Search

Background. Mass usage of neural-network machine translation services by students of technical universities when studying foreign languages leads to the necessary changes in the working programme content and teaching instruments. Such a perspective causes ambiguous response among educators, which makes this problem relevant under the conditions of digital transformation of higher education. Purpose. The authors aim to provide the results of a theoretical and empirical study of how the participants of the foreign language teaching and learning process respond to the mass implementation of neural network machine translators. Materials and methods. Materials for this article are obtained by the method of questionnaire survey, which is conducted among instructors and students of Novosibirsk technical universities in 2024. For a deeper understanding concerning the attitude of respondents to the implementation of neural network machine translation apps in the teaching and learning process, retrospective conversations with students and semi-formalised interviews with instructors of Foreign Language Departments are conducted. Results. The findings suggest a predominantly positive attitude of the instructors and students of Novosibirsk technical universities to the implementation of neural network machine translation services in teaching and learning foreign languages. Although there is a tendency to use such services to translate large pieces of their own texts, many students are focused on analysing the quality and editing their translates. The instructors, in their turn, note that neural network machine translators do not solve the problem of linguistic difficulties, especially when translating industry-specific texts. However, they find no reason to ban their students from using neural network machine translation services in classroom and extracurricular activities. Moreover, the instructors emphasise that the use of these instruments should be taught on purpose. Taking into account the respondents’ opinions, the authors offer to add a separate module devoted to the proper use of neural network machine translation services to the working programmes, which will contribute to the development of students’ critical thinking when solving academic, professional and research tasks.

The rapid expansion of cloud computing e-learning systems has empowered educators to reach learners worldwide. However, a critical study gap exists: the impact of lecturers' technological anxiety on their adoption intentions remains unexplored in the technical universities in Ghana. This study addresses this gap by investigating anxiety's influence on lecturers' cloud computing e-learning adoption intentions within a virtual environment (VE). We examine the mediating role of competitive pressure and the moderating role of anxiety. Using PLSSEM, we analysed data from surveys conducted among 1395 lecturers across all 10 technical universities. With a high response rate of 90.2% (n = 1258), our analysis reveals moderate anxiety among lecturers regarding cloud e-learning adoption. The proposed model explains 21.1% of the variance in adoption intentions. Interestingly, competitive pressure on lecturers mediates the relationship between cloud e-learning usefulness, security, and adoption decisions. Additionally, anxiety moderates the effects of cloud computing complexity, security, and adoption intentions. We have recommended organizing regular training workshops, ensuring user-friendly platforms, implementing robust security measures, and providing psychological support for lecturers using cloud computing technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify barriers to collaboration among female administrators at a Ghanaian technical university (TU), based on the social identity theory (SIT). Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method approach was adopted, integrating qualitative interviews of 15 female administrators and completing structured questionnaires from 117 randomly sampled female administrators. The SIT, as the analytical framework, identified themes emerging from the data on barriers to collaboration among female administrators. While exploratory factor analysis identified measures of factors hindering collaborations, the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) enabled the confirmation of relationships among the barriers to collaboration with female administrators. Findings: There existed statistically significant relationships between four of the barriers: intergroup relations conflict, trust with stakeholders and among females and structural barriers (SBs). For the quantitative analysis, it was found that SBs, intergroup relations, conflict and trust were statistically significant except for weak cultures. For the qualitative, results showed that SBs, lack of trust with stakeholders and among females and intergroup conflict hinder collaboration. Research limitations/implications: The study has a limited scope in using only one TU and focusing on a particular gender. The implications of this research will enrich the literature on barriers to female administrative collaboration in technical education based on the SIT. Practical implications: Promoting administrative collaborations in the TU will ensure sustainability and efficient administrative systems. Social implications: Institutional policies should include gender inclusivity and equality on networking opportunities and provide mentorship programs for efficient administrative systems. Originality/value: We used the SIT to determine barriers to collaboration among female administrators in a technical education institution, and the mixed methodology added a unique dimension to the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Technical Universities in Ghana, the Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes are well‐established higher education programmes for the provision of middle‐level manpower needs of the Country. The programmes are considered industry‐related, offering students the knowledge and skills required for effective performance at work. However, there is very little tracer survey on the polytechnic/technical university graduate on the relevance of the HND Industrial Art Programmes run in the polytechnics/technical universities, apart from a study on exploring the destinations of Higher National Diploma, Graphic Design graduates in the Ghanaian labour market. Therefore, the study sought to conduct a tracer study on the impact of the HND Industrial Art Programme on the Art Sector in Ghana. To carry out the study, the main objective was to assess the effectiveness and the contribution of the HND Industrial Art Programme to employment and job creation in the Art Sector in Ghana. The Concurrent Triangulated Mixed Method research approach was adopted to undertake the research. From the study, the major finding is that the Painting and Decoration (P/D), Ceramics and Leatherwork options all succeeded in creating jobs/empowering graduates to create their own jobs, but that cannot be said with the Textiles option. The findings have implications for TVET training in the country. It is therefore recommended that appropriate steps should be taken in consultation with the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC) to have a holistic review of the curriculum to make it relevant for the benefit of this ever‐dynamic society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Особенно актуальным вопросом на сегодняшний день является обучение специалистов технических областей как наиболее приоритетных в современной системе высшего образования. Ведется постоянная работа по повышению качества образовательного процесса, и предметы гуманитарного цикла играют особую роль в этой работе. Ключевое место занимает иностранный язык, необходимый для плодотворной реализации инженерной деятельности, сопровождающейся огромным количеством документации на английском языке. Все чаще возникает дилемма, каким образом построить процесс обучения в техническом вузе, чтобы обеспечить комплексное усвоение и применение академического и профессионального материала в практической деятельности студентов. Помощником, позволяющим обеспечить такую подготовку, является интегративный подход в обучении. Главной идеей данного подхода выступает развитие у студентов умений работать автономно, находить, оценивать, анализировать и классифицировать полученную информацию на родном и иностранном языке, используя знания из разных предметных областей. Изучены и проанализированы основные характеристики интегративного подхода в обучении иностранному языку студентов технического вуза для того, чтобы обеспечить качественное объединение содержания предметов профессиональной направленности и иностранного языка в единое целое. Материалами исследования послужили работы многих отечественных авторов, изучающих интегративный подход в обучении. В исследовании используются научные методы (теоретический, эмпирический и метод статистического анализа), обеспечивающие сбор, анализ, обработку и интерпретацию данных с целью описания основных характеристик, присущих интегративному подходу в техническом вузе. В ходе анализа литературы выводится определение интегративного подхода со всеми свойственными ему характеристиками, актуальными в техническом вузе. Результатами исследования выступили данные, полученные в процессе проведения научно-образовательных мероприятий, направленных на интеграцию иностранного языка и профильных технических дисциплин, проводимых в Томском политехническом университете. Описываются положительные эффекты, наблюдаемые студентами в ходе участия. В заключении подчеркивается важность интегративного подхода для актуализации междисциплинарных связей при изучении иностранного языка в техническом вузе.

Research has revealed that utilisation of the English language learning strategies (ELLSs) is essential for supporting learner autonomy (LA). Yet, most of these studies focus on English as a foreign language, leaving studies on English as a second language on the fringes of current literature, though the two are distinct. Thus, this paper examined the effect of ELLSs on LA of ESL technical university students, as well as the individual effects of the six categories of ELLSs (memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective and social strategies) on LA. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on 2022/2023 first-year 773 students who were selected through stratified random sampling. Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and Karabıyık’s measures of learner autonomy were used to assess ELLSs and LA, respectively. Data were collected via google form. A multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed research model. The results revealed that ELLSs have a positive impact on LA. While all six categories of ELLs improved LA, affective strategies improved LA the most. Despite the significance of affective strategies in fostering LA in this study, earlier research has largely focused on affective factors such as motivation, for autonomous learning. Thus, this study reveals a novel finding that affective strategies may be the most effective at facilitating autonomous learning in an ESL context, specifically a university setting in Ghana. The study backs up the Constructivism theory's claim that learner autonomy occurs as a result of social interaction, which includes learning strategies. The study confirms that in a Ghanaian ESL context, when the learners utilise ELLSs, they go through the zone of proximal development (ZPD) until optimal performance is achieved (in this context until the learner becomes an autonomous learner). Thus, Ghanaian technical university English teachers should be trained on effective ELLSs use to help students adopt appropriate ELLSs to improve their autonomous learning.

The paper examines the effect of perceived ease of use, user acceptance, and quality assurance practices on the acceptance of digital technology among mechanical engineering teachers in Technical Universities in Ghana. The paper adopts a quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey design. A sample of 167 mechanical engineering teachers was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire that included demographic information and variables related to digital technology acceptance. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the aid of SmartPLS 4 software. The study's findings reveal that perceived ease of use, user acceptance, and quality assurance practices significantly and positively influence mechanical engineering teachers' acceptance of digital technology. Specifically, the acceptance of quality assurance practices was found to have the strongest impact on technology acceptance among the three factors examined. The study focused on mechanical engineering teachers in Ghana's Technical universities, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other educational contexts. Future research should consider expanding the sample size and including participants from different educational institutions and other disciplines. This study contributes to the existing literature on digital technology acceptance by examining the specific context of mechanical engineering education in Ghana. The findings also contribute to the broader discourse on digital skills development and closing the digital divide in educational settings.

The article provides theoretical and practical justification for the effectiveness of project method application in teaching students of construction specialties in a technical university. The relevance of the research is determined by changes in the pace and paradigms of social life, transformation of the demands of students and employers, to which higher education has to respond, looking for new, innovative methods in relation to vocational education.The purpose of the research is to prove the effectiveness of project method application in teaching «Foreign Language» in relation to construction specialties through a theoretical generalization of the material on the chosen topic. The authors also set a goal to prove that the described methodology helps students to better navigate their future profession, since the project method is designed to combine theoretical and practical components of the educational process. Domestic and foreign literature on the selected topic have been analyzed, which has formed the basis of the research. Using empirical and theoretical research methods, the authors have managed to substantiate the relevance of the project methodology application in higher education, as well as using quantitative, statistical data processing methods to mathematically prove the effectiveness of the project method technology stated in the hypothesis, note the universality of the technology and the possibility of embedding in any educational field.

The subject of the study are features of an emotional and personal sphere of 1st-year students of technical training profiles with different leading motives for learning during the preparation for the session. The authors present the results of an empirical study in which 81 first-year students of NSTU technical training profiles took part, 62 of them male, 19 female students; age from 17-20 years. The study was conducted in person 2-3 weeks before the start of the session using the STAI test, the Human Resilience Test by A.V. Makhnach, CERQ, and the test of Learning Motivation by T.I. Ilyina. As a result of the study, the predominance of students with a high level of situational anxiety (64%) was revealed. It means that the majority of students surveyed experience pronounced discomfort, tension, concern and physiological manifestations of anxiety caused by being in a stressful situation, which is also the first session at the university. The leading motivation for learning among the majority of first-year students was the motivation to gain knowledge (70% of respondents). A comparative analysis using the Mann-Whitney U-test showed that first-year students with a leading motivation for obtaining a diploma or mastering a profession, compared with students motivated by obtaining knowledge, are more characterized by self-confidence, more developed ability to overcome obstacles and demonstrate sufficient effectiveness in the event of difficulties, emotional and behavioral self-control, understanding of one’s own emotional experiences are more developed.

Purpose. The article examines the process of forming students’ research competency in the process of teaching a foreign language at technical university as the way of improving professional education and students’ self-organization. Materials and methods. The basis of the research is the theoretical methods (methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization and systematization, projecting). The leading method of research is the method of projecting, and the main humanistic principle is multimodality to ensure students’ integrity, autonomy and subjectivity. Results. The model of forming students’ research competency has been developed in the context of personal oriented, competent oriented approaches and synergistic methodology. The article determines the main conditions for the formation of students’ research competency. The project model is revealed and the basis of forming research competency is the activity of students’ personal structures. Therefore, they are indicators of increasing the levels of research competencies in the process of teaching a foreign language. The obtained results convincingly testify to the increase in motivation to learn a foreign language, the development of the experience of research competence of students, the motivation to participate in real research projects in the research educational and cultural environment of a technical university. Students’ project activities increase the effectiveness of teaching foreign language communication, the development of research skills, the flexibility of cognitive functions, subjectivity, the formation of research experience, the formation of professional values and meanings.

AbstractThis exploratory case study focused on students’ perceptions on how the physical classroom environment compares to the electronic classroom environment and the implications for quality assurance in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). To include the views of all pure TVET faculties, a stratified random sampling technique was used to draw 453 continuing students who had experienced both physical and electronic eLearning classrooms (excluding Business Studies) using a structured survey questionnaire from the Takoradi Technical University (TTU). Descriptive analysis, mainly frequencies were employed to compare the two modes of teaching. Generally, the students had misgivings about how electronic classrooms (e-classrooms) effectively contribute to their learning compared to physical classrooms. Technical challenges related to internet connectivity and learner support made the physical classroom environment which had positive interaction norms, supportive emotional climate and quality content delivery a better option. Hence, while the e-classroom environment is being promoted worldwide, the context of institutions and the resources available in terms of the suitability of the approach should be seriously considered by policymakers. For university managers, improving internet connectivity, student support and offering regular refresher e-learning trainings for both students and lecturers are indispensable to e-learning.

This exploratory case study focused on students' perceptions on how the physical classroom environment compares to the electronic classroom environment and the implications for quality assurance in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). To include the views of all pure TVET faculties, a stratified random sampling technique was used to draw 453 continuing students who had experienced both physical and electronic eLearning classrooms (excluding Business Studies) using a structured survey questionnaire from the Takoradi Technical University (TTU). Descriptive analysis, mainly frequencies were employed to compare the two modes of teaching. Generally, the students had misgivings about how electronic classrooms (e-classrooms) effectively contribute to their learning compared to physical classrooms. Technical challenges related to internet connectivity and learner support made the physical classroom environment which had positive interaction norms, supportive emotional climate and quality content delivery a better option. Hence, while the e-classroom environment is being promoted worldwide, the context of institutions and the resources available in terms of the suitability of the approach should be seriously considered by policymakers. For university managers, improving internet connectivity, student support and offering regular refresher e-learning trainings for both students and lecturers are indispensable to e-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the use of authentic texts in teaching a foreign language in a technical university. The relevance of the research is associated with globalization and integration processes taking place in modern society, with the rapid development of science and advanced information technologies. In the context of expanding international contacts and establishing relations with foreign partners, training of highly qualified engineers requires the improvement of the methodology of professionally oriented foreign language teaching. The aim of the research is to justify the appropriateness of using non-adapted authentic texts as a necessary condition for professional and communicative foreign language competence formation of future specialists. Methods of observation, comparison, analysis have been used in the research. The author has analyzed various scientific approaches to the use of texts in the process of professional foreign language teaching; arguments regarding the inefficiency of using constructed and simplified authentic texts have been presented, advantages of working with non-adapted original sources at the first stage of the educational process have been noted. In the article the author shares his observations on increasing the motivation of students to master the language of a future profession, introduces personal experience in delivering texts and methods of working with them at various stages of education using the example of the Bachelor's course “Land Management and Cadastres”. The paper notes the results achieved by using non-adapted authentic texts to the educational process: overcoming the psychological language barrier, increasing linguistic and professional motivation, activating educational activities, and optimizing the learning process. The author comes to the conclusion that well-chosen and correctly used texts contribute to successful implementation of the goals of professionally-oriented teaching of a foreign language at a technical university.

Проведен анализ научных исследований, а также опрос учащихся, выпускников технического вуза с целью уточнения и актуализации списка гибких навыков, востребованных на рынке интеллектуального труда в области инженерных профессий. Результаты анализа позволили выстроить условную иерархию приоритетности гибких навыков для инженеров на сегодняшний день. Полученные данные составили основу для обновления компетентностной модели выпускника технического вуза. А итоги опроса помогли представить линейно приоритетность гибких навыков для представителей инженерных специальностей. Была разработана матрица соотношения универсальных компетенций и гибких навыков, что наглядно подтверждает корреляцию данных явлений и на теоретическом уровне доказывает необходимость включения (и развития) гибких навыков в программы обучения в университете.

Metacognitive skills which provide regulation and management of students' intellectual activity in the process of their selfeducation are of great importance, especially in the context of the learnercentered education paradigm in the global information space, with its focus on the self-study and self-development of an individual. In this regard, the article aimed to analyze the development of metacognitive skills in first year students by means of educational technologies in ESP classes at technical university in Ukraine. As shown by the results of the study, educational technologies can be successfully used for the development of such metacognitive skills as self-directed learning skills, collaboration skills, self-management skills, self-reflection skills in first year students studying ESP at university level. The educational technologies used in our study - the Moodle platform, WebQuest, blogs and wikis, Google Classroom, Quizlet - confirmed their efficiency as a useful tool for the development of metacognition since they provide the learning environment which makes it possible for students to organize and control their learning, make decisions, reflect on the results of their learning experience and make necessary changes and adjustments if necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concerns the main trends of the scientific and educational activity of the university, its achievements for the recent years. The innovative structure of the university ischaracterized as a fundamental for the modern technical education. The article also presents the university development policy as the innovative centre of the Omsk region.

Educational institutions have undergone tremendous changes through the usage of technology-based applications. Academic libraries however have not been left out of this transition since the libraries are instituted in the university and the heart of the institution. The study aimed to examine social media use to disseminate information amid the Covid-19 pandemic in Technical University libraries. A qualitative research approach was used with semi-structured interviews used to collect data from ten participants. The findings revealed that most of the participants made use of social media like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp to disseminate information during the pandemic in both libraries studied. Also, social media helped make the libraries studied visible to the world at large. Inadequate funding, slow internet connectivity, and inadequate ICT infrastructure hindered the effective use of social media platforms as well as users accessing information during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was recommended that the Management of the parent universities provide the necessary infrastructure as far as ICT is concerned for libraries to function efficiently and effectively in their line of duty to support scholarship, teaching, leaching, and research work as they cannot function effectively without adequate provision of IT tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to consider the technical university as a factor for innovation in modern culture. The author's task is to identify the phenomenological (sociocultural) and ontological (pedagogical, personal, organizational) foundations of a technical university as an innovative factor. The methodological basis of the study is made up of identifying value concepts, a pragmatic method, and a criterion of effectiveness. The technical university as an innovative factor is revealed through research: concentration of innovations in engineering and technical activities; the cultural meaning of innovation; the peculiarities of the formation and development of the humanitarian environment by the technical university and its spiritual and moral component. The criterion of effectiveness refers to the use of pedagogical models by a technical university and a spiritual and moral component. The study deepens the understanding of the innovative factors of culture that have developed in science and makes it possible in practice to improve the technical university in line with the innovative trends of our time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reveals the results of the survey, carried out by non-linguistic students of National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”. Special attention is devoted to comparative analysis of feedback of respondents studying English online at the Institute of Physics and Technology (IPT) and Instrumentation Engineering Faculty (IEF) under the COVID-19. The actuality of the study is determined by the necessity of learning about students` experience studying English online during the 2020-2021 academic year for educators to design effective online courses and strategies, adjust teaching practices according to students’ needs. To achieve the aim, the following tasks were completed: first of all, to establish technical aspects of students’ learning experience, their attitudes to grouping, interactive activities, tests, English lessons online in general, and then to use descriptive statistics for processing the obtained data. The results of the survey are analyzed, described, and presented. Overall, the respondents positively assessed their experience of studying English online under the COVID-19.

В Ухтинском государственном техническом университете ежегодно обучаются студенты из ближнего и дальнего зарубежья по программам бакалавриата и магистратуры по основным образовательным программам на русском языке. Входное тестирование, проведенное с целью первичной диагностики знаний в области математики и русского языка, показало, что большинство студентов допускают не математические ошибки, относящиеся к решению уравнений, неравенств и т. д., а лингвистические, связанные с непониманием словесного текста предметного содержания. Полученные результаты проверки, а также изученный опыт преподавания математики иностранным студентам в вузах Республики Коми и других регионов послужили причиной для разработки специальной собственной системы обучения. Методологической основой системы обучения является принцип постепенного расширения знаний, умений и навыков в языковой, предметно-языковой и предметной математической области на неродном русском языке, обеспечивая нормирование лингвистической нагрузки и достижение планируемых результатов обучения. Основными компонентами системы являются: цели и содержание обучения, адаптированные к обучению иностранных студентов; интерактивные методы обучения (взаимообмен темами, взаимообмен заданиями, взаимодиктанты и др.); коллективные организационные формы; специализированные учебные ресурсы (дидактические материалы с методически обоснованными лексико-грамматическими конструкциями, двуязычные математические словари, визуализация учебной информации и др.).

В статье отмечена значимость института кураторства в технических вузах в развитии профессиональных и универсальных компетенций, личностного роста, самореализации, а также адаптации студентов; выделены существующие проблемы в реализации кураторской деятельности. Определено, что кураторская деятельность в техническом университете нуждается в организационно-методическом сопровождении на уровнях целей, содержания, организации и деятельности для повышения эффективности деятельности кураторов академических групп. Проведена опытно-экспериментальная работа по реализации разработанной системы организационно-методического сопровождения деятельности кураторов академических групп в современном техническом университете. Представленные итоги проведенной работы подтверждают результативность разработанной системы, реализация которой позволяет повысить эффективность кураторской деятельности.

В технических университетах основным источником пополнения преподавательского состава являются обучающиеся данного вуза. Вопрос привлечения обучающихся в научную и научно-педагогическую деятельность является актуальным на сегодняшний день. Начальной ступенью мотивации и решения проблемы с педагогическими кадрами является педагогическая практика. Именно педагогическая практика магистрантов в стенах инженерного вуза способствует индивидуальному выбору дальнейшей профессии, обеспечивает мотивированную вовлеченность обучающихся в когнитивную сферу, в структуру как общего, так и педагогического образования. Цель статьи – раскрыть сущность педагогической практики магистрантов как начальный путь для развития и формирования профессиональной педагогической деятельности будущего педагога. Научная новизна состоит в обосновании роли педагогической практики как важнейшего фактора предподготовки педагогических кадров. Делается вывод, что для успешного решения проблем подготовки педагогических кадров в технических вузах через магистерское образование необходимы привлечение студентов бакалавриата (начиная с первых курсов) на профессионально-педагогическую подготовку с поступлением магистратуру, разработка инженерного ядра учебных дисциплин, в структуру которого должны войти педагогические дисциплины и педагогическая практика с целью мотивации на педагогическую деятельность, разработка внутривузовской программы поэтапного отбора и подготовки молодых преподавателей из числа магистрантов к профессионально-педагогической деятельности и их дальнейшего профессионального развития, создание для магистрантов комфортных организационно-педагогических условий и стимулов для получения профессионально-педагогической подготовки.

The article addresses the importance of introducing individual educational paths (IEP) in training research and pedagogical personnel in postgraduate studies. The idea of an individual approach of learning is enshrined in a number of documents including the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”. However, in practice, there are obstacles to the implementation of IEP: the presence of regulatory documents governing the organization of the educational process in higher education, the predominance of the group form of organizing classes, the unpreparedness of teachers for the implementation of the personalized learning model. We find it reasonable to start the implementation of IEP at the level of postgraduate training, given the relative small number of students, as well as their cognitive independence and well-developed educational skills. The design of the IEP will make it possible to better take into account the initial competencies of postgraduate students, their cognitive needs and goals in further career advancement (orientation towards teaching, research, production activities), which are largely determined by the nature and level of professional education.The article reveals the specifics of the training of research and pedagogical personnel in the postgraduate study of a technical university, identifies the factors that have an impact on the way postgraduate students build their learning trajectories, substantiates the principles of IEP design, and describes the stages of personalized learning technology. The research data on the readiness of postgraduate students to design IEP on their own are presented. The results of the survey of post graduate students and their supervisors indicate that there are sufficient grounds for the successful implementation of a personalized learning model using IEP. Postgraduate students of a technical university are well versed in information resources, actively use University’s services of the electronic educational environment. They are able to determine the goals of educational and scientific activities, assess their competencies, and analyze achievements and failures. Most of scientific advisors are ready to assist postgraduate students in IEP designing. The article analyzes the difficulties that universities may encounter when introducing a new teaching model, and substantiates the conditions for the successful implementation of IEP in postgraduate studies.

The study emphasizes the importance of social responsibility of the engineer in the modern post-industrial society. We reveal the essence of the phenomenon of social responsibility, determine its structural components, and define the criteria for its development. Also, we theoretically substantiate and experimentally test the influence of pedagogical conditions on the development of social responsibility of future engineers in the process of professional training. These conditions include (1) increasing positive motivation of students to develop social responsibility; (2) ensuring a responsible attitude of students to perform tasks in various types of professional training (academic, extracurricular, and research activities); and (3) encouraging students to study the concept of social responsibility on their own. Besides, we describe methods of teaching social responsibility (special course, discussion, simulation, case study, etc.). The conducted analysis of the results of the experimental work confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Finally, we experimentally prove the impact of pedagogical conditions on the formation of socially responsible engineers in the process of their professional training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Physical inactivity is one of the primary factors that leads to obesity and overweight. What is more, it is becoming an increasingly common problem among the population of those who work. The causes of obesity and the lack of physical activity are multifactorial. The aims of the study were: to (1) measure the level of physical activity among the university staff, (2) evaluate what factors have a significant influence on undertaking the physical activity and lack of. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted via the Internet questionnaires among university staff in Northern Poland and Pomeranian Region. Taking into consideration the climate and cultural factors in Poland, a physical activity test with the usage of IPAQ scale was performed between September and November 2018 and between March and June 2019. The data was collected on the basis of the standardized long form of the IPQA questionnaire, the GSE Scale and the interview questionnaire including questions about sex, age and health assessment. Results The study group consisted of 276 respondents, including 143 women (51.8%) and 133 men (48.2%). The average age of the respondents was 42.22 with SD ± 11.01. The weight status was categorized with the use of BMI index. 51.3% (142) of the respondents had normal body mass, 93 (33.8%) were overweight, while 23 (8.4%) were obese. The mean BMI index was 25.23 points (SD ± 4.04). One hundred and twenty five (45.1%) respondents were the employees of the Medical University, and 54.9% were employed by the Technical University. Detailed analyses using Spearman correlation test confirmed the presence of a statistically higher level of physical activity among respondents employed at the Medical University (M 513.37; SD ± 609.13) than the employees of Technical University (M 378.38; SD ± 328.26). The odds ratio analysis shows that a low level of physical activity in the group of technical university staff has a significant correlation with the other social behavior which is the alcohol consumption. Conclusion This study confirms that the number of points obtained in the IPAQ scale, classified the academics in the workgroup presenting low physical activity which does not exceed 600 MET-min/week. The most common form of activity in this group was walking. There was no correlation between physical activity and self-efficacy, age, marital status or the number of children.

The study investigates the entrepreneurial competencies and intentions of students. Their formation is a requirement of modern times. The question arises whether students of modern technical universities get entrepreneurial competencies and whether they transform these competencies into their entrepreneurial intentions. More than 3.6 thousand students from six technical universities from Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Lithuania were surveyed. Methods of summarizing and grouping data, analysis of the structure of the population and distributions of its elements, evaluation of relationships were used to analyze the results of the survey. It was found that studying at technical universities is not an obstacle to the existence of entrepreneurial intentions among students. The respondents positively assessed their ability to recognize market opportunities for new business (the sum of the shares of positive answers exceeded the sum of the shares of negative answers by 12.4%). A positive generalized assessment was determined when assessing the ability to persuade others to invest in their business, while negative – their ability to write a formal business plan. It is proved that students who highly value their entrepreneurial abilities are much more likely to show the intention to start their own business (р < 0.001). Students’ focus on starting their own business is partly explained by the fact that they connect employment in corporations with a low guarantee of job retention. High positive integrated assessments received the following advantages of own entrepreneurship: prestige (0.302), chance to be realized (0.362), and the ability to create jobs (0.597). Acknowledgment The authors wish to thank Denislava Yordanova (Sofia University, Bulgaria), Tatjana Nikitina (Riga Technical University, Latvia), and Daiva Jurevičienė (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania) for helping to collect data at respective countries.

Введение. Актуальность исследования обусловлена потребностью в изучении особенностей организации образовательного процесса в современном техническом вузе в рамках «третьей миссии» университетов, четвертой промышленной революции, задач цифровизации экономики России, подготовки инженерной элиты будущего. Представлены особенности организации образовательного процесса в современном техническом вузе. Рассмотрены внешние факторы глобального, общероссийского, регионального и локального (на уровне образовательных учреждений) характера. Цель – выявить ключевые особенности организации образовательного процесса в современном техническом университете. Задачи исследования: 1) выявить ведущие направления и тенденции развития современных университетов; 2) систематизировать современные представления об особенностях организации образовательного процесса в современном техническом вузе; 3) обосновать требования, предъявляемые к абитуриентам современных технических вузов. Материал и методы. Теоретические – абстрагирование, анализ, конкретизация, обобщение; эмпирические – изучение и обобщение педагогического опыта, изучение продуктов деятельности, контент-анализ. Результаты и обсуждение. Представлены наиболее существенные особенности организации образовательного процесса в современном техническом университете. Заключение. Обоснованы специфические особенности современного образовательного процесса в техническом нестоличном вузе, наиболее существенно влияющие на него, в условиях повышенных ожиданий по подготовке квалифицированных кадров для развития экономики России, а также дефицитов и вызовов как глобальной, так и отечественной, в том числе региональной, повестки. Теоретическая значимость работы связана с выявлением и описанием ведущих тенденций развития отечественных университетов в фокусе четвертой промышленной революции, цифровизации экономики России, изменения образовательной парадигмы и глобальной конкуренции в сфере экспорта образования и академического превосходства.

Ориентация стандартов высшего технического образования на развитие у студентов универсальных компетенций в категориях «Коммуникация» и «Межкультурное взаимодействие» и одновременно превалирование в иноязычной подготовке будущих инженеров направленности на коммуникацию в социально-бытовой и профессиональной сферах требуют применения в обучении иностранным языкам в технических вузах элементов социокультурного подхода. Данный подход полноценно разработан в научных исследованиях, однако проблемы его реализации в учебниках для технических вузов остаются актуальными. Проанализировано содержание отечественных и зарубежных учебников по иностранным языкам для технических вузов, изданных в текущем столетии, на предмет социокультурного компонента их содержания. Полученные результаты могут быть значимы для разработчиков соответствующих вузовских учебников, преподавателей иностранных языков.

Teaching geometric and graphic disciplines, which include descriptive geometry and engineering graphics, at a technical university is often associated with some difficulties. Displaying spatial objects in a drawing requires a student to have basic knowledge of geometry, a developed spatial representation, accuracy, and patience. For teachers, the problem of finding effective methods for diagnosing gifted students, as well as overcoming unfavorable socio-psychological conditions for personal development, is urgent. Both cognitive and creative components of the educational process are of great importance in the formation of professional and general cultural competencies of students (future engineers). In order to develop students' creative component in the process of studying geometric and graphic disciplines, the authors propose their own methodology for teaching applied geometry of surfaces, based on an epistemological scheme with an emphasis on the creative development of the theory of transformations. The didactic components in this case include: particular types of linear transformations of space (linearhomogeneous transformations), analytical and graphical methods for determining them, an algorithm for the continuous process of constructing corresponding points in a linear-homogeneous transformation and its graphical interpretation, instantaneous linear-homogeneous transformations, their main properties and application in the design of airfoil surfaces, a combined method for setting linear-homogeneous transformations, theoretical substantiation of the existence of various geometric systems with the theory of groups and transformation invariants, practical applications in the field of designing technical forms of surfaces of a special class, including for aviation purposes, based on linear-homogeneous instantaneous transformations. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of using the proposed methodology for teaching certain topics of geometric and graphic disciplines in the preparation of engineering students. The method was tested at the Moscow Aviation Institute at the Department of Engineering Graphics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of a modern generation of engineers capable to drive changes that meet the requirements of the future necessitates a new approach in pedagogical training of engineering teachers. The international ENTER (EngineeriNg educaTors pEdagogical tRaining) project is being developed as part of EU Erasmus program focused on addressing the actual education needs from the standpoint of human and social capitals development both in Europe and in other countries. The ENTER project is aimed at the creation and development of an international platform for multilevel vocational training/retraining of technical universities teachers on the basis of the Eurasian interaction network. Surveys among employers, teachers, and engineering university students, as well as scientific periodicals analysis allowed us to determine the complex of universal and specific engineering and pedagogical competencies that educators should master not only for today, but also for the future needs. Based on the competency analysis, a three-level modular teacher training/retraining program (iPET program) has been developed and its international accreditation is planned.

This paper provides a comparative analysis of approaches to teaching natural sciences disciplines on the example of chemistry to hearing impaired students and students without disabilities. Hearing impaired students make up the most difficult category of students at university of a general type with a verbal form of education due to their hearing impairment and concomitant disturbances in body functions that cause their disability. The key problem of their training at technical university is the limited content accessibility of the disciplines of the natural science cycle, including chemistry. They can master these disciplines only as subjects of adapted (inclusive) basic professional educational programs with creating special (distinctive) learning conditions for them. The authors developed and tested a methodological approach to solving the problem of content accessibility of educational resources in chemistry for hearing impaired students at technical university by creating special conditions for their mastering, taking into account their limitations. Particular educational conditions include support of hearing impaired students by additional adaptational course of chemistry with a focus on individualized teaching applying a number of cognitive technologies. In this regard, the offered approach is compensatory in nature. It allows teachers to identify the individual educational and rehabilitation needs of students with hearing impairment and meet those using organizational, technological and pedagogical solutions, thus leveling their educational opportunities with ones of students without disabilities. Due to the use of assistive tools and technologies compatible with the educational environment, it is possible to make it accessible to various categories of students.

The problem of adaptation of educational space of technical university to modern market requirements is considered. There are described the results of studying the requests of higher education applicants and their vision of the success of the study. The aim of the article is to build an architecture of an information system similar to that used by modern enterprises, which will provide a combination of scientific, design and educational activities of the academic community, taking into account market needs. The main scientific research methods are bibliographic analysis, comparative analysis, methods of analogies. The conceptual architecture of the Information Support of Design Innovation Activity of the Technical University system based on the construction of a unified scientific and educational information space is described. The main task of the university’s information space is to prepare students for activities of the real market. There are determined the necessity and limits of application of the modern access control system at the universities of Ukraine, in particular for the organization of independent work of students. There is offered the way to reach the 4th level of technological readiness of students ‘and teachers’ development. The construction of an ontological description of the subject area of a technical university, the development of the application of a grid model for the description of scientific and technical information, and the determination of the current technical status are defined as the basis of the system of setting tasks for project groups in the transition to project-oriented learning. The question of the appropriateness of using adaptive case management system as a basic concept of building electronic document management system is resolved. The use of the competence approach as a mechanism of stimulating technical creativity within the educational process and in the work of researchers from the University staff is considered.

Nowadays a postgraduate school reform is expected. It aims at enhancing the scientific preparation of postgraduate students and increasing the number of dissertations. It is planned that the educational process will be carried out in accordance with federal state requirements, and a dissertation will be presented as the final qualification work. Also, the educational accreditation of doctoral programs is going to be cancel. The article discusses the question how far universities are ready for these innovations, and presents the results of a survey aimed at studying the attitude of postgraduate students and their supervisors to the educational process in postgraduate school. The empirical data obtained indicate that the existing model of scientific and pedagogical personnel training is more focused on the educational activities rather than research, there is a mismatch between content of training courses and cognitive needs of students, and there are no necessary material and technical conditions for conducting experimental work. The expected increase in hours for research activities can lead to a reduction in the disciplines that ensure the formation of pedagogical competencies in postgraduate students. The authors believe that pedagogical education for postgraduate students of industrial universities, including technical ones, is necessary, since teachers of special disciplines are not massively trained anywhere. The solution of the question of the optimal ratio of scientific and educational training is possible through the introduction of individual educational paths, which are built taking into account the orientation of postgraduate students towards teaching or research activities.

The development of literate speech of students, including mathematics, as one of the areas of communicative component of learning outcomes, is a requirement of higher education standards. The authors have analysed the educational standards for the content of the requirements to the general education of a graduate related to the development of literate speech, as well as the works of domestic and foreign teachers-researchers on the development of mathematical literacy. The literature review and the authors’ own experience of teaching mathematics to engineering students at technical University showed that the ability of students to use logically correct, reasoned and clear oral and written speech is developed insufficiently to apply the mathematical apparatus in their educational and professional activities. The authors have identified the criteria of competent speech and theoretical and methodological conditions of the educational process which enable the ensure the organizational and methodological support of educational process aimed at the development of competent mathematical speech of students. The main applied methods of teaching are advanced self-directed work of students, lecture-discussion, mutual dictation, interchange of tasks, interchange of themes, study of the text fragments, repetition training-game, etc. The effectiveness of educational activities is achieved through the use of active and interactive forms of teaching. The prepared organizational and methodological support of teaching, the systemic educational work allow students to improve their speech skills and skills of active use of mathematical language as a universal language of science, to develop logical, algorithmic and mathematical thinking, the ability to apply methods of mathematical analysis and modeling, theoretical and experimental research in solving professional problems.

The issue of efficient technologies integration into educational environment has been a mainstream today. The present paper is focused on the issue of authenticity enhancement through learning technologies that are integrated into Public Relations course in the framework of Content and Language Integrated Learning. Based on the questionnaire conducted among lecturers of the university, the authors analyzed teachers' perception of authenticity and the ways of authenticity introduction in classes through educational materials, tasks and assessment. The findings of the empirical study, present evidence that technologies provide teachers with an opportunity to bridge the gap between the classroom and a real world as well as add variety to learning authentic activities. Technologies also contribute to the implementation of four pillars of Content and Language Integrated Learning strategy: content, cognition, communication and socio-cultural competence. The combination of authenticity and technologies transforms the students' perception of studying from theoretical into a practical and engaging experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]