THE RELEVANCE OF BLENDED LEARNING TECHNOLOGY FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITIES AT THE PRESENT STAGE

Kapustina Natalia Aleksandrovna

The article examines the relevance of blended learning technology application in foreign language teaching at Russian agricultural universities at the present stage. The necessity of integrating traditional and distance learning forms in conditions of critical shortage of classroom hours is substantiated. The main models of blended learning used in Russian higher education, including the rotation model and the flipped classroom model, are analyzed. The regulatory framework for implementing e-learning and distance educational technologies is considered. Special attention is paid to the specifics of professionally-oriented foreign language teaching for agricultural specialties. The results of empirical studies demonstrating a 21% increase in students' knowledge quality when using blended formats are presented. Key problems and barriers to implementing blended learning in agricultural universities are identified, and practical recommendations for teachers are formulated.

Keywords:blended learning, foreign language, agricultural university, digital educational technologies, professionally-oriented learning, LMS Moodle, flipped classroom model.