Advantages of networking and distance learning use in maritime education and training

This paper presents the educational potentials of networking and distance learning use in the system of maritime education and training. Application of network in educational process provides opportunities to train for high-risk professions such as shipping, aviation and others. The controlled networking environment also has pedagogical advantages, due to the fact that material to study can be designed to train and assess specific learning outcomes in a way that is adjusted to the level of the students' developing competency. The proposed in the paper situational and functional approach is the attempt to give an extra tool for developing innovative methods of the maritime education and training system with wide use of networking and distance learning.