THE IMPORTANCE OF USING MOOCS FOR PREPARING SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR INFORMATICS OLYMPIADS

Today, the use of digital technologies and their integration into the education system is of great importance worldwide. In this regard, the President of Kazakhstan's Address in 2023, under the program “Modernization of the Education System,” set the goal of enhancing students' ability to work with new technologies. Therefore, in general education schools, it is crucial to improve students’ knowledge levels and foster their creative abilities through modern technologies while preparing them for informatics Olympiads. On this basis, the role of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in preparing secondary school students for Olympiads is particularly significant. This article examines the importance, effectiveness, and features of MOOCs in the global educational field. It also discusses the role and structure of MOOCs in the context of modern education, ways to increase their efficiency, and their impact on the learning process. Furthermore, the article analyzes the results of studies by domestic and international researchers aimed at identifying the significance of using MOOCs in the Olympiad preparation process. For the research, a special survey was conducted among school students. The diagnostic survey involved 13 schools in the city of Atyrau. According to the survey results, it was found that using MOOCs is effective for preparing school students for Olympiads and serves as a tool for increasing their interest in learning. Thus, future research aims to determine the importance of MOOC-based teaching in preparing for informatics Olympiads and to conduct further studies in this direction.