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Pedagogy and education
Reference:

Features of the Digitalization of the Educational Process in a Sports Higher Education Institutions

Zakharova Akulina E.

ORCID: 0000-0003-4973-8375

PhD in Sociology

Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Senior Researcher, Institute of Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

678670, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk, Petrovsky str., 1

linamestnikova@gmail.com
Other publications by this author
 

 
Alekseeva Galina Gavrilievna

ORCID: 0000-0002-3045-5976

PhD in Sociology

Associate professor, Churapchinsky State Institute of Physical Education and Sports

678671, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), village Churapcha, ul. Sportivnaya, 2a, office 207

g_g_alekseeva@mail.ru
Yavlovskaya Praskovya Egorovna

ORCID: 0000-0002-3904-9069

Senior Lecturer, Department of Sports Training and National Sports, Churapchinsky State Institute of Physical Education and Sports

678671, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), village Churapcha, ul. Sportivnaya, 2a, office 210

yavlovsky@mail.ru

DOI:

10.7256/2454-0676.2022.4.39410

EDN:

ZBPFHH

Received:

15-12-2022


Published:

30-12-2022


Abstract: The article deals with the peculiarities of distance learning organisation in a sport higher education institution during the pandemic. The subject of the study is the process of distance learning organisation in higher education institute during the period of COVID-19 restrictive measures. The Churapchinsky State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport is one of the first higher education institutions located in a rural environment, with more than 90% of its students coming from the heritage and districts of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The specifics of higher education institute imply a large volume of practical training sessions and daily training in selected sports in equipped sports facilities. The distance learning format has made significant adjustments to the content and forms of practical training, in particular student sports training. A total of 320 full-time and part-time students from 7 areas of study took part in the survey. The results revealed the degree of students' readiness for the transition to distance learning, assessment of the possibility of full training for credit-examination session and state final attestation, features of practical training in elective courses of physical education and sports disciplines, the level of satisfaction, advantages and disadvantages in the organization of distance learning in higher education institution. The results of the study can be used to improve the organisation of distance learning in higher education institutions, while maintaining the quality and accessibility of the educational process. The novelty of the study lies in the investigation of the organisation of the distance learning format and the attitudes towards it of the students of a physical education institution located in a rural area. It has been established that the transition of the educational process to a fully distance format in a sports university has intensified the resources of the institute, forcing the use of information technology in training, while revealing certain difficulties.


Keywords:

distance education, students, higher education institution in sports, digitalisation of education, distance learning, sports training, covid-19 pandemic, internet connectivity, physical education, survey

This article is automatically translated. You can find original text of the article here.

The digital transformation of education is due to the introduction of new formats and digital learning tools, determines a new level of organization, administrative and managerial activities and interaction of all participants in the educational process. The epidemiological situation that has developed in recent years has revealed all the potential opportunities, with all the advantages and disadvantages, of distance education. Despite the fact that this form of education has already been introduced into the educational process, it was used in a large-scale and mandatory form for the first time in 2020. According to UNESCO, as of April 15, 2020, the educational process has been changed in universities around the world and 99% of students have switched to distance learning [1]. Since the announcement of the pandemic, universities around the world have been forced to urgently revise management and organization practices.

According to experts, the changes associated with the pandemic are capable of "completely transforming the sphere of higher education, and, as a result, require great attention and response" [4, p.12]. In the context of digitalization of education, Internet access, the material and technical equipment of educational organizations, the availability of communication services, digital educational resources and services are decisive, therefore, special risks in the organization of distance education are found in rural areas.  The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the largest subject of the Russian Federation, with an area of more than 3 million square kilometers, includes three time zones and is characterized by a strong dispersion of settlement in 36 districts. Churapchinsky State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports is the only university in rural areas in Yakutia that implements bachelor's and master's degree programs in seven areas of training. More than 90% of the Institute's students are residents of rural villages and districts of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), therefore, when organizing distance learning, it was necessary to take into account their capabilities and limitations, primarily related to Internet access and time zone differences.

The transition to distance learning while maintaining the quality and accessibility of the educational and scientific process at universities involves taking into account the opinions of both students and teachers, therefore, in early May and November 2020, in order to study the attitude of CHGIFKIS students to the organization of distance education at the university, a standardized questionnaire survey was conducted in online format. 60% of full-time and part-time students took part in the survey.

Students were asked to assess the degree of their own readiness to switch to distance learning on a 5-point scale (see Figure 1).  At the first stage of the study, in May 2020, most students rated their degree of readiness by 3 or higher points.

Figure 1 - Distribution of answers to the question "Assess the degree of your readiness to switch to distance learning?", %

 

         The second stage of the study, conducted in November 2020, showed a decrease in this indicator – the number of students who assessed their readiness for distance learning by 2 points increased by 7.4%.  Perhaps this is due to a more objective assessment of one's own resources and competencies in digital learning, as well as the emergence of some distance learning experience.

When asked about the possibility of full–fledged preparation for the session and the defense of the WRC, respondents' opinions were divided, this situation did not change significantly during the two stages of the study (Fig.2). The majority of respondents (45.4%) believe that they cannot fully prepare, 25.1% chose the "partially" option, 14.9% are confident in their abilities, found it difficult to answer – 14.6%. The results of the answers show that in order to fully master the academic disciplines, contact work with teachers in full-time format is necessary.

Figure 2 - Distribution of answers to the question "Do you think that in the conditions of distance learning you will not be able to fully prepare for the session and the defense of the WRC?", %

 

It should be noted that the first stage of the survey was conducted in the first half of May, during the period of intensive work on the final qualifying works of graduates. According to the results of the state final attestation and protection of the WRC, it can be stated that, despite the difficulties of self-isolation during the pandemic and the increased workload of the teaching staff in connection with the fulfillment of the state task for the implementation of the federal project "Sport is the norm of life" of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the institute successfully conducted the final certification of graduates in all areas of training.

The specifics of a sports university presupposes mandatory training sessions in selected sports. So, in addition to training sessions, students attend 2 training sessions daily during the week. The distance learning form has made its own adjustments in conducting practical classes, in this regard, the changes also affected the sports training of students. To the question "Do you agree that it will be necessary to increase the amount of training after the end of quarantine?" 43% of the surveyed students answered that it will be necessary to increase the amount of training, 18.8% of students disagree with this statement, 38.2% found it difficult to answer (see Fig.3).  

 

Figure 3 - Distribution of answers to the question "Do you agree that it will be necessary to increase the amount of training of physical education and sports students after the end of quarantine?", %

 

A comparison of the responses of respondents received in November 2020 showed an increase in affirmative answers to this question, which shows an increase in motivation and the need of students to increase the volume of training sessions.

Next, an open question was asked about the forms of practical classes in elective courses of physical culture and sports disciplines during the introduction of restrictive measures during the pandemic. The respondents ' responses can be divided into three groups:  1) offline - independent execution of teacher's tasks;  2) online - in real time via the Internet;  3) do not conduct such classes.   The following distribution follows from the responses of students during the start of quarantine in May 2020: 38.6% sometimes train, 36.7% train once a day, 15.8% do not train, only 8.2% noted the option "once a day, as conditions do not allow" (see Fig.4). 

Figure 4 - Distribution of answers to the question "How many times a day do you exercise during quarantine?", %

 

         In November 2020, the survey results showed an increase in the number of students who do not train by 9%, a decrease in the number of students who study once a day by 7%. These data confirm that with distance learning, the number of training loads decreases, which is negatively assessed by students of the physical education direction.

The majority of students are mainly engaged in general physical training (75.6%), only 18.3% perform special physical training. Respondents additionally indicated that they conduct trainings that maintain the overall tone of the body, do not require special sports equipment and are adapted to be carried out at home.    

In order to increase physical activity and motivation to engage in physical culture and sports during the period of forced self-isolation, the students of the Institute developed the project "CHGI-FIT". This project in the format of online training, posted on the institute's website, allows the student to independently monitor the level of their physical activity according to the proposed point system. Each exercise is evaluated by an appropriate score depending on the complexity of its execution.

Distance learning revealed various kinds of technical difficulties associated not only with the personal skills and abilities of students, but also, in general, with the situation of unstable and limited Internet connection in certain districts and settlements of the republic.  The majority of students' problems arose due to the lack of a stable and stable Internet connection (74.5%). In second place in frequency (40.1%) is the absence of Wi–Fi points, most students turn on the "access point" via a mobile phone. Half of the students surveyed (44.4%) had to work via the phone. In addition to the above–mentioned technical difficulties, students noted such options as insufficient level of their own IT competencies, constant power outage, lights in their settlements and lack of mobile communication.

These results correlate with the overall picture of digital inequality in the republic. According to the results of the sociological study "The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and big challenges: social well-being, mobility and adaptation strategies" (n=1365), about half of the respondents (41.5%) are more or less dissatisfied with the quality of Internet communication in their place of residence: 25.5% chose the option "rather dissatisfied", "completely dissatisfied" - 16%, 3.9% of respondents found it difficult to answer this question. Respondents attributed an increase in the time spent on social networks and the Internet in general (31.7%) to one of the most tangible consequences of the pandemic, as well as problems with remote work and study – 26.8%.

The use of information technology requires certain costs for Internet communication. Students were asked to indicate the approximate amount of their personal expenses for this article per month. It was revealed that more than a third of the surveyed students (35.8%) spent from 500 to 1000 rubles on Internet communication, 23% – up to 2000 rubles, 16.6% – from 2000 to 3000 rubles, 8.3% – more than 4000 rubles per month, depending on traffic and the cost of Internet provider services.

As negative aspects of online learning, respondents, first of all, note the lack of direct "live" communication with teachers and coaches (55.5%), an increase in the number of independent tasks (47.4%), they lack institute activities (42%). About half of the respondents noted the difficulty of working all the time on a computer or smartphone (40%), as well as the lack of training sessions (39%). The lack of free time for rest was indicated by 19.7% of students, the same number recognize the insufficient level of their own computer literacy (19.7%). Another negative aspect of distance learning, respondents noted the need for strong motivation to study (12.3%). The students also noted technical difficulties in the organization of distance education – the lack of stable Internet connection, the need to pay for WiFi from their own funds, as well as the fact that there are difficulties with completing tasks.

CHGIFKIS students liked the most about distance learning that there is an opportunity to study from any place (82.6%) and at any time (67.8%). The absence of extracurricular activities was positively assessed by 21.5% of students, almost equally noted the opportunity to work on different educational platforms – 16.7% and individual work with teachers – 17.7%. But there are also 7 respondents who answered that they don't like anything about distance learning.

In general, in the current conditions associated with the pandemic and the emergency transition to distance learning, the majority of students surveyed at the first stage of the study expressed satisfaction with the organization of distance learning at the university: 31% of respondents are "fully", 56.9% are "partially" satisfied, 12.1% of students are not satisfied with the organization (see Fig.5). 

 

Figure 5 - Distribution of answers to the question "Are you satisfied with the organization of distance learning at the university?", %

 

The second stage of the study, conducted in November 2020, showed an increase in students' dissatisfaction with distance learning from 12.1% to 18.4%. These results confirm the difficulties in students' adaptation during the transition to distance education, which is presumably due to a decrease in special physical training, low performance of sports indicators, limited access to stable Internet connection, lack of face-to-face interaction between teachers, coaches and students.

As suggestions for improving the quality of distance learning at the university, students offered such options as improving the quality and speed of Internet communication, providing more time to complete tasks, having a constant whatsapp connection with teachers, increasing the number of online classes, using technically simpler learning applications, timely verification of work by teachers and others .

Based on the results of the study, in order to ensure the quality of education in the distance learning format, the founder, management, teachers, students of the university took the following measures:

- to increase the effectiveness of interaction between teachers, coaches and students, an educational process has been organized with individualization of training, taking into account the difference in time zones within the republic, depending on the areas of residence of students;

- in order to ensure the availability of Internet communication, the university administration provided financial assistance to students to reimburse costs for communication services;

- conditions have been created for students from remote Arctic regions who cannot travel to places of permanent residence where there is no stable Internet connection to live in an isolated university dormitory;

- students' creative activity has been activated: student projects for online training, sports challenges, exercises have been developed and implemented;

- the experience of organizing distance education is successfully used for teaching students during long training camps, competitions, attracting teaching staff from other regions of the country, opportunities for advanced training of teaching staff, conducting scientific and educational events in a hybrid format, etc.

Thus, the forced transition of the educational process of a physical education university to a completely remote format activated the resources of the institute, accelerated the use of information technologies in teaching, revealed the prospects for the digital transformation of the university. The study revealed the features of digitalization of the educational process in a sports university, the advantages and disadvantages in the organization of distance learning in students' assessments, the degree of readiness to switch to distance learning, the specifics of conducting practical classes in elective courses of physical culture and sports disciplines, the dynamics of satisfaction with digital transformation in CHGIFKIS.  Such studies should be conducted regularly in order to receive feedback from students, monitor the dynamics of their opinions and moods, and, based on the data of these surveys, take organizational measures to develop the educational process while maintaining the quality and accessibility of education and scientific activities at the university.

 

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The subject of the research in the article is the specifics of distance learning in a sports university, the advantages and disadvantages of using distance learning technologies in the process of professional training of students of sports profiles. The methodology of the study is not specified by the author. But, based on the content of the article, it can be concluded that both general scientific research methods (analysis, comparison, generalization) and empirical methods were used – questionnaires, methods of mathematical statistics in processing the data obtained, mntod of included observation, generalization of pedagogical experience. A graphical method was used to present the results of the study. The article deals with the actual problem of maintaining the quality of the educational and scientific process in universities in the context of digitalization and the active use of distance learning technologies. The author rightly points out the limitations of their use in sports universities and the insufficient degree of readiness of students to switch to distance learning. The scientific novelty of the research lies in identifying the opinions of students of a sports university about the possibility of using distance learning technologies, measures to improve the effectiveness of interaction between teachers, coaches and students in the context of digitalization of the educational process, as well as in the areas of work considered by the author to improve the quality of distance learning. The style of presentation corresponds to the standards of a scientific publication. The text is logical, has a traditional structure: the introductory part with the formulation of the research problem, the main part with the empirical research data and their interpretation, the final part with conclusions based on the research results are highlighted. We consider it necessary to make some adjustments to the text: - to supplement the analysis of the literature on the research problem, since only No. 4 and No. 4 of the ten sources given in the article were reflected in the text; - to characterize the sample structure more fully - to indicate how many respondents participated in the first and second stages of the survey, from which areas of training, from which courses; - perhaps it is necessary to describe the CHGI-FIT project in more detail in the online training format, thereby enhancing the scientific novelty and methodological significance of the article; - change the word order in the sentence "the epidemiological situation has revealed ...", we offer an option - "the epidemiological situation has revealed all the potential possibilities of distance education, with all the advantages and disadvantages"; - make a link to the source with the results of the study "The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and big challenges". The bibliography includes relevant works on the topic under consideration. However, it is necessary to adjust the bibliographic design of source No. 10 in accordance with the standards of the journal "Modern Education". The appeal to the opponents in the article is absent, which does not reduce the scientific and practical significance of research. The article is of interest both for specialists in the field of professional training of athletes, and for teachers and methodologists of universities of other profiles. The author's conclusions about the methodological features of learning using distance learning technologies are significant for the practice of educational organizations.