Modernity offers us two formats of education: classical and online. Both are popular, but not ideal. We tried to understand the pros and cons of each of them and derive a formula for effective training.
1(Classic training β two-hour lectures β deadlines, binding to place and time) + 2(online training β zero feedback) + 3(online submission of material + individual mentoring + practice in the laboratory) = ?
1. We took the good old classics as a basis. Classical training is well known. It is a set of theoretical lectures and practical exercises that are available to all students. The format is familiar to most, familiar and beyond doubt. The rules of the game are known at the start: the student knows exactly the start and end dates of the course, the place and time of the classes, clear deadlines for completing practical tasks. Everything is transparent and fixed.
The disadvantages of the classical approach, which we tried to minimize, are also well known:
- Lack of flexible logistics. If the place determined by the lecturer is inconvenient for you in terms of location or the time of the training does not suit you, you will not be able to influence it.
- No second chance. If for some reason you are unable to attend at least one lecture from the course, you lose this part of the knowledge. You will not be able to reschedule the class, you will have to choose between personal time and the quality of training.
- The severity of deadlines. If you registered for the training before everyone else, you still have to wait for the official start and the full set of the group. If you do not have time to turn in practical assignments by a certain deadline, you lose the chance to successfully complete the course.
- Diffusion of attention. For 1.5-3 hours of a lecture, a huge amount of new information falls on the listener, which is difficult to digest, even if the lecturer is as charismatic as possible. Research by The Catholic University, Washington proves that a student is distracted as early as 30 seconds after class starts. For 50 minutes of a lecture, only 10-20 minutes of activity and attention come out.
2. The second component of our training is online training. In the vast majority, it is not limited by deadlines and the size of the audience, it is not tied to a specific place and format. It gives you maximum flexibility in terms of time and volume of consumption of educational material: you can watch the video at your convenience and from any medium, as well as view the material an unlimited number of times.
Sounds like a more effective learning concept? In fact, online has its serious disadvantages:
- Too much variety. The online space hosts a huge number of courses, such a volume makes it difficult to search and misleads the user. A person is lost and either cannot choose a specific training at all, or comes across a low-quality one and quits the training without really understanding anything.
- Lack of feedback. Online training involves independent work, which is very difficult for students with a minimum level of training. The participant of the training cannot understand whether he is moving in the right direction, and there is no one to ask questions.
- No deadlines. The main plus can turn into the biggest disadvantage. The lack of framework gives the listener freedom, but releases from responsibility for the result. He has the opportunity to postpone training indefinitely and never complete the training.
3. As a result, we created a format that combines the benefits of each of the learning approaches and is complemented by live communication and practice. We used new submission form. Instead of the classic one and a half / two hour live lectures or video recordings of webinars the training module consists of a series of short videos lasting 5-10 minutes. The timing of the video material was calculated based on the empirical research of the MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The videos are combined with tests and practical tasks.
The purpose of one module is to solve a practical task. The videos will provide the listener with the necessary theoretical base, and the tests will help to figure out how fully the information was assimilated. The student can choose convenient time and place of studyand adjust the dynamics of the course for yourself. In the module, it is possible to skip already familiar information or to study completely new information in more depth.
We added live communication to the training β a general chat in which trainees can ask their questions and help each other. The teacher or facilitator guides the group if they cannot find the correct answer themselves. When the basics are completed, the process enters individual code review. Each major module is discussed individually by the training participant in the company's office with one of our engineers.
At the end of this stage, we select the best listeners and invite them to practice in the laboratory. This is where we form teams, identify a team mentor, and place students in EPAM operating conditions, that is, we give projects as close to reality as possible and set realistic deadlines. Waiting for those who make it job offer from company.
1(Classic training β two-hour lectures β deadlines, binding to place and time) + 2(online training - zero feedback) + 3 (innovative presentation of material + individual mentoring + practice in the laboratory) = blended training
As a result, we get a hybrid, better known as blended format. It is little studied and not yet very popular, as it is associated with experiments and risks. We take these risks consciously in order to use the time for training a specialist as efficiently as possible, without losing the quality of the content of the course. You can check how we succeeded - some courses are already available on Eg .
Source: habr.com