4.B Explain the following concepts from the text.

learning style; further education; formal presentation; theatre; interactive; informal lecture; feedback; compulsory class; teaching assistant; PhD students; academic life; the Humanities; problem-solving focus; session; seminar paper; to give a presentation; the Sciences; laboratory session; hypothesis; to be assessed; learning situation; individual tutorial; course work; academic year; self-financing; to study part-time; modular system; degree programme; credit scheme; IELTS; TOEFL; BALEAP.

4.C Answer the following questions, using the information from the text.

1. What are the basic teaching and learning styles in the UK?

2. What are the constituent features of lectures?

3. What is the function of a lecture?

4. What is the difference between a lecture and a compulsory class?

5. Which teaching style allows the fullest participation from the part of the students?

6. Why are tutorials becoming less common?

7. How is the academic calendar altering?

8. How do modular courses operate?

9. What additional certification must foreign students have to attend a British university?

10. What are the major reasons for reforming the traditional teaching and learning styles?

4.D Express your opinion on the following issues.

1. Are compulsory classes a relic of the past which should be cancelled?

2. Do lectures waste students' academic time, as all the required information can be obtained through reading textbooks?

3. Which is the most efficient learning style? Which one is the most boring? Which is the most challenging? Which do you personally prefer?

5.A Read the text featuring different aspects of distance learning and be ready to discuss it contributing your own ideas. Distance learning: a new philosophy and style of study

The defining feature of distance learning is that you do not need to attend the awarding university/institution in person. This allows you to study from home with course materials provided by the institution. These can be paper-based, on CD-ROM or provided through the Internet. Institutions provide special systems of support to help you through the course.

Nearly every country in the world makes use of distance education programmes in its education system. Britain's nationally supported distance university has one of the best known programmes, reaching students in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia. More than 20 other countries have national open universities, in which all instruction is provided by distance education methods. In the United States millions of students have enrolled in television courses produced by certain colleges and universities around the country. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) delivers those courses to students at over 2,000 institutions.

Web-based courses are an extremely flexible facili­ty, allowing anytime, anywhere learning. This is in­valuable for busy professionals who do not have the luxury of a set time for face-to-face instruction. It also offers a supplement to classroom instruction for those learners who can attend regular classes. The computer is a patient tutor, providing the many hours of repetitive skills practice. Another benefit of Internet-based learning resourc­es is the potential for personalisation. Until now one-to-one learning has been largely restricted to ex­pensive, private institutions. Through the Internet, however, teachers are able to create modularised programmes to suit individual learner's needs. The best learning sites support all levels of learners, and support self-paced learning in ways that are not always possible in classrooms. From the perspective of the learner the greatest frustra­tions come with slow connec­tion times in real-time chat and classroom sessions. In some countries, the cost of connect­ing is also considerable. De­spite the disadvantages, how­ever, the Web holds tremen­dous promise as a medium of instruction.

A key factor of this integrated learning environment is that distance learning students can obtain regular access to fellow participants, enabling them to exchange ideas and advice, and to pass on information. Unlike previous experience, distance learners can now be part of an international student: class, just like their full-time student counterparts – but the classroom is now of global dimensions.

A number of leading schools duplicate many as­pects of their full-time programme in the distance learning option. They aim to maximise student/teach­er contact through e-mail, fax and telephone. Work­shops also form an important forum for direct feed­back. Some schools combine online learning with classroom sessions to sustain the "peer group" ele­ment of the programmes, which feature a "virtual campus" that allows participants to work together on projects via the web. These online teams are brought together for classroom sessions held in different cities throughout the year.

E-student profiles often differ from those of students who choose tradi­tional classrooms. More than half of online learners are over 30 years old, hold down a full-time job and already have a degree. Distance education provides adults with knowl­edge – the food of the modern work­place.

It would be naive to assume that everybody will be excited by e-learning. That is not just a genera­tion issue – people have different preferences. Nei­ther age nor family responsibility should preclude anyone from seeking a traditional degree. Conven­tional, campus-based courses are becoming more and more flexible. The division between them and distance education is breaking down. Technological change and university reforms are narrowing the difference between distance- and campus-based higher education. The move towards flexible learn­ing has been driven by the growth of the Internet. Allowing the students to fulfill their course require­ments in different ways has obvious benefits. A stu­dent in any country can study on the same course as a campus-based student or the one who com­mutes and only attends lectures intermittently. Universities try to provide learning environment using the latest technology for the students to take ad­vantage of the benefits of any time, learning anywhere to be better prepared, for the future.