Source
Kut Bilim newspaper: http://kutbilim.kg/2020/04/20/tsifrovizatsiya-v-obrazovatelnoj-deyatelnosti-vzglyad-iznutri/
Transition to distance learning
At the Kyrgyz Aviation Institute named after I. Abdraimov, in accordance with the decision of the Security Council and the relevant order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, from 16 March 2020 the educational process has been conducted on a remote basis. One month of remote work has shown that the institute's staff were able to organise and carry out the educational process at a rather high level.
Role of AVN in the educational process
According to the institute director Ulan Kurmanov, decisive and targeted measures, genuine reforms and the expansion of information and communication technologies in the operational process played a key role in implementing this matter. A fundamental support was the concept and action plan for the introduction of the AVN information platform into the educational process, adopted several years ago.
At the Aviation Institute the educational process is conducted using the AVN information system in the educational portal: www.avn.kai.kg. The portal contains for each subject teaching and methodological kits, syllabi, lecture notes, methodological guidelines, electronic textbooks and test questions. Every student registered on the portal has access to the provided materials and can communicate with the lecturer for the subject. In addition, teachers use all available communication tools: Zoom, WhatsApp, Google, etc.
Organisation and control
Today the Institute's team has organised a full-fledged remote process: there is a full exchange of materials and data between lecturers and students, attendance is monitored at each lesson, and current and milestone assessments are held.
Each lesson conducted in real time is monitored by the academic administration; attendance and communication between students and teachers are recorded on the portal.
Communications and support
Weekly, the director of the Aviation Institute U. E. Kurmanov holds meetings with the institute administration, heads of units, lecturers and group representatives via the "VKS Megacom" video-conference platform and Zoom, where distance learning issues are discussed. These platforms are also regularly used to conduct training for lecturers to provide methodological support in remote teaching.
At present, full remote education involves over teachers. Internet connections with all learners have been established. For continuous contact between students and lecturers, WhatsApp groups have been created, which allows monitoring the learning process and responding promptly to students' questions. The administration, academic office and tutors remain in contact with students and lecturers and support the continuity of the educational process.
With the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science, an agreement has been reached between the institute and the company "Megacom" to connect the institute's teaching staff to the "Distance Education" project, providing a bonus package (6 GB of free internet traffic, 4000 minutes of in-network calls, 40 minutes of out-of-network calls). Negotiations are underway with Megacom about possible provision of free access for students to the sites and platforms used to organise the educational process. Similar work is being carried out with other mobile operators, says the director.
Student initiatives
Students and the institute's academic staff have actively joined the Ministry of Education and Science initiative "We Read Together" and hold events on social networks and messengers. Students have also prepared social videos "Stay Home", "We Read Together", "75 Years of the Great Victory" and others, which are published on the Kyrgyz Aviation Institute's YouTube channel.
Gulnara Alybaeva.
20.04.2020.