1b). The maximum values of untrained students are observed for FI (about 19%) and minimum for D (8%). In comparison, the value of untrained students varies within 10-13% in other faculties. On MCT and D, knowledge at the B + C level has 30-40% of students, and the number of students who do not have sufficient knowledge is about 6-8%. In contrast, only 20% are with the knowledge of B + C at the Faculties of FI, CBT, EL and EB. The number of students who do not know the language is maximum in comparison with other faculties. The decrease in knowledge at the B + C level from faculty to faculty is usually offset by an increase in the share of students with knowledge at level A (Fig. 1b).
Thus, there are potentially large numbers of students who have the required level of preparation for English language training. However, for such a transformation to be successful, it is necessary to understand how many students really want English language training. The results of the survey on this issue are shown in Fig. 2. 100 90 80 % , age 70 t n e rce 60 P 50 40 D MCT EL 4 100 90 80 % , age 70 t n e rce 60 P 50 40
b EB FI CBT 4 1 2
Course 3 1 2
Course 3 Fig. 2. The relative number of students who want to study English for students of 1-4 courses at different faculties: a – MCT, D and EL, b – EB, FI and CBT The KNUTD average is almost 66%, while the results for different courses vary in a wide range of 55% and 90%. For most faculties (Fig. 2b), the research indicator remains relatively stable and slightly dependent on the course.
For two faculties, namely MCT and D (Fig. 2a), fluctuations from course to course are more significant. The MCT, EL and D rates, shown in Fig. 2a, are on average slightly higher (above 68%) than at other faculties illustrated in Fig. 2b (less than 64%).
At least two-thirds of the students surveyed are interested in English-language training. Four questions were formulated in the survey to identify the real motivation of the respondents. Two questions concerned the assessment of views on further employment, and two on possible ways of further education (Fig. 3).
Overall, according to the respondents, learning English is more necessary for further employment (Fig. 3a). Thus, in fact, 100% of students, who have shown a 1
To work abroad To carry on business 2
Course 3 160 140 120 An important aspect is the study of the forms of English-language teaching that most meet the expectations of the respondents. The survey suggested identifying the available preferences concerning four forms of training (Fig. 4). interest in English-language studies, are simultaneously considering for themselves employment abroad. At the same time, about 80% of respondents do not rule out intentions to start their businesses. Regarding further education (Fig. 3b), only 4060% of those interested in learning English has the advantage of possible study abroad. However, among those who are considering admission to graduate school. 90100% recognise the need for English language training.
160 140 120 %100 , tage 80 n rce 60 e P 40 20 0 45 40 35 30 % , e tag25 n rce20 e P15 10 a
b 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10
EB FI EL
CBT 5 Everything 1-2 subjects
Form of study 5 1-2 subjects
D MCT
Lectures
Special subjects
Lectures
Special subjects Everything
The most relaxed mode is to teach 1-2 subjects in English and continue to use Ukrainian in teaching other disciplines. An alternative model is to introduce EnglishEL EB
D y lt u caCBT F MCT
FI 0
KNUTD average a
D EL CBT y lt u ca EB F
FI MCT language teaching for 100% of the subjects. Two intermediate forms include teaching special subjects in English and fundamental subjects in Ukrainian or giving lectures in English and teaching practical classes in Ukrainian.
The most relaxed model for the gradual introduction of English-language teaching is somewhat prevalent over others for all faculties (Fig. 4). However, the difference in preferences over more fundamental models of teaching is small in those faculties (MCT and D) whose students declare a little better knowledge of languages (Fig. 4a). For example, MCT students did not actually find a preference for any learning models, each accounting for 20-28% of the total.
If students show a slightly lower level of language proficiency (four other faculties), up to 35-45% favour partial English-language teaching. For example, only 10-20% are supporting a full transition to English teaching (Fig. 4b).
Currently, students of Ukrainian universities study both for free on a paid basis. In the first case, education costs are covered from the country’s budget (from now on referred to as the budget students). In the second case, there are concluded contract between a university and a student (contractual education). In conditions of limited public funds, an essential issue for the introduction of English-language education is the willingness of students to use the contracted form of education. The survey results are shown for all students (Fig. 5a) and separately for budgetary and contractor students (Fig. 5b).
15
30 45 Relative number, % 60 75 0 15
30 45 60 Relative number, % Fig. 5. Distribution of willingness to pay money for English-language learning by faculties (a) and by forms of education (b) On average, about 43% of all English-speaking students are ready to introduce English-language training on a contractual basis (Fig. 5a). This indicator varies from 60% (Faculty of EL) to 25% (Faculty of FI) for different faculties.
It is not surprising that the number of students who approve of paid Englishlanguage studies is much higher among those who study on a contract basis (Fig. 5b). The difference between the contractual and budgetary students is almost four times for the Faculty of Design and is only 30% for Faculty of Entrepreneurship & Law. For other faculties, this difference is stably on a level of 2-2.5.
b
3.2
Figure 6 illustrates some results of the study of learning preferences for students of different specialities at KNUTD. A good coincidence of learning preferences is observed between Ukrainian students studied pharmacy and chemistry at the KNUTD (Fig. 6a). Students are mainly characterised by active (71-73% of all students), sensing (82-83%), visual (78-81%) and sequential (64-71%) styles.
All these indicators are typical for students of the natural fields of studies [
On the other hand, a significant difference exists between the profiles of Ukrainian design and technology students of the KNUTD and Chinese technology students of the Kyiv College at Jinan (Fig. 6b). The domination of visual style over verbal style (85% vs 15%) and moderate prevalence of active and sequential styles (65% vs 35%) compared to ref and glo styles, respectively, are typical for Ukrainian students. In contrast, Chinese students are significantly more verbal (36% verbal students compared to 64% visual) compared to Ukrainian students of similar specialities (15% verbal vs 85% visual). They are also a bit more reflective: 44% and 56% of Chinese students at Kyiv College are reflective and active, respectively (Fig. 6b). In comparison, the same results for Ukrainian students are 35% and 65% (Fig. 6a).
In dimensions seq-glo and sen-int, the measured difference between Chinese and Ukrainian students is minimal; it never exceeds 5%.
In general, students specialised in technology exhibit a more balanced profile of learning preferences compared to students of natural fields of study.
From a practical point of view, the identified difference in learning preferences must be taken into account. In particular, when developing educational materials and organising the English-language training for students of Ukraine and China. Such an adjustment can be made using the existing MEEP system. The flexibility and sensitiveness of this system will be partly verified in the following paper section. 3.3
Access to e-resources within the existing learning environment
Another aspect that requires research in the context of English-language learning is
the adaptability of the existing electronic environment to the changes that are needed.
One such change is the need to provide students with English-language learning
materials. Such a task cannot be solved within the traditional approach, which relies
solely on printed matters but requires the involvement of several e-resources. It
should also be remembered that the effectiveness of the use of e-resources depends on
consistency with the preferred learning styles [
Therefore, it is of interest to study the characteristics of existing e-resources, organise access to them within the existing MEEP system, and the popularity of various resources among students. The existing MEEP system allows one to study resource demand and the ease of access to it by examining the number of resource requests over several years of study.
As an example, the characteristics of e-resources used in the teaching of a few special subjects at the Department of Professional Education in Technologies and Design (Faculty of Fashion Industry) were investigated over the last three years.
The full and short names of the disciplines are as follows: imagology and the basics of engineering and pedagogical creativity; communicative processes in pedagogical activity; professional training methods; professional pedagogy; creative technologies of teaching.
The results of the study are shown in Fig. 7.
140 120 re100 b m u n80 s s e cc60 a e itv40 a l e R20 0 a
Imagology Communicative processes Professional training methods 27 24 s ce21 c e cc18 a fo15 rbe12 um9 n ive 6 t lea 3 R 0 b
2017 2018 Year of study 2019
Resources
Fig. 7. The number accesses, normalised to the number of students, to available e-resources of the Department of Professional Education in Technologies and Design: a – average yearly accesses to all resources of the discipline; b – average yearly accesses to some individual resources of various disciplines
Figure 7a illustrates the dynamics of data retrievals for all resources available for each of the three randomly selected disciplines since their publishing in the MEEP system. Two findings are apparent. First, the average number of data retrievals is increasing, which indicates a growing demand for resources. Second, the figures for different disciplines are noticeably different. Among the reasons may be the varying resource numbers and quality, compliance with prevailing learning styles, the particularities of teaching discipline, etc. In any case, more research is necessary to answer the question definitively.
Figure 7b illustrates the frequency of accesses to individual resources averaged throughout 2017-2019. Some less popular resources, such as training programs, materials for practical and independent work, control issues, recommended literature lists, etc., are excluded from the analysis. Some resources have been merged. For example, lectures include lecture notes, e-books & presentations, and dedicated videos. The results obtained are also characterised by high data divergence. However, in general, they indicate the popularity and high demand for available resources. 4
An analysis of the results obtained indicates the availability of a sufficient resource for those wishing to organise English-language training. Such a conclusion is based on the following identified facts. 1. 90% of students studied English at school. 2. Among them, 30% of students have a sufficient level of knowledge, such as levels
B and C, according to CEFR. 3. Up to 60% more can relatively easily and quickly reach the required level. These students must improve their proficiency from level A to level B. 4. About two-thirds of those who study English are interested in introducing Englishlanguage instruction. Despite some variability of the results, in general, the indicators of KNTUD are quite homogeneous in faculties and courses. 5. The motivation for English-language training is primarily connected with the opinion that such training will contribute to career growth. 6. Language proficiency influences the priority model of learning. The faculties, where students have better knowledge on average, do not deny more radical models of English-language teaching. A more cautious attitude towards different models of learning prevails at faculties where knowledge is weaker than in others. 7. The fact that about 43% of the number of students consider English language teaching on a contract basis is significant. More loyal to this model were students of the contract form of study. Among them, the number of students who agree to pay tuition is 1.5-4 times higher than among budgetary students.
The understanding of learning preferences is a prerequisite for the efficient use of
ICTs in education [
Students with a distinct visual learning style better remember for what they see pictures, diagrams, flowcharts, graphs, movies and visual demonstrations. Verbal students are more likely to receive information in the form of words - written and oral explanations. The optimal pedagogical approach to the organisation of training, as well as the optimal teaching methods, should be different for students with different preferences. Only those e-resources, which are qualified for the use in teaching students with preferred visual and verbal learning styles, are shown in Table 2.
Integrating aspects of styles, and selecting e-resources and teaching methods allow one to change the teaching methodology, focusing on the characteristics of students. The main stages of the developed approach are as follows: ─ the development of a training and work program, and the establishment of objectives of the study of a discipline; ─ investigation of the composition of a student group by Felder-Soloman’s model; ─ selection of teaching methods and essential electronic resources according. The optimal methodology seeks to balance teaching and learning styles rather than to achieve absolute consistency between each lecturer’s action and students’ learning preferences. The discomfort should not be significant when students work according to a method that does not fit their learning styles. However, some discomfort is necessary for the formation of knowledge and qualifications of a future specialist. Entirely consistent with student’s learning preferences, teaching methods do not create conditions for their progress.
The results show that the existing MEED system allows ones to operate effectively with e-resources and organise access of students to information regardless of the language of study. The fullness of e-resources in demand is a critical requirement in creating conditions for efficient English-language training. 5
A survey of 1,414 students of KNUTD showed the existing high demand for Englishlanguage education. 59% of all students surveyed or 66% of those who studied English in school expressed interest in English-language learning.
The demand for English-language teaching is supported by a reasonably high level of language proficiency. Of the 1,414 students, about 90% studied English at school. The survey showed that out of this amount, approximately 30% possess knowledge at level B or C, which is sufficient to accept training materials in English. About 59% show knowledge at level A, which requires some improvement but simultaneously can be considered as a basis for improvement which, if desired, can be amended quite quickly. Only 11% are feeble in English.
The motivation for English-language training is primarily connected with the opinion that such training will contribute to career growth. The second most important motivating factor is studying abroad or in graduate school.
The basis for organising English-language training should be considered the readiness of approximately 44% of students to participate in programs on a paid basis. This figure is lower among budgetary students and, depending on the faculty, is 1.3-4 times higher for students of contracted forms of education.
Among the proposed forms of training, the easiest one prevails over others, when training begins with teaching 1-2 disciplines in English. This form dominates in those faculties where students show a lower level of English. At the faculties, where the level of knowledge is high, there are no noticeable preferences among the forms of training. In essence, approximately the same percentage of students are ready for a complete transition to English, as well as for various forms of partial study.
The understanding of learning preferences is a prerequisite for the efficient use of ICTs in education. Therefore, the identified difference in learning preferences, illustrated by the example of teaching Ukrainian and Chinese students, must be taken into account when developing educational materials.
The readiness of the existing learning environment was tested by analysing the organisation of access to English-language teaching materials, assessing the demand for different electronic resources. The results show that the existing MEED system allows ones to operate effectively with e-resources and organise access of students to information regardless of the language of study. The fullness of e-resources in demand is a critical requirement in creating conditions for efficient English-language training.