Problems of information security in the system of distance education
Distance learning is not a new phenomenon. For many years, distance learning
has been widespread. One of the newest trends is educational television, but,
nevertheless, it has decades of experience. We are currently experiencing a "virtual
fever" (some might call it a "gold rush") of distance learning due to the advent of the
Internet. This article will look at why this happens.
Wand over the past few years, the increased popularity of Web technologies,
as well as free access to the Internet via modem communication, have significantly
influenced the increase in the number of Internet users.
Thanks to the Internet, we can enjoy direct access to various multimedia
resources around the world, as if we were browsing pages stored on our own
computer in hypertext format. The potential of Web technologies inevitably attracts
educators all over the world, as these technologies allow the integration of
educational resources scattered around the world into something similar to "tailormade" multimedia databases created for their own educational purposes.
The Internet, the necessary means of communication and computer
technology make computer learning more interesting. There are more and more new
projects and inventions in this area of using the Internet. Therefore, it is useful to
provide a brief overview of some important types of educational systems based on
the use of computers.
The first of all known inventions is "Internet Books". Preparation of electronic
versions of lecture notes and books is the easiest and fastest way to the Internet. In
this case, no special programming knowledge is required at all, there is no need to
know Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or JAVA. Auxiliary programs allow
you to export everything you need from almost any text editor to HTML.
Developers of educational programs for children realized a long time ago that
computer games are much more interesting than studying. Teaching children,
combined with a fun game in which children go through several levels of difficulty,
seemed to solve all the problems. The students' attention is concentrated, there is a
high efficiency of teaching, reaction training ... - this list can be easily continued.
But the game model is not acceptable in all areas of education, its use is limited to a
certain group of users - children.
Also, in connection with the rapid development of modern technologies,
training systems based on Web technologies have become very popular. Since the
Internet is available to everyone in the world, regardless of time and location, the
use of such systems does not require expensive equipment.
A personal computer with almost any operating system, a Web browser, a
modem, and a telephone connection allow you to access the Internet and, therefore,
learn through the Internet. Web-based learning systems are asynchronous, so they
do not require the simultaneous presence of a teacher and students. Prepared lectures
are transmitted over the network.
The frontend is most often created in HTML and enhanced with Java,
Javascript, or Dynamic HTML. But there are some barriers and traps that inevitably
appear when learning via the Internet. At the same time, we often take a step back
because of simply emotional judgments in the media or opinions based on poor
knowledge of the issue. This article describes the trends in the development of
distance learning via the Internet and an attempt is made to reveal all the pros and
cons of distance learning today.
There are three reasons for the huge interest in distance learning via the
Internet.
The first is that there is a need for simple, reliable information.
The second is that the technologies to meet these needs already exist and will
only improve in the future.
And the third reason is that all fields of activity are considering distance
learning as an important new market and, therefore, a business opportunity.
At present, with the possibility of implementing a good quality of
communication, this is no longer enough. Everyone would really like distance
education to be a "virtual classroom" consisting of students and teaching staff
geographically located far from each other, even in different countries.
In the future, distance learning courses could be run by a whole team of
specialists, for example, one teacher could plan and organize the course, a second
"lecture" lectures, a third ensure the relationship between students, a fourth evaluate
the efforts of students. Microprocessor-based means could assist students and their
teachers in the development of individual distance learning courses, consisting of a
certain sequence of small "learning modules".
Teachers would control entry into the curriculum, learning materials such as
slides or multimedia presentations, launch browsers on students' computers, and
what the teacher needs for the learning process, such as bulletin boards, libraries,
and finally the students themselves. The teacher would give lectures (audio) directly
through the Internet. Students would attract the attention of teachers with an
electronic "raise of the hand".
Most of these ideas may be implemented in the near future. In the meantime,
we can say with confidence that distance learning via the Internet is in demand today
and, therefore, will develop rapidly. Indeed, for its development now there are all
the possibilities, both technically and intellectually. Well, when a person has a
certain goal, and additional knowledge is needed to achieve it, then they can be
obtained not only in traditional ways, but also through distance learning via the
Internet. And this knowledge will be no worse, if not better than those that students
who study, for example, in any full-time educational institution, will receive.
The International Commission of UNESCO defines two main principles of
modern education: "education for all" and "learning throughout life". These
principles are undoubtedly correct, but in the harsh Russian conditions and under the
influence of stereotypes, several problems arise.
1) The problem of uneven population density in Russia. The vast majority of
higher education institutions and highly qualified teachers are concentrated in the
Central region (Moscow and St. Petersburg regions), and the population is dispersed
throughout the vast country, where, sometimes, there are no universities at all.
Admission to a university in another city costs a lot of money, so it is often
unacceptable.
And what about the existence of a need for advanced training and education
of workers living in remote regions? They, among other things, often have families,
and moving to another city means a lot of significant problems for them.
2) The problem of time. Today, the pace of life of most modern people forces
them to schedule their time by the minute. Everyone needs to learn, but how? And
even such forms of education as evening and Sunday do not solve this problem.
3) The problem of money. It is not worth talking about how much education,
especially higher education, costs now. And there is also preparation for admission
with a lot of tutors and a lot of other expenses! The competition for budget places is
very difficult to withstand, but few people can “pull” paid education.
Distance education is a compromise for all of the above problems. What is it?
Based on the foregoing, this is distance learning, i.e. at a distance, when the teacher
(tutor) and the student can be at any distance from each other. Educational materials
are provided via the Internet, and almost all training is carried out using new
technologies.
It is they who provide general accessibility and low cost of distance education,
providing opportunities to get an education without moving to another city.
The development of distance education has appeared due to modern
achievements in the development of technology, media and communications, etc. It
uses such achievements as computer and information technologies, educational
television, satellite communication systems, distribution of computer educational
programs, video disks with them, etc.
There are three types of distance technologies used in the learning process.
The first type is paper-based case technology. These are, first of all, teaching
aids, called workbooks, which are accompanied by a tutor. The tutor maintains
telephone, postal and other communication with students, and can also meet directly
with students at counseling centers or training centers.
The second technology is television-satellite. It is very expensive and is still
little used. Its main drawback is weak interactivity, that is, feedback. And, finally,
the third technology is online learning, or network technology. Most often, in the
process of distance learning, all of the above technologies are used in different
proportions.
Distance education takes its development in Europe and the USA in the early
70s. The reasons for the spread and emergence of this type of education are simple:
every person who wants to get an education, regardless of their demographic
characteristics and location, can study and get a diploma from any university.
Most educators believe that distance education is very promising, as it suits
many people and costs significantly less than traditional education. In addition, you
can exclude certain disciplines if you have already passed them, i.e. receive
"education on demand", which also provides some advantages in price. Naturally,
this type of training, like others, has its pros and cons in obtaining and mastering the
material. If you are inclined towards this option of education, then you should
remember the following:
The advantages of distance education include:
Learning disciplines at an individual pace - the speed of studying materials is
set by the student himself, depending on his personal circumstances and desires.
Freedom and flexibility of study - the student can choose any of the numerous
courses of study provided to choose from, as well as completely independently
calculate the time and duration of their studies.
Availability of education for any person - regardless of your geographical and
temporal location, you can get education remotely at any university that supports
these technologies, which allows you to meet the educational needs of any person.
The speed of communication - the effective implementation of feedback
between the teacher and the student is an integral element of the learning process.
Manufacturability of the educational process - the use of the latest
achievements and discoveries of information and telecommunication technologies
in the learning process.
Social equality - implies equal opportunities to receive distance education,
regardless of the place of residence, state of health, nationality and material
condition of the student.
Creativity - favorable conditions for the student's creative self-expression in
the process of learning. But there are obvious downsides:
Lack of real, "human" communication between students and teachers. That is,
there are no all those moments associated with an individual approach to training
and education. And if there is no teacher nearby, who usually emotionally colors
knowledge and contributes to the perception of the material, this, of course, is a
significant minus.
A number of individual psychological conditions are absent in home
schooling. To receive distance education, regular rigid self-discipline is necessary,
and the result of training directly depends on the independence, abilities and selfawareness of the student.
· You need constant access to sources of educational materials (electronic
textbooks, video materials, etc.). This requires good technical equipment at home,
but not everyone who wants to get an education has a computer and access to the
Internet.
The lack of practical exercises necessary to consolidate the theory and
improve the assimilation of knowledge.
There is no regular control over the student, which for a Russian person is
rather a negative sign. Few people manage to overcome laziness on their own. ·Elearning programs and courses are not always well developed and meet all
international requirements due to insufficient qualifications of specialists who create
such teaching aids, since today this is still a new and insufficiently studied direction.
The main feature of distance learning is interactivity, the ability to use
information and communication technologies to organize the interaction of all
participants in the educational process.
In distance learning, technologies of joint creative activity (project method),
problem role-playing games, case method, various forms of control, both automated
and open types of control, etc. can be used.
A variety of activities, creative tasks, carefully selected links to reliable
sources of Internet resources, as well as interactive forms of communication with
each other and with the teacher, contribute to the effectiveness of the learning
process and the protection of students from negative information on the Internet.
The problem of ensuring information security of the distance learning process
is especially relevant today. As mentioned above, the solution to this problem
depends on many factors: on media education, on the formation of students' critical
thinking, on the professional competence of the teacher, his skill and much more.
One of the conditions for ensuring information security is the training of
teaching staff who own modern pedagogical and information technologies for
organizing the educational process, taking into account the features of distance
learning.
All components of the course influence the information security of a distance
learning course: purpose, objectives, course content, activities, pedagogical
technologies, methods, organizational forms, additional sources, Internet resources,
that is, everything that makes up the information and educational environment of the
course distance learning.
In scientific research, there are various approaches to the definition of
information security. The Doctrine of Information Security of the Russian
Federation provides the following definition: Information security is the state of
protection of the national interests of the Russian Federation in the information
environment, determined by the totality of balanced interests of the individual,
society and the state.
The concept of information security Malykh T.A. understands as a state of
protection of the vital interests of the individual, manifested in the ability to identify
and identify threats to information impact and the ability to compensate for the
negative effects of information impact
7 .
Security is the absence of threats, or the state of being protected from threats.
Information is information (messages) regardless of the form of their presentation.
Information security is the absence of threats from information.
At present, it is important not only to create conditions for information
security of the educational process, both in full-time and distance learning, but also
to form information security at any stage of education, starting from preschool age.
The essence of the formation of human information security is the ability to
identify an information threat; determine the degree of its danger; be able to foresee
the consequences of an information threat and counter them.
Information and educational resources are learning tools based on network
technologies. These include:
- resources in the form of information sources (virtual libraries, museums,
electronic magazines and newspapers, video and audio files);
- educational programs, distance learning courses;
- electronic teaching aids, etc.
Educational resources can be used to teach schoolchildren (students)
individual disciplines or a set of disciplines in a virtual school, a virtual university,
a resource center, as well as in the system of advanced training and teacher training.
The use of Internet resources in the educational process can be carried out in
several directions. First of all, it is their integration into the educational process of
full-time, part-time or part-time education.
In this case, a school teacher or a university teacher integrates Internet
information resources or electronic teaching aids into teaching programs for their
subject, using them in lessons (classes) in person or in the process of preparing for
lessons (classes).
Exploring the problem of e-learning security, V.I. Zuev and E.P. Chirko
(Institute of Social and Humanitarian Knowledge, Kazan) identify the following
threats to the normal functioning of the e-learning system:
- unauthorized access to digital content;
- violation of the integrity and inadequacy of educational resources;
- violation of the normal functioning of services and services;
- violation of the security of testing procedures
4 .
Along with other scientists, they prove that the sources of psychological and
pedagogical risk factors are both the information environment, its resources, and the
person himself, a specific individual. They highlight the risks associated with
students and the risks associated with faculty.
Student risks:
• the risk associated with the inability of the student to maintain the pace of
learning set by the teacher and the electronic system;
• the risk associated with the need for constant student motivation;
• risk associated with inadequate self-esteem and student behavior;
• the risk associated with the inability of the student to establish contact with
the teacher;
• technological risk (high competence of the student in the field of ICT,
software and Web 2.0 services).
Risks associated with the teaching staff:
• risks associated with the competence of teaching staff;
• risks associated with the organization of the educational process;
• risks arising directly in the course of the educational process.
It is necessary to provide in several interdependent areas that affect the quality
of e-learning. The e-learning security model they proposed (see Fig. 1) in the form
of a cube represents three planes, including the environment, resources and people:
1. Wednesday - the World Wide Web; web environment of an organization
or educational institution; personal web environment.
2. Resources - software, information resources, educational resources.
3. People - administration, teachers, students
Information and communication technologies act as learning tools for the
implementation of certain pedagogical technologies.
To ensure the information security of a distance learning course, a network
teacher must be proficient in the methodology of conducting discussions, roleplaying and business games on the network, brainstorming, laboratory work,
electronic lectures, teleconferences, videoconferences, thematic webinars, etc. The
effectiveness of distance learning largely depends on the rational use of pedagogical
and information technologies in the educational process.
Another direction is the use of Internet resources in the educational process of
distance learning. In this case, the educational process is carried out by means of
information and communication technologies, the educational environment is the
Internet, and Internet resources constitute the content of the distance course.
However, a distance learning course can be considered as an independent
educational resource of the Internet, and at the same time, additional materials from
the information and educational resources of the Internet can be included in the
course content.
In this regard, there is a threat of an informational plan, which requires the
developers and teachers of the course to carefully select educational material and
systematically check additional sources for their reliability and relevance. Thus, the
selection of educational material for distance learning is one of the conditions for
ensuring the information security of distance course students.
Ways to solve the problem of information security of the younger generation
lie in the pedagogical field. A teacher who owns pedagogical skills, and,
consequently, pedagogical technologies, is able to organize the educational process
in such a way as to develop information literacy, critical thinking skills, prepare
students' minds to counter the threats of negative information.
In this regard, the problem of information security training, both for students
and teachers, is becoming increasingly relevant in the modern information society.
The system of advanced training and retraining of teaching staff, professional
training of students requires the inclusion of material on information security in the
content of training that meets the criteria for professional orientation.
Teacher training in pedagogical technologies should be combined with
information security training. The professional competence of a distance learning
teacher should be considered taking into account the information security of the
educational process.
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