Humanities & Social Sciences, Vol 8, No 11 (2015)

On Problems of Cloud Computing Application to Organize Online Learning in Higher Education

Tatiana Borisovna Makarova, Dmitry Andreevich Makarov

Abstract


Application of advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) allows not only to improve the quality of  education process but provides the teachers with completely new forms and possibilities of  knowledge representation not possible  when traditional methods of teaching are used. Nowadays, online learning is considered to be the most striking example of providing convergence of traditional and new potential methods of organizing educational process. Learning Management System (LMS) is considered to act as a specific platform online learning is based upon providing the possibilities for e-learning resources creation, adapted  for online learning, integration of advanced forms of content presentation, interactive work, and educational content consolidation together with software related. The most effective way to organize LMS support in the current context is cloud computing application. The LMS is realized as cloud server providing the ability to scale the system depending on the increased number of users,  centralized content storage and management.  Access to the LMS can be made anywhere in the world,  at any  time, this allowing for  easy development of  individual educational curricula, thereby increasing the quality of education. In this respect, the LMS system is very convenient  for teachers’ collaboration work within  on-line learning process when they work with different institution and in different places.

Cloud computing is undoubtedly a noteworthy approach to the organization of online learning, possessing  a number of important advantages. This approach appears to have a potentially large scope of application.