UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL: ENHANCING ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR FUTURE EDUCATORS

Abstract. Students are often skeptical about online learning due to the desire to get a sense of traditional learning. To solve this problem, it is necessary to understand the needs of students, increase the frequency of interaction in the classroom and increase motivation to learn. With the advent and development of information technology, global changes and innovations have occurred in all spheres of society, not excluding the field of education. It is the introduction of online technologies into the educational process as a promising direction that represents one of the significant phenomena of informatization of society. The experimental base of the research includes the training of students of philology, future teachers of English, at the Eurasian National University (ENU).

Keywords: Online collaboration, teaching methods, speaking skills, foreign language learning, Internet technologies, educational innovation.

The use of the latest information technologies in online collaboration learning creates conditions for effective learning management based on the ability to collect and analyze more information about the progress of students [1]. This significantly expands the horizons of affordable education, especially for those who, for various reasons, cannot participate in full-time education.

Modern information technologies provide students with access to an unlimited number of sources of knowledge. From computer training programs to electronic learning materials and video tutorials, online collaboration learning opens up a world of diverse and modern educational resources for students. Tools such as computer systems for testing, audio and video materials enrich the learning process, making it more online collaboration and exciting [2]. Learning in a comfortable environment, without a doubt, contributes to better assimilation of the material and reduces emotional stress, which is an important factor in a successful educational process. At the same time, online collaboration learning encourages teachers to constantly develop themselves and adapt their methods to new educational realities.

Online collaboration learning, based on online collaboration, is a dynamically developing educational practice, which began in 1728 with the use of letters for educational purposes [3]. Over time and the development of communication technologies, online collaboration learning opportunities have expanded significantly, reaching their peak with the advent of the Internet, which today provides limitless educational resources and ways of communication, overcoming geographical and time barriers.

It is important to distinguish the concepts of online education and online learning as two stages of the development of e-education, emphasizing the difference between mixed and synchronous teaching methods. Online learning, which is limited only to the exchange of information, does not cover all aspects of online education.

Teachers play a key role in the process of online education, choosing the most appropriate learning model in accordance with the needs of students and collecting effective electronic resources. An important aspect of learning is to maintain students' learning motivation, develop their professional and online collaboration skills [4]. The optimization of online classes should take into account the experience of students in traditional classrooms, offering a learning environment and methods that meet their needs, which contributes to increased attention and involvement in the learning process.

Thus, online collaboration opens up new horizons in the development of oral speech skills, providing students not only access to a wide range of educational resources, but also the opportunity to actively interact and work together regardless of their location. It becomes a powerful tool in the hands of teachers to create effective and motivating educational programs that promote the comprehensive development and improvement of students' oral speech skills.

Online foreign language teaching actively combines traditional techniques with modern online collaboration technologies, computer networks, databases and other advanced tools. In the modern world, where the demand for knowledge is constantly growing against the background of increased competition, online collaboration learning systems for foreign languages are becoming increasingly popular as an innovative form of education. The use of Internet technologies and modern equipment for online collaboration learning continues to improve, expanding the boundaries of affordable education.

Modern methods of teaching oral speech imply two types of speech activity: speaking and listening. Mastering listening skills helps to consciously understand the interlocutor's speech by ear, which is an important component in the communication process, as well as to correctly respond to information received from the interlocutor. One of the main components of oral foreign language speech is speaking, which includes monologue and dialogic speech [5]. These two forms of speaking are different and different from each other. Monologue speech is a more complex form, implying the possession of appropriate skills with which the student can compose and reproduce a complete, logical and coherent text that corresponds to the norms of the language. The characteristics of a monologue include unfoldment, continuity, consistency, consistency and semantic completeness. The formation of monologue speech implies the ability to correctly express a thought, develop statements and argue the meaning.

However, distance learners face a number of obstacles to achieving educational goals, including a lack of skills and structured knowledge. Key problems, such as insufficient student abilities, inadequate teaching quality, imperfection of the educational base and management of educational institutions, make it difficult to develop education in English. These factors require significant improvements in online classroom management, the use of learning resources, and the development of students' self-learning abilities.

To solve these problems, an integrated approach is needed, including the adaptation of curricula to the needs of students, the active use of online resources and the development of online collaboration skills among students. It is also important to take into account the individual differences of students in the ability to acquire knowledge, use language and thinking.

As part of the practical work carried out at the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, online foreign language training was organized in order to study and optimize online courses. The study included an analysis of the initial level of students' knowledge, the development of a training plan and conducting a survey to assess academic performance. The experimental base of the study was organized using the Microsoft Teams online learning platform, where an internship was held with the participation of students of the Philological Faculty of the L.N. Gumilev Eurasian National University. During the internship, an experimental group of 21 students was created who studied English and translation as part of their specialization, including architecture, chemistry, materials science and energy.

The main objectives of the practice were:

• analysis of the structure of classes and learning models;
• assessment of the level of knowledge of students, their habits and individual study programs;
• development and organization of exercises, checking the completion of homework;
• providing methodological recommendations and scientific advice to students.

For comparison, a control group was created, also consisting of 21 students, whose training took place in a traditional format without the active use of online platforms. This made it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of online practice in the context of developing oral English skills.

Figure 1. Online Educational Practice Session on Microsoft Teams

Figure 2. Interactive Online Learning Activity for English Philology Students

The photo provided by you displays an interactive element of practice, which can be described as one of the moments of online student learning through the Microsoft Teams platform, where a variety of visual and didactic materials are used to enrich the learning process and improve interaction between students.

Table 1.

Results of preliminary testing by components of oral speech

To analyze the results of preliminary testing of the level of conversational skills, let's assume that the following components of speaking skills were evaluated: pronunciation, accent, intonation, pauses, grammatical correctness and vocabulary. As part of the preliminary test, these components were evaluated in students before the introduction of the online collaboration method into the learning process.

In the preliminary test, we focus on evaluating such components of speaking skills as pronunciation, accent, intonation, pauses, grammatical correctness and vocabulary. It is assumed that these components were evaluated in the control and experimental groups before the introduction of online learning methods. Based on the expected results of the preliminary testing, the following conclusions can be drawn:

- Pronunciation does not reach a high level in both groups, which indicates the need to integrate pronunciation exercises into the learning process. This can include both working with phonetic exercises and practicing pronunciation in context.

- Low accent scores in the control group emphasize the importance of teacher feedback and the use of audiovisual materials to correct the accent.

- The average intonation scores in both groups indicate that students have some understanding of intonation models, but additional practice is required to improve them.

- Relatively high marks for the use of pauses indicate that students are able to structure their speech, but they may need a deeper understanding of how to effectively use pauses to emphasize an idea or transition between parts of speech.

- Indicators in both groups indicate a basic level of proficiency in grammar and vocabulary. It is important to integrate vocabulary expansion tasks and grammar exercises aimed at correcting typical mistakes into the educational process.

Thanks to the implementation of the developed methodology, online collaboration learning has a positive effect on the activities of students, their organizational and independent cognitive activities, as well as on the implementation of initiatives and interests, but the conditions introduced are educational. The process, that is, the imperfect ability to type on an insufficient number of computers and keyboards, is an obstacle to the most effective organization of the educational process. In this regard, it is clear that in order to organize successful work on the Internet, it is necessary to conduct a course of updating technical knowledge before using a particular technique. His goal is to develop skills and abilities. Use the necessary computer programs and network resources. However, as a result of practical research, we are convinced that the use of Internet technologies can make the process of learning English effective. This is due to the following characteristics: Interactivity is the main focus of online courses, allowing students to respond to every educational action not only from teachers and classmates, but also from other Internet users. Interactivity includes the transition from a regular classroom to a virtual world, excursions, communication with people through Internet conferences, modeling the situation of written and oral communication, expanding the use of English, active communication between students, creates a novelty of the situation, for example, stimulation.

Table 2.

Results of post-testing on the components of speaking skills

According to the results of post-testing, the experimental group shows a noticeable improvement in all components of the speaking ability. This improvement may be due to the effectiveness of the online learning methods used and the attention paid to the practice of oral speech. Pronunciation and intonation have improved through systematic exercises and the use of interactive resources. Accents and pauses have also improved, which may be the result of imitation by native speakers and conscious practice. The grammar and vocabulary of the experimental group showed the greatest improvement. This may be due to the integration of feedback and the active use of new words in the context of real communication.

In general, the increase in the average score in the experimental group on the post-test confirms the positive impact of innovative online learning methods on the development of students' conversational skills. Improving language proficiency and fluency reflects increased work on an integrated learning approach that takes into account all aspects of language competence. The problem of organizing online collaboration learning is complex and multifaceted. This form of interaction of participants in the educational process assumes that all participants have a high-quality Internet connection at the same time. This condition is necessary for objective reasons, but includes the efforts of both participants in the educational process and the educational institution. The University guarantees the operation of the learning platform. The quality of the Internet often depends on the work of providers in different parts of the country.

Figure 3. Improvement in the components of oral speech as a percentage comparing pre-testing and post-testing results

This technical problem reduced the quality of teacher-student interaction and wasted time on technical problems and reconnections for no reason. Students say that webinars are the least productive work when learning a foreign language. Websites should also support the possibility of live and direct communication in the communication-oriented learning process. However, students call the lack of such interaction the main disadvantage of online collaboration learning formats. This paradox is optimal and effective for webinars, taking into account the possible technical problems of organizing educational exchanges necessary for the development of oral speech skills in the context of a communicative-oriented process of teaching a foreign language at a university, which indicates the need to develop methodological recommendations for practical application. Summarizing the above, it is important to note that in modern life, the computer is becoming the most important mass universal tool for working in all spheres of life, in particular, when working with information. Modern online collaboration computer programs provide access to work with sounds, texts, images, as well as video materials in a new way. The Kazakh education system is currently not fully developed in this direction, therefore, representatives of the education sector and methodologists will need to modernize traditional approaches in the near future to achieve positive results, taking into account the active spread of new information technologies. The need for autonomy is the basic need advocated by the theory of self-determination. When satisfying the need for autonomy, students show a desire for self-realization in the profession. "The lack of autonomy is especially painful for competent and highly specialized specialists." It is also worth noting that motivated, interested, active and strong students understand the importance of their academic activities.