Preparing students for research activities in the context of competence-oriented engineering education

Abstract

The article presents the conceptual framework for preparing students for research activities in the context of competence-oriented engineering education that provide for a focus on the program-target education quality management system; incorporation of employers’ requirements to the preparation of technical university graduates for research activities and provisions of occupational standards. Inquiry-based learning has been considered the basis for the establishment of the innovative didactics of a technical university that enables implementation of the requirements of educational standards of competitive graduates. Content of the innovative didactics of the technical university presented as a functional model fosters the creative development of students, their research capabilities and functional research skills as universal ways of interaction with the outside world. The elaborated and experimentally tested functional model of the establishment of technical university students’ research competencies has been considered. This model provides for the creation of the development-promoting educational environment at the university in the course of theoretical, production and hands-on training, independent and research activities. These activities are performed using the elaborated practice-focused techniques, special-purpose forms and means of extracurricular activities; information technology, network educational resources; system of tasks, comprehensive, end-to-end research projects, interactive forms and methods; students’ self-testing and self-evaluation in the process of training.

Keywords: engineering education, research competence, preparation for research activities, program-target management system, resource model