ROLE OF TRAINING TESTS LMS MOODLE IN TEACHING STUDENTS OF LINGUISTIC PROFILE

摘要

The article analyses the experience of applying training test assignments in the virtual learning environment MOODLE as a means of developing the English language linguistic competency of would-be teachers minoring in English. The necessity of using test assignments in the course of "English Language Practice" is caused by the current tendency of reducing contact hours and the corresponding increase of the role of students’ independent out-of-class work. According to the results of the trial instruction with the application of the test assignments, it was found out that the score for student achievement in modular lexical and grammatical tests increased by an average of 13.41% compared with a similar period when such tests were not used. The results of the survey conducted to discover the students’ attitude to the application of test assignments are also positive. The obtained data confirm that using the MOODLE platform from a technical point of view is not a problem for the vast majority of students. Respondents consider the usage of such assignments to be beneficial as it helps them learn more effectively, makes learning easier and more interesting, motivates them to work at their language skills. In the opinion of the students the most effective are the following types of test assignments: paraphrasing using active vocabulary, filling in the gaps with appropriate lexical units or grammatical structures, choice of the correct grammatical structure or lexical unit from the given variants and error correction. It is noted that the application of MOODLE tools in the educational process fosters students’ responsibility for the quality of their learning and develops learner autonomy. It is pointed out that using the platform doesn’t require special programming skills of the teachers, it saves their time on monitoring independent students’ work through automated testing and evaluation of test assignments, provides detailed information about the performance of assignments by both individual students and the whole group, and gives possibility to arrange immediate effective feedback.