Information about the defended postgraduate students

Simona Berardi
Country: Italy
Year of protection: 2011
Research topic: The practical application of Distance Learning based on the teaching experience of Russian in an Italian classroom (using the author’s multimedia courses “Kraski-A1” and “Kraski-A2”)
Annotation to the dissertation: This dissertation analyses the methodological possibilities of using the course management system Moodle as a computer-based instructional tool in the study of Russian as a foreign language in the new blended e-learning educational environment. It describes the content and technological possibilities of applying information technology to language learning in order to improve effectiveness. It makes reference to the organization of courses at the University of Bologna, Faculty of Political Sciences, within the e-project “Russian Language on Moodle” using the author’s multimedia courses “Kraski-A1” and “Kraski-A2”. E-learning of Russian as a foreign language on Moodle is presented as a new form of learning and teaching in which a more active student-teacher interaction and student-student interaction intensifies the development of the student’s communicative competence outside the language learning environment. It shows the forms of communication in the new educational environment (e.g. forums and blogs) in the age of Web 2/0 that encourages the improvement of the students’ language skills and proficiency in written communication.