E-LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION FOR GEOSCIENCE STUDENTS

The paper analyses trends and demands in higher education. It focuses on the challenging problems which arise and solutions which are found as a response to the e-revolution, i.e. the use of electronic media and information and communication technologies in teaching. We invite a dialogue on the impact of e-learning on educational process, its educational value and a role of a teacher. E-learning implementation causes some challenges, which we must respond to (ICT competences, necessary facilities, integration of the e-learning courses in the learning process and curriculum). Online education platforms (Coursera, Udacity, edX, Openuped, Iversity) provide hundreds of courses - Massive Online Open Courses. To better understand opportunities of e-learning for geoscientists we analyse which aspects of GeoSciences are covered in online courses. The paper focuses on the e-learning educational practices implemented by the teachers of English for Special Purposes (ESP). Experience of teaching English as a second language for GeoScience students makes us stress the significance of the instructor-led e-learning. We strongly believe that e-learning tools must be used side by side with face-to-face teaching (blended learning).