Abstract
Problem and purpose. Rapid development of information technologies in the process of training students, including distance learning (DL), has led to the appear-ance on the market of software products of a variety of different platforms and shells, which are trying to automate this process as much as possible. Developers of these electronic resources have made some progress, and now schemes are realized in which the systems DL automatically, or with the participation of the tutor, check the work of students on the implementation of the curriculum (studying the theoretical part, performing control tasks, writing term papers and projects, etc.). However, it should be noted that the teaching materials placed in these shells are mainly related to the humanities disciplines, and the block of natural and technical disciplines is poorly represented. A particular problem when placing in the system of DL engineering disciplines is the presentation and evaluation of laboratory works.
Thus, the problem considered in the article consists in the examination of the possibilities of including engineering disciplines in the information-computer form in the educational process. This will allow students to receive educational material in full, consolidate it, as well as carry out remote monitoring, which is important in the conditions of a limited budget for school hours and teachers' inclination towards traditional forms of education. The purpose of the article is to develop methodological content and scenarios for using the Moodle shell in the process of studying engineering disciplines by engineering university students.
Methodology. At the first stage, a review of the literature and sites was con-ducted, in which software development was proposed to implement the DL system. The findings showed that online learning systems had a positive impact on the thinking and innovative skills of students. Having analyzed foreign and domestic developments in this field, the choice was made in favor of LMS Moodle (LMS - Learning Management System).
The second stage is the process of creating virtual laboratory facilities for natu-ral science disciplines: physics, electrodynamics, mechanics, mathematics, etc. It in-cluded the study of existing real laboratory facilities for some sections of the disci-pline; determination of the essential characteristics of models, the presence of which in a virtual installation must be strictly mandatory; compilation of mathematical models of physical installations, definition of variables responsible for the character-istics of the model; creation of objects of interactive virtual laboratory installations, development of design using computer graphics; the creation of dynamic visualiza-tion of demonstrations, using the results obtained, the program Macromedia Flash and the programming language Action Script 3.0.
The third stage is the integration of virtual laboratory work in LMS Moodle, the set-ting up of an assessment system, a progress report and a system performance check.
Results: this article shows the solution to the above problem by placing physical models created using Flash technologies and integrating them into a normal HTML document in a Moodle environment.
The methodology and algorithms for functioning of the Moodle environment for studying the theoretical part, conducting seminars, performing control and laboratory works built using Flash technologies are also discussed. An algorithm for assessing the quality of knowledge received by a student is proposed. Particular attention is paid to the implementation of virtual laboratory work.
The conclusion. The work shows the implementation of the capabilities of the MOODLE shell for studying the disciplines of the physical and mathematical and technical profiles. The algorithm for evaluating the work of the student is presented and the possibilities of placing models in the distance learning system for performing laboratory work necessary for a qualitative study of the indicated disciplines are shown. The considered system of DL is implemented in the educational process and fully meets all the requirements of the state standard.