TNMU had started to use distance education technologies in 2006. At that year Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle had introduced to testing the results of students' self-preparation for practical classes via “quiz” activity.
Usage of the Moodle LMS was continuously expanded during the following years. At the end of 2019, all training materials of all TNMU’s courses were fully presented in Moodle as varoius types of training activities ("workshop", "assignment"), or as Moodle’s resouces (“files”and “folders,”typically filled with pdf documents ) or even as external links (links to video lectures from YouTube).
Important changes took place in 2012.The usage of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Suite for Education services were introduced almost simultaneously in TNMU.
From 2012 and up to now Google Suite platform is used as centralized user authentication tool for all TNMU information services. It provides corporate e-mail service for TNMU as well.
Usage of Microsoft Office 365 began with providing ofvideo conferencing. Skype for Busines (former Lynk)supported large number of participants (from 50 to hundreds). This service become repoaced with MS Teams now.
Under 2020 quarantine’s rules TSMU utilized all available distance learning services simultaneously. Students were allowed to:
- use training materials posted on the Moodle platform for training;
- poste their answers in electronic form in the form of Moodle activities (“workshop”, “assignment”);
- communicate with teachers through Google services (textingvia Gmail / Chat, and have video-converstions via Hangouts / Meet).
- watcheducational videos and video-lectures on YouTube channels of teachers(for example)
Available video-conferencing tools like Google Meet tools, MS Teams and even Zoom were used to support academic collaboration durinr tutoring seminars, training conferences and even academic councils sessions.
TNMU’s Moodle platform was used to provide a final control at the end of 2020 spring semester. An exams were presented in form of test assesment.Unlike previous times, different types of questions and forms of quizzes were used. For example,an “essay”Moodle question type was used to accept students' answers for “oral” part of exams.
For example, on June 1, 2020 there was an online session of master's scientific works, during which masters’ real-time presentations of their works for the examination commission of the teaching staff of the relevant departments and representatives of the dean's office. The videoconferencing mode allowed keeping the classical approaches to the evaluation of works, to hold an active discussion, to give students the opportunity to express their position and get recommendations from the teachers. This method of attestation during pandemic allows complying with sanitary and epidemiological norms, not to violate quarantine restrictions and at the same time objectively to assess the work of students.
